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Rating: Orphaned Land
"The Never Ending Way of Or-Warrior"
Century Media - 2010
Genre: Oriental-Metal
Orphaned Land is not a very prolific band, having produced only four albums in eighteen years; the previous "Mabool" in the now distant 2004 was a masterpiece that achieved unanimous acclaim and made them known to a wider Western audience. However, they did not ride the wave of success; on the contrary, they eclipsed themselves, running the risk of being almost forgotten.
They are only now returning to the scene, but they are doing so in style, with a work I would define as "monumental".
Metal? Death? Doom? Prog? Folk?... beyond schematics, theirs is inspired and visceral Music, thoughtful and committed, spiritual and captivating.
The intentions of this Israeli band are highly ambitious: to break down the wall of hatred and misunderstanding that prevents the people of their troubled land from living in peace, by setting to music the quest for a common spirituality, because the God of the Jews, the Muslims, and the Christians is ultimately the same God.
They have already achieved a small miracle: among their fans, there are also many Arabs, and their concerts attract metalheads of both ethnicities who share the same aspirations for peace.
Once again, Orphaned Land presents a concept album dense with stylistic content, instrumental and vocal variations, electric distortions, and sweet acoustic lullabies, which require a minimum of open-mindedness to be fully appreciated; leaving aside the pop vulgarity that will never approach these shores, even among those more accustomed to these sounds, there will be the pre-constituted denigrators, the purists of metal who dislike contaminations, those who cannot stand "burps into the microphone", up to those who claim the Scandinavian/Satanic exclusivity of extreme metal, for whom a spiritual/Middle Eastern death is practically an heresy!
So, set aside the prejudices and embark on this journey of almost eighty minutes in which you will feel the roars of a stormy sea, the warm wind of the desert, the silence of a starry night, the songs of the ancient nomadic shepherds... The exciting path of a man, "The Or-Warrior", in search of the Light, that is, of his own Faith.
Making an analysis of the individual tracks would make little sense, just as extracting individual sentences from a complex discourse would not clarify its content and depth. "The Neverending Way of Or-Warrior" must be listened to in its entirety, I would dare to say in "religious" silence; it is a very fine liqueur to be savored slowly to appreciate all the nuances of its flavor... after all, it took them six years to distill it!
The work has been crafted with meticulous care, starting with the art work, characterized by extremely elaborate tribal graphics.
Then there are a good six hundred hours in the recording studio, the violins of the classical orchestra of Nazareth, the many acoustic ethnic instruments, strings, wind, percussion, played masterfully and perfectly integrated into the metallic fabric; the powerful growling of Kobhi Farhi, who naturally transitions to clean singing, in the manner of Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth; even the beautiful voice of the Yemeni singer Shlomit Levi finds more space than in the past.
Guaranteeing it all, a perfect mix by their friend and fan Steve Wilson, leader of Porcupine Tree, who also plays the keyboards.
Forgive the excessive enthusiasm; probably my opinion is not quite objective because the position of passionate and enthusiastic supporter does not allow me to notice the flaws in this work... too long? Perhaps, but even if it had lasted another 80 minutes at these levels, I would not have complained! Lacks immediacy, being so dense and full of rhythm changes? Certainly, but I am convinced that precisely for this reason, it will sound fresh for a long time in your players.
YoS
Milan, February 3, 2010
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
03 Bereft in the Abyss (02:44)
As I cradle thy broken and weakened form
Lay my hands upon thy cold brow
You can not let it go
You shall not slip away
Please take my hand
So breathe once more, rise and wake up my son.
Open thy eyes and be as one
06 Olat Ha'tamid (02:37)
מִיד
נָא חַיִּים וָחֶסֶד עַל עַם עָנִי תַּצְמִיד
וְאֶת תְּפִלַּת הַשַּׁחַר בִּמְקוֹם עוֹלָה תַּעֲמִיד
עוֹלַת הַבֹּקֶר אֲשֶׁר לְעוֹלַת הַתָּמִיד
מַטֵּה כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד לְהַטּוֹת אִישׁ לִתְחִיָּה
עַמְּךָ הַטֵּה לְחֶסֶד גְּמָל נָא עָלָיו וְחָיָה
כְּתֹב תָּו חַיִּים וְהָיָה עַל מִצְחוֹ תָּמִיד
עוֹלַת הַבֹּקֶר אֲשֶׁר לְעוֹלַת הַתָּמִיד
[English translation:]
Judge of the earth, who wilt arraign the nations at thy judgment seat, with life and favor bless again thy people prostrate at thy feet.
And mayest thou our morning prayer receive, O lord, as though it were the offering that was wont to be brought day by day continually.
O thou, whose mercy faiteth not, to us thy heavenly grace accord:
Deal kindly with thy people's lot, and grant them life, our king and lord.
Let thou the mark of life appear upon their brow from year to year, as when were daily want to be the offerings brought continually.
07 The Warrior (07:11)
ושם, משאול תחתית ומחיי עבדות
מתוך תחבולת רעל העץ
שב הלוחם, וקם על רגליו
ובעוצמת ליבו, ודבקות אמונתו
נשבע הוא כי לא יהיה עוד ליתום
ומעתה יהא הוא לברכה - אור לעולם
[English translation:]
And there, from infernal depths and life of slavery
From the scheming of the poisoned tree
The warrior returned and rose
With his heart's might and faith's conviction
He swore to be an orphan nevermore
And from this day onwards he shall be a blessing - illumination to this world
You see it clearly now – you are the one
Your destiny, your will be done
Like clay you shape your own reality
You paint your own moon, stars and sun
This is the time in which you must decide
In servitude or life of pride
Thy name shall be henceforth ORwarriOR
And to the very few – Lochem ha'or
El Norra guide the ones who stand alone
The ones to be, the once before
You are the guiding path, ORwarriOR
The one foretold in days of yore
A shield against the Raging of the storm
A blade of truth forevermore
10 New Jerusalem (06:59)
Saracen blood spilled as crosses are rising high
Men giving their lives, for the Holy Sea they die
Walls surround this golden city like a crown of thorns
Will the wailing ever cease, will we forever mourn?
Behold memories of wars
Are rising as we're building the New Jerusalem
Men and children toil in the blazing sun
Mortar and brick, no walls between father and son
These green and pleasant fields that surround
The city once apart that now is one
Bygone crusades and wasted lives
Are gone as we're breathing the New Jerusalem
11 Vayehi Or (02:40)
This life is dark & lifeless grey
One stands alone, in life we decay
An uphill struggle every day
We sell our souls, we do betray
But know this, as you drown within you
The crimson touch of hope still fights
Through the veil truth doth shine
Let there be light
גואל שבור באש מסתור
להב חרבו, מבט עינו טהור
[English translation:]
Broken redeemer in fire hidden
The blade of his sword, pure is his sight
[Hebrew intro]
In the bleak house you do dwell
Heartbeat drowns in the sound of the knell
An hourglass, clock ticking away
Pray to idols the sentence to sway
But know this, as you're lost within you
The crimson touch of hope in sight
Through the veil truth doth shine
Let there be light
כמוהו בחושך מהלכים אין ספור
תקוות ליבם אחת היא – ויהי אור
[English translation:]
As him in darkness, countless walk
Let there be light – Thee I invoke
13 Barakah (04:12)
This is a resistance dispatch.
Codeword: Elimination
The one shall stand against the horde
From the underground we take hold
Power is word, power is sword
Legion are we all this day – blessed with second sight
The violin was played, as Rome was set aflame
Shall grief of war forever be the same?
Banners must be raised for hope has to prevail
Oars to the water, to a promised land we sail
Divided we shall fall – to stand we must unite
Give us your blessing Barakah
14 Codeword: Uprising (05:24)
Thy castles we shall storm
Hierarchy of light is taking form
Enemies fall as dawn is born
Strike fear, all units act as one
Thin red line, the power of man
Ours is the path of light
Redemption through superior fire power
Mirrors shall crack now is the hour
Sing in praise
Thy dark caress
In thee I wait
Lie still
Lie still
Rage engulfs my very being
A holy fire burns in your mind
God is perceived as a thing that's so vile
End lives of pure men, and their beloved wives
Sons and daughters they hold dear you'll defile
In thy sin you shall dwell
No humanity, a landscape of hell
See now the depths into which you have fell
Into
Death
Ending life, blood flows again in the river Nile
We are the terrorists of light
Shadows that haunt the innermost depths of your soul
Unseen to most
We are the sparks that shine so bright
Shall not live on bended knee, shall not lay down our arms
While we stand
These iron shields are raised, armed brothers together we stand
Holding our ground, no quarter is given, no quarter is asked
Enter the fray, we fight not for gain but for freedom - not land
Storming the walls of ancient stone, seven times we surround
Till they crush to the ground in a thunderous sound
O brothers lets drink to the battles ahead
Remember the fallen ones and the souls of the dead
Memories linger of these wars in which we fought and bled
Sing in praise
Thy endless rage
In thee it waits
Lies still
Lies still
Right and wrong they seem too clear
A target you wish for now beckons so near
God is within us all, what we hold dear
Ending of life is the ending of fear
Sons and daughters they shall end our tears
In thy belief
No hate you feel, but the will to forgive
See now the truth, the one which you believe
Into
Desire
Ending the storm that still rages inside
We are the terrorists of light
Prometheus to all, torches that burn in mighty halls
Shadows denied
We are the stars that shine so bright
Alpha and omega are one, the yin and the yang intertwined
Light a match in the dark and watch it burn as the fires grow
In the veins of the world we are the blood that pumps and flows
Shadows reflected on fallen walls when the beacon is lit
The masks that we wear are the hearts on our sleeves
Enter the sacrament lead us
Not to a path of deceit
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