The Borderline is a cosy venue, just right for the 200 or so who made it here. Getting in was hassle-free and the staff were friendly, which is always welcome. Not so friendly was the price of CDs on the merchandise stand. At £17, I’d suggest that Orphaned Land and Arkan were ill-advised. £17 is not the same as 17 Euros, guys. I wasn’t the only person to spot this. It’s a shame because it’s a lost opportunity for the bands themselves as spectators could buy these albums elsewhere for a lot less or worse than that, may not buy them at all. The other disappointment was the absence of Myrath who were denied entry to the UK because of visa problems. But in spite of this setback there was a buzz in the place and I strongly sensed a feeling of joy.

First of the three bands to play tonight was Artweg from the suburbs of Paris. “We’re gonna play some Hardcore” announced a gentleman, who in size resembled William “The Fridge” Perry. He was one of the two vocalists in this 5 piece band, dwarfing his wispy colleague. The thought of Mr Large, as we’ll call him, crowd-surfing was too horrific to contemplate – we and the floor of the Borderline would be in serious trouble. This was a new face of Hardcore as Messrs Large and Little alternated and duetted fierily and cheerfully to a massively punchy beat. Changing style was the band’s trademark, as the drummer pounded out his rhythms, the guitar work was imposing, and the vocalists bounced up and down and screamed. The first song was called “Control” and there was plenty of that. The constantly heavy beat continued in its punitive way but space was made along the way for a technical stop, building up again for Large and Little to rant at us some more. The energy and passion level was intense. The pulsating rhythm now bordered on Punk. It came as no surprise to learn later that two of the songs were called “Unstoppable” and “SLAM”. Little was like a coiled spring, going on a vertical dance like a cross between a Harrier Jump Jet and a corkscrew. Most people here like me had come primarily for something more ethereal than this but we quickly got the idea and were sucked into the vibe. Several styles went into this. The technical side and sound were good, and the pace changed constantly. It was time for “Insane” and the dynamic duo went off like a pneumatic drill. It slowed down. Little made the gestures. Large, well, gave it large as they all did. There was so much anger that I can only imagine it’s about something important. This is always the disadvantage of seeing a band for the first time but who cares. These guys wanted us to join in their fun. The 25 minute set ended with “N.W.D”, a song which was typically fast, vibrant, full of ferocity and energy. Artweg are different. Credit is due to them for reminding us that Hardcore can be presented in different forms. The Hardcore they present does not come from a UK or even US text book. The aggression, anger and energy that you’d expect are all there, but along the way there are many excursions into punk, rap, hip hop, thrash and technical Metal. The movement is so rapid that I think it would take a few listens to really appreciate their music, but I also think it would be worth the investment of time. Visually their show fell somewhere between theatre and vaudeville, so it was very entertaining, but Artweg are of course serious musicians, and deservedly received warm applause for their lively performance and interesting music.

I’ve been following Arkan since their outstanding debut album “Hilal” in 2008. This was the band I was most looking forward to seeing tonight. I was intrigued as to how they were going to convey from a small stage the rich mix of flavours which invade each track of their albums. Tonight’s set comprised tracks from “Hilal” and this year’s equally impressive release “Salam”. The band of French North African origins set about their work with aplomb, immediately capturing both exotic and intensely dark moods with their rhythms and the deep Death Metal vocals. The lady singer Sarah came on in her flowing creamy white robe and provided beauty and magical harmonies, contrasting with the black-outfitted instrumentalists who continued to pump out their melodic darkness. Sarah entranced us with their hand gestures as if to invite us in and lift us above the darkness. Where Artweg before hit us head-on with their thunderous sound, Arkan went beyond that and soaked the air with Arabic magic. “Tied Fates” followed. The bassist and rhythm guitar painted more musical pictures. We were confronted by a hypnotizing mixture of sounds. Although there were no traditional instruments which was a shame but understandable given the constraints of a live performance, this was compensated for by one of the guitarists playing an Eastern style while the other supplied more of the Death Metal. A pumping beat now supported the harsh vocals. It was like a celebration, and the band made sure we were invited. As we marched on through the gloomy heaviness, Sarah’s sweet voice levitated into the ether. The band headbanged, the audience headbanged. There was unity. Light met dark. The interpretation and presentation were superb. “Inner Slaves” has a typical air of mystery about it. Sarah provided once again sheer Arabic exoticism in spite of the seemingly impenetrable darkness. The atmosphere was stunning. There is such clarity about the vocals, even the Death ones. Although the music is made up of contrasts, there’s a harmony which I surmise comes from the precision within the layers of simultaneous harshness, beauty and melody. “Deus Vult” seemed to be taking us deeper and deeper into the abyss but again Sarah came to the rescue again to lift us out of it and beyond. I was told later that she was feeling under the weather tonight. It didn’t show. I was over the moon with this display. What a band. We clapped. We could smell the spices. “Are you ready for peace’ enquired Sarah. Yes we were. Arkan had enrolled us to their cause through their engaging music and open personalities. The band’s relationship with their crowd was wonderful. The rhythm guitar and drum roll created excitement. The oud was sampled this time but it didn’t detract from the flow or the exotic Arabic flavour we were enjoying. In fact the “Eastern” guitarist was constantly creating exotic patterns with the oud. Unlike some bands, who exhort us tiresomely to shout and take part in choruses, it was a pleasure and natural process to join in with Sarah’s Arabic incantations. As we did so, I could hear delicate drumming and light guitar rhythms providing further subtlety. We were listening to “Beyond Sacred Rules”. Sarah took us to the heavens once more, contrasting with that imposingly dark metal. It works because it’s so pure in its form. Arkan are every bit as good live as recorded. There’s such a flow. Finally in this all-too-short set they gave us a slower interpretation of “Salam”, in doing so creating a different but ever powerful atmosphere. The thunderous melody which had been with us throughout and the hypnotic fusion of musical elements remained to ensure we could imbibe this intriguing and magical music. On completion of their set, all the band members went directly to the public area and mixed with the crowd, proving themselves to be great ambassadors as well as top class, creative musicians. On stage quality came from all corners. Arkan’s performance was superlative. It received rousing applause from the appreciative audience.

On the one previous occasion I saw Orphaned Land play live, at ProgPower Europe in 2007, I could see that they are a very audience-friendly band, but they didn’t touch me with their music. As we heard the distant sounds of the East, on came the band, smiling. Kobi Farhi, the bearded lead singer, appeared in a long white robe. The band launched into “Halo Dies (The Wrath of God)” and straightaway captured our attention with this funky Eastern Prog number. Distant chants were overlaid onto expressive and decisive guitar work. This was better than good. The crowd moved to the thumping music. The chanted choruses served the dual purpose of adding a mystical quality and being easy to join in with and we did. Kobi raised a laugh with his comment about his appearance “I guess you know we’re Orphaned Land and I’m not Jesus Christ”. It had occurred to me also that he also looked like Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne. On we went to “Olat Ha’tamid” and more melodic heaviness and its simple and catchy lay –ya – lay – ya chorus. Everyone jumped. We were all happy. It wasn’t contrived, which was the impression I had the previous time I saw them. The energy on stage and pulsating rhythms were for everyone to enjoy. Kobi announced he was going back in time to the 1996 work “El Norra Alila” with the emotive “A Never Ending Way”, in which the a capello vocals were joined by luxurious guitar work. Otherwise most of the songs tonight were from “Mabool” (2004) and this year’s “The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR”.

The mood then changed back to frantic celebration with “Sapari, another sing-a-long ethnic song with a wonderful beat. A scantily-clad exotic dancer joined the band on stage. “From Broken Vessels” kept us mentally and physically active with its punching and funky guitar rhythm. The chorus arose out of the melody. The sophistication was supreme. Then we were treated for the first time to some real Progressive guitar work with “The Path”. The technical work took us to another level. It was already high. Orphaned Land’s music was hypnotic. They were hitting the mark here every time. The quality was relentless, and like Arkan before them, the whole experience was laced with mysticism through the music and chanted choruses. The Hebrew “Vayehi Or” entranced us with its spirituality and magnetic attraction which made us want to join in. It was clear that the set list was carefully thought through as the excellent “The Warrior” invited further broadening of our aural senses. The song contains a strong mix of drama, feeling and power. It featured a magical guitar solo and rampages on like an impressive march. Within the rhythm of the second guitarist, I heard the riff of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s “Joybringer” in there, itself based on Holst’s “Planet Suite”. Where this was deliberate or not, I do not know, but it typified the subtle and interesting variety on show. Kobi explained the original influence of the band, namely that he and his lead guitarist Yossi heard their family playing and singing traditional songs in the synagogue, leading them to make Heavy Metal out of it. To prove the point, Yossi changed his guitar to an oud and the band played the traditional “El Meod Na ‘Ala”. Happiness and joy could be felt throughout the room. Kobi went on to remind us of the significance of the occasion, stating “This is the first Oriental tour in the history of Heavy Metal”. That’s not actually true because such multi-cultural events and concerts do happen in South East Asia, however the achievement isn’t to be underestimated. To get Israelis, Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians and Europeans playing together like this is amazing. Some of them place themselves in danger for working outside their culture. No-one oversold the message because they didn’t have to. The unity was in the air. “If a band of musicians can do it, so can the politicians” added Kobi, Hear, hear. The main set ended with “In Thy Never Ending Way”, one again masterfully performed and characterized by its punchy, colourful beat and its mystic vocals. There was no way we were going to let Orphaned Land go without an encore and they obliged by coming back. As Jossi played his delicate guitar solo during the acoustic “Beloved’s Cry” from their first album, I was struck by the impact and sincerity of all the musicians here tonight. Jossi and Kobi hugged each other emotionally. A short tribute was then announced and played for absent friends Myrath. As the event approached its end, the dancer returned for the celebratory “Norra el Norra”. They played, we jumped. Actually, everyone jumped. The bassist got his hair caught up in his mate’s guitar but the band played on seamlessly and joyfully. Another oldie, the rock-driven “Ornaments of Gold” closed the evening. We all sung and waved, and expressed our profound appreciation for a wonderful and happy experience.

I’ve been privileged to go to a number of great musical events this year but this one is right up there. The ambiance was magical in every respect. It was a joyous occasion, the music was fantastic and rich, and there was happiness everywhere. Thanks to Orphaned Land, Arkan and Artweg, the Borderline was the House of Smiles tonight.

Review Andrew Doherty

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