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[jrgen]

Artist: Orphaned Land
Album: Mabool
Year Released: 2004

Review or Summary:
Mabool is the lastest release of the israeli band Orphaned Land, which they released eight years after their previous release El Norra Alila. Orphaned Land have without a doubt changed a lot in sound during the eight years of silence. Their previous albums The Beloved's Cry, Sahara and El Norra Alila are not entirely similar, but they share some attributes, which make Orphaned Land so unique. They are mainly Extreme Metal mixed with Middle Eastern folk music.

With Mabool however, they have developed their music even further. It tells the story of Noah's Arc, but with a little tweak. Even though it is historically impossible it's about a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim
struggling to survive the Flood (Mabool) together. I believe this is some kind of statement towards the current situation in Israel. On this album they focus a lot more on the Folk aspect of their music. You can also find beautiful piano and violin parts in some of the songs. When it comes to the metal aspect of this album, you will find all different kinds of metal. There are influences from Thrash, Death, Doom Metal and a lot more. The lyrics are English and Hebrew in all songs except one, which is sung in Latin. Every song is unique, but they always keep a high quality.

The whole album is very professionally made and the musical diversity is tremendous. It took a long very time to develop, but it was well worth it. It is one of those albums that just feel complete and should be listened to as one piece rather than individual tracks. Definately one of the strongest releases of 2004. If you buy the limited edition you will also receive an acoustic live CD. I recommend this album to everyone who likes interesting and original music.

Rate: 4.7 of 5

You can download their latest video here: Orphaned Land - Norra el Norra