It isn't every day that you see a metal band come from the Middle East , but when they come along they are truly a gem. As is the case with Orphaned Land, which is a band mixing their Middle Eastern roots with modern metal and the progressive styles of such bands like Dream Theater. A band originally formed in 1991 in Israel, Orphaned Land released two albums throughout the nineties then broke up. The band reunited in 2003 for three shows around the Middle East due to the strong demand by their fan base. Now Orphaned Land has released "Mabool (The Story of the Three Sons)". The album tells of the three sons which are a snake, an eagle, and a lion, all representing Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

The album starts with a great heavy song, “Birth of the Three,” which is bound to be made a classic live. The rest of the album is mixed with modern heavy riffs, melodic like keyboards, death metal and Dream Theater style vocals, even some female vocals. The epic, “The Storm Still Rages Inside” is filled with melodic vocals riffs keyboards but as heavy as any great epic from any metal band gets.

Orphaned Land's newest release is definitely worth checking out just for the musicianship alone. I highly recommend it.

Band:

Yossi Sassi - Guitars
Kobi Farhi - Vocals
Uri Zelcha - Bass
Avi Diamand - Drums
Matti Svatitzki - Guitars
Eden Rabin - Keyboards

Tracks: