Orphaned Land's Epic Jewish Black Metal

Orphaned Land Mabool: The Story of the Three Sons of Seven

Nice Jewish boys don't listen to metal. Nice Jewish boys definitely don't perform metal. But then there is nothing nice about Orphaned Land, the Israeli black metal band defying conventions with their new album, perhaps better referenced as their new epic, Mabool. Blending traditional Middle Eastern melody with crushing progressive sound, Orphaned Land has developed their voice into a commanding presence on the European music scene. Frequently playing alongside huge names all across the continent, they are drawing diverse crowds who eagerly respond to their strong yet melodic tone and messages of unity and peace.

A fitting metaphor for this exceptional balance of high-minded theme and heavy energy comes from the band itself, which likens their work to the balance represented by the Chinese concept of yin and yang. Often the spirituality of their ideas seems to remove them from mainstream heavy metal; sheer force comes and thrusts them right back. Their sound placed them alongside respected groups Opeth and Lacuna Coil during the annual Summer-Breeze festival in Germany, but their high-minded lyrical content raises them above the dark, wild pit of mainstream heavy metal.

Mabool looks at the Biblical themes of sin and punishment through the eyes of rebuking prophets, reflecting familiar themes from Genesis and Jonah. Three brothers, emissaries of God, travel the earth to warn the nations of the world away from the brink of destruction, urging repentance and a return from their sinful ways. The opening track, "The Unification," reveals the most poignant and ambitious theme of the story: as a replacement for the single "righteous man in his generation," three sons, each representing one branch of the leading monotheistic religions, unite in this crucial quest to salvage humankind.

In a world increasingly divided by the fervor of religion, Mabool consciously undertakes to heal these painful rifts. By assigning the task of redemption equally amongst the nations, it makes the claim that anger and discord will be resolved by a commitment from people of all denominations acting together, without care for individual creed. To prevent the bloodshed hanging over the earth, three peoples unite; faced with a hostile population they are doomed to failure.

As a concept album, Mabool stands alongside careful efforts by celebrated bands such as Pink Floyd and the Who, as well as heavy metal demigods Dream Theater and Fear Factory. A rare unity of theme, sound, and purpose winds this album in upon itself, steadily building toward the awesome climax reached in the title track.

The sound on the album is incredible, reflecting the amount of time the band invested in perfecting their latest effort. Their last album, "El Norra Alila," was released in 1996, and the band didn't begin recording Mabool until late in 2003. During this time off the band's members did not forget about their musical commitments. In an interview with vocalist Kobi Farhi via e-mail, the founding member credited the span between albums as a source for Mabool's almost flawless arrangement.

A close listen reveals highly original transitions, a key factor as many of the songs have a number of distinct, complementary tones. The highlight of the album, "Ocean Land," opens with a sustained Oriental melody before slipping into powerful progressive riffs, set off by an amazing solo from guitarist Yossi Sa'aron. Growling lyrics compliment clean vocals throughout the lofty chorus, and the song seamlessly flows into "The Kiss of Babylon," which features beautiful female vocals, a Yemenite choir, and a somber chant hauntingly reminiscent of the High Holidays in synagogue. In fact, many of the ideas on the album feel more familiar against a religious backdrop than etched onto a black metal disc.

With "A Call to Awake," the story presents the listener with orthodox views of teshuva, or repentance, emphasizing God's strong desire for it, even from arch sinners. Tragically, after these exhortations are ignored and the brothers are chased away; the scene is repeated again and again as they continue their futile journey among the nations.

At the conclusion of their quest, although rejected by their brethren and mournful of their fate, the three sons rejoice in their ability to continue serving God together. One of the most interesting tracks on the album comes at this low point in the narrative. "Nora El Nora (Entering the Ark)," is a song of praise to God and a request for future salvation, both elements of a traditional Hebrew prayer. If one didn't know better, this track could be mistaken for an embellished version of a Jewish song. However, the tune is far from the limits of contemporary Jewish music. Here again the band demonstrates their commitment to unifying competing cultures and religions; the original tune was written as a love song by an Egyptian, Karem Mahmud, and adapted wonderfully to the hymn.

Oddly enough, the band owes more to Arab communities than simply the tune to one of the better tracks on Mabool. During the seven-year hiatus, interest from Arab countries helped popularize the band's older music. With the prevalence of file-sharing services on the Internet, many fans were exposed to Orphaned Land when they downloaded tracks online. But the band is far from disappointed about these downloads. In many of those Arab countries where support for the band is largest, their music is illegal to buy or own! This underground support helped move them onto their perch within the European scene, and they now look forward to conquering new lands.

The future holds tremendous promise for the lofty goals of Orphaned Land. They were recently signed to Century Media, whose roster includes metal-core powerhouse Shadows Fall and Devon Townsend's Strapping Young Lad, as well as a number of other bands featured prominently on this year's Ozzfest. Recently, Orphaned Land played one show in Atlanta at the Prog Power festival, but Kobi hopes that increased exposure in the United States will translate into future tours in this country. It will be an occasion to remember if Jewish, Arab, and Christians fans come together to celebrate one of the most original and exciting bands on the metal scene today.