(PR) One of metal's biggest and most talked about sensations has to be Israel's Orphaned Land who mix mysticism, metal, oriental ambience, and Middle Eastern tradition steeped in religious and moral teachings, to bring us another masterpiece. From a hypnotic weave of choral arrangements and exotic instrumentation to a dynamic use of language and torrential guitar riffs, this band has all of the elements to create a very entertaining listening experience. Orphaned Land made a rare and much celebrated U.S. performance at this year's Progpower and are currently finishing up their new album, The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR, which was mixed by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and set for a Jan. 2010 release.
Kobi Farhi (vocals) states: "Playing in the USA is always an adventure for us. The fans are very much devoted and even the people who don't know your band give you the right attention. When we were announced for PPUSA last year I was sure that by this time our album would be out, but since it's a complex album, we delayed it and had to leave the studio just for this show, so in a way, the Progpower fans were the first in the world to hear us play an unprecedented, SIX brand new songs. The reaction was great and the fans were with us all along the show - clapping hands, jumping and even belly dancing. After so much time in the studio, we really needed that feedback and I'm very grateful of all the fans. I feel that our music is a new breeze for the metal scene, a breeze that brings a new tune and sound of metal from the Middle East and we know that this was just the starting point. It is now the time to bring our unique brand of music to all of North America, so stay tuned as we will be back soon."
Exotic and enticing, ORPHANED LAND blends a multitude of sounds and styles to create its Middle Eastern Metal. "Our music style is a mixture of all kinds of metal, from progressive to black metal," says Farhi. "We are influenced by all kinds of music, from Indian music to Jazz. I even recorded musicians in the streets of India." The band's last album, Mabool, was recorded in five languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic, Yemen, Latin as well as a form of gibberish (a language ORPHANED LAND created themselves). Oriental instruments such as oud, saz, and buzuki are used with traditional and classical instruments like violins, cello, piano and classical acoustic guitars. The introduction of unfamiliar languages and instruments heightens the mystical nature of the album, unifies the theme and makes the experience timeless.
Orphaned Land achieves its goal of uniting multitudes of cultures and crafting a mix of melody and mysticism. Interwoven guitar work coupled with exotic oriental instrumentations, infuses the well-crafted syncopated rhythms and makes the entire experience unforgettable.
