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The Never Ending Way Continues On - 89%

psychoticnicholai, August 21st, 2016
Written based on this version: 2010, CD, Century Media Records

Israeli titans Orphaned Land let loose with an album of progressive strength that rivals other well known prog acts of the day such as Dream Theater and Opeth. We see a grand mixture concocted from Arabic, Jewish, progressive rock, and death metal music that blends the them all together with the utmost of creativity. This style continues from Mabool where Orphaned Land went strong in displaying their ability to move from death metal into the progressive sphere. The follow-up, ORwarriOR takes these ideas to churn out yet another outstanding piece from this band.

Much of this album is based around ideas of divinity and the clash of cultures. Building an atmosphere is another focus here. Long passages of melodic and peaceful Arabic and Jewish folk music will often set the scene before going into heavy riffs with a strong local ethnic twang build into a strong display of grandiose and intricate songwriting to display a mystic desert soundscape. The balance of melody and dynamics plays out well in the two part series of songs, The Path, which never sounds boring despite its length due to creative riffwork and epic, dynamic, writing. Some songs focus more on riffing and a strong backing of impactful middle eastern riffing to drive the point home, especially in songs like Sapari and Codeword: Uprising which feature rhythmic sections and choruses that deliver full stop. Clean and guttural vocals alternate with the music to enhance the mood whether passivity or aggression is playing out in the instruments and it works beautifully, especially on both parts of The Path. Another notable addition to the group this time, is female singer Shlomit Levi who adds a lot of extra lift when she's featured and gives a sky-bound feeling to her performance. The stories presented here deal with the struggle around Israel that's been going on for millennia between different peoples and the faith and commonalities they all had. Each song is an epic in history and the Abrahamic Mythos with plenty of crunch to grab the average headbanger. This is a strong blend of middle eastern music and progressive metal.

The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR shows us a wondrous balance of heavy progressive death metal mixed with ethnic middle eastern instruments for a grand soundscape. The vocal harmonies are spot on, the songwriting is epic and delves far into religion and history, and above all else the music finds space to rock out in a balance of ancient and modern. ORwarriOr provides a solid follow up to Mabool and gives us even more epicly orchestrated tunes from Orphaned Land.

The Never Ending Way of Orphaned Land - 100%

eyes_of_apocalypse, January 24th, 2012

Orphaned Land may have very well sealed themselves as one of the most creative and talented bands of the 2000s. For people unfamiliar with Orphaned Land, they are an Israeli band that play a certain unique mix of progressive metal (think Opeth, not Dream Theater), Middle-Eastern folk metal ("Oriental metal"), and death metal. (Note that the death metal elements are in limited amounts; the riffs used are more melodious than brutal, and the strongest death metal element is Kobi Farhi's growling, and that does not dominate the record.) They're also known for their incredibly long wait period between albums (eight years between El Norra Alila and its successor Mabool, and six years between Mabool and its successor - this album), but the material they release is of very high quality.

I discovered Orphaned Land in early 2011 with their 2004 masterpiece Mabool. While their pre-2000s material is less than amazing, I considered Mabool one of the best albums I'd heard in a long time. What really grabbed me is that, while nearly every album I liked and loved in the last year started off as a big "meh" or seemed good at best then grew into something I enjoyed significantly, I knew from the first listen that Mabool was something special. Successive listens opened the album up to me more, and it became one of my most played albums of the last few years. In late 2011, I finally listened to The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR, and I realized it may very well be better than its almost-perfect predecessor. Let me make myself perfectly clear: The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR succeeds on every single level. I could go on for paragraphs about all of the little nuances that make this album so surprisingly good, but I won't. I will instead focus on the basics and the highlights.

The production (done by Steven Wilson) is crisp and clear, the mixing always puts emphasis on the appropriate instrument, and every instrument is noticeable (except for the bass, as usual, but even it stands out occasionally). Kobi's clean vocals are majestic, and his death growl is vicious. The instrumentation is top notch - especially the guitars, which constantly produce some of the best riffs I have ever heard. They even hired an orchestra (Arab Orchestra of Nazareth), which peppers melodies (such as violins) throughout the album.

What is perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that the album never feels excessive, despite it being over 78 minutes long with 15 tracks. This is because the album goes through multiple styles and moods, and each song flows with strong progression, never doing the same thing for too long. One of the things that really makes this album for me is how songs such as "From Broken Vessels" and "The Path Part 1 - Treading Through Darkness" (the two biggest highlights of the album for me, with "From Broken Vessels" working its way as perhaps my favorite song of all time) flow through multiple complex rhythms. They don't hover on the same riff for 5 minutes, but rather take the listener through a musical journey.

Of course, not every song is built around these complex rhythms. "The Warrior" puts emphasis on heavy orchestration and a long, winding solo. As well, while all of the songs strongly incorporate the Middle-Eastern folk, some songs such as opener "Sapari" and "Olat Ha'tamid" put more emphasis on that Hebrew sound. There's also several songs that abandon the heavy and complex riffs for a soft, yet deep and passionate sound ("New Jerusalem," "M i ?," and closer "In Thy Never Ending Way (Epilogue)") - and they all do it very well, forging some of the best elements of the album for me (such as "In Thy Never Ending Way (Epilogue)" which ends with a stunningly beautiful piano outro). Then there's "Vayehi Or," "Barakah," and "Codeword: Uprising" which are all groove-oriented, and feature less of the progressive, complex rhythms while still retaining their heaviness (and honestly, Orphaned Land never get overly heavy).

Then there's the lyrics, and that may very well be what separates Orphaned Land from the rest of the flock of folk metal bands (if their Middle-Eastern format and heavy progressiveness wasn't doing that already), and metal bands in general. These lyrics are positive and uplifting, while still being deep and complex. Rather than chanting about Satan or Paganism, their lyrics speak of Biblical matters and the Abrahamic religions (and in a positive light, too!). They manage to do this without seeming religious (or "preachy") in the very slightest, but rather intelligently do so through the use of conceptual lyrics (this is their second concept album now) and insightful quotes ("His Leaf Shall Not Wither" quoting Psalms 1, a passage in "Disciples of the Sacred Oath II" which quotes the Qur'an, and is sung in Arabic by the way). To be more specific, this album is a concept album about a metaphorical "Warrior of Light" (ORwarriOR), who, according to Kobi Farhi, is no Messianic figure, but rather the inner self. He related it to having a candle in a completely dark room; with the candle, you can see answers to what's in the room, but without it, you can see nothing. The album seems to dictate this warrior's journey to... extinguish the darkness, so to speak. It's very intelligent, and the way they show off the Abrahamic religions positively is a very welcome change, especially to worshipers of one of the religions (such as I).

This conviction leads to an overwhelming amount of passion therein. "The Path Part 1 - Treading Through Darkness" overflows with this passion; the emotion runs deep through the song, and it convinces me of what they do. It's deep, heartwarming, and beckons an emotional response from the listener. The aforementioned softer songs above also have this emotion running through them explicitly, but even in the heavier songs this passion rises to the top and dominates the sound. Every song radiates with the pain of the Israelis throughout history. In the music, I can hear their suffering, I can hear their loss, but I can also hear their hope. This cluster of emotions are the strains of the music's passion; the passion that emanates from the music constantly and releases an unexplainable atmosphere.

To put it quite simply, Orphaned Land seem unstoppable. The way they mix their styles alone is unique, but to create such mesmerizing and creative music the way they do makes them phenomenal. This is about as perfect as an album can get. The Holy Land has given us one of the best folk metal albums, one of the best progressive metal albums, one of the best albums released thus far this century, and one of the best albums period. I consider this a must-listen for any fan of metal, and especially fans of folk metal and progressive metal.

Bringing Peace to the Middle-East since 1991 - 100%

DeaThrash2702, August 22nd, 2010

Orphaned Land have really outdone themselves this time. For the last 6 years they have been stirring up this 15 song, 78 minute masterpiece. And after this long, they sure as hell ain’t going to disappoint their large world-wide fan base!

To quickly summarize my review: What we have here is the epitome of Folk Metal in today’s age: A well balanced serving of folk, without compromising the metal aspect (like some folk metal bands do). Here, Orphaned Land brings to the forefront their middle-eastern culture. They do this instrumentally, lyrically, and conceptually, while remaining diverse, and true to their roots. There is not a single moment on this album where I get bored.

Before I get on with the review, let me just be clear on how I rate albums, as some people get angry at how 100% reviews are handed out. They argue that “there is no such thing as a perfect album”. I completely disagree. I judge an album based on the amount of thought, effort, and creativity the band has put into the album. This far into Orphaned Land’s career, it is only their fourth full-length. It’s been almost 6 years between this and their last album. These guys clearly don’t release albums as often as they shit. Ask yourself: “Could they really have done it better, without compromising their distinct style and overall vision?” I would say “DEFINITELY NOT”. Now for the details of my review:

Lyrics & Vocals
The lyrics of this album are conceptually based on the coming of complete light here on Earth (or the coming of the Messianic Age, from a Judaic perspective). From beginning to end, the album conveys the slow struggle for light to overcome darkness through a fictional character (ORwarriOR). There are many biblical & historic references throughout, so don’t expect your typical metal album lyrics. Stylistically, the lyrics are also well crafted, with exemplary use of metaphors, similes, ect. If you don’t believe me, just read over the lyrics to “Disciples Of The Sacred Oath, Pt. 2”. The vocals that handle these delicate lyrics are also top class. Kobi is (in my books) one of the most talented metal singers out there (akin to even Primordial’s Nemtheanga). He makes his voice to be so eclectic that he can sing in all sorts of styles, and still sound awesome! Be it his growls, screams, chants, whispers, narratives, or clean vocals, he always sounds like he means what he is saying. “New Jerusalem” is a perfect example of how full of emotion he can be. Additionally, he sings some parts in Hebrew and Arabic, and this speech is not foreign to him. The linguistic diversity is one of the ways you can easily identify an Orphaned Land album. Without Kobi handling the vocals, Orphaned Land would simply be incomplete. His mid-East-accented voice is part of the experience. Let us not forget Shlomit Levi’s beautiful voice which is prevalent throughout the album. Her clean vocals, although secondary to Kobi’s, add a nice feminine touch to the album, making it that much more powerful. Our duo of vocalists gives us a top class performance.

Guitars & Bass
Guitar and Bass duties are handled by the trio of Yossi, Matti, and Uri. Found here is your signature Orphaned Land structure, as heard on “Mabool”. There is nothing really new done in this field, but that’s not to say that you’ve heard it all before. Throughout the album, you have many aggressive, “metal to the bone”, riffs (just listen to “Codeword: Uprising”), lots of beautiful acoustic passages & interludes, and quite a few catchy melodies played on guitar. This album is very diverse with the guitars because one minute you will be singing along, only to find yourself head banging a minute later. Additionally, you will, from time to time, hear odd middle-eastern guitars being played. This adds tons of variety to the album, and constantly reminds you where this band is from. The bass isn’t really dominant on this album, but it definitely gives it the heavy feel. The bass lines are always audible, and never drowned out. You can always hear them just beneath the guitars. Overall, the guitars are very well intertwined in composition. These guys know how to write their music, let alone play it!

Drumming
The drumming on this album is probably what makes it so “metal”. If you happened to drop the drumming, the album would lose approximately a fourth of its metalness. The drums keep this album heavy, and constantly flowing. In the aggressive passages, the double bass is played to no end. They’ve even managed to make the heavy drumming sound joyful on “Olat Ha’tamid”. Of course, they won’t just brutally pound the drums till your ears go deaf. You’ll constantly hear a change in pace, rhythm, and beat, which again adds to the variety they provide your ears with. If you’ve ever seen Orphaned Land live, you’ll see how much fun the drummer is having while playing every song. The album does mix it up a little in the percussion department, with the addition of various middle-eastern drums.

This is an album that will grow on you after the first few listens (assuming you’re open-minded, and not part of the whole “anti-folk metal” scene). The album may start off with the pop-sounding “Sapari”, but don’t be fooled. Although it is a great track, it will not set the tone for the entirety of this work. The second track will blow you away with pure aggression. You must discover how truly wonderful each track is, one at a time, so don’t rush to judge. Thus far, ‘The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR’ is Orphaned Land’s most creative output, and remains my favourite album of 2010.
I cannot wait to see how they top this masterpiece. – 100%

Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR - 90%

groverXIII, June 7th, 2010

When it comes to folk metal, I am a pretty big fan, by and large. There are plenty of folk metal bands that have failed to truly grab me (Týr, I’m looking in your direction), sure, but when it really comes down to it, I like more than I dislike. I think a big part of my reasoning is that I like the added melody that the folk parts add to what might otherwise be average metal.

While there are a pretty decent number of folk metal bands that use Celtic or Scandinavian folk music, there are fewer that use traditional Middle Eastern music. While Melechesh are often considered to be one of the bigger Middle Eastern bands, fellow Israelis Orphaned Land are making a serious case for supremacy with their new epic The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR.

It’s rare to find an album where the album title is so brilliantly appropriate. With a title like The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR, there is a strong suggestion of a lengthy journey, which is a perfect way to describe this album. Clocking in at a staggering 78:22 (the average CD can hold about 80 minutes of music), The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR is a fascinating musical journey that keeps you engrossed throughout.

I’ll admit, it’s difficult to really do a proper review of this album so soon. This is the type of album that you need to be able to listen to many times to truly grasp its depths. To put it another way, I’m going to draw a comparison to the Assassin’s Creed games. Early on, you scale a high building and look out over the city, and it’s difficult to truly grasp that you can go pretty much anywhere that you can see. It’s not until you’ve gotten down and truly explored all of those areas that the grand scale of things truly becomes apparent.

You see, not only is The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR a lengthy album, but it is also a dense album. Songs do not follow a standard structure, instead winding their way amongst a myriad of tempo changes, traditional Middle Eastern melodies, pounding drums, slashing guitars, and a multitude of clean, harsh, and female vocals. These shifts create a feeling where the tracks are not so much single songs jumbled together as they are a coherent whole.

Now, Orphaned Land is hardly the only band to do this; with progressive music’s influence on metal rapidly expanding, this sort of thing is actually becoming commonplace. Orphaned Land does this as well as just about any band out there, though, and when you factor in the relatively unused Middle Eastern elements that permeate The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR, it makes for a rather different listening experience. Female vocalist Shlomit Levi (who also contributed to Orphaned Land’s previous album Mabool: The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven) adds a strong element to the album, whether singing on her own or with her voice mingling with the vocals of male vocalist Kobi Farhi.

Musically the band consistently keeps things interesting, making good use of standard metal instrumentation mixed with acoustic guitar, piano, and a number of traditional Middle Eastern instruments. Moreover, they are constantly changing how they use these instruments, often mixing several different elements together at different times during songs to create a new range of sounds. It is difficult to really give specific examples simply because of how often and how skillfully they do this; without truly getting into the depths of this album it is nigh impossible to really grasp everything that they are doing.

And therein lies my only gripe with this album; the density can make it difficult to really get into this album on a casual basis. It’s a pretty minor gripe. I generally listen to music while I’m at work, so I can’t always devote my full attention to listening to it, and with The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR I feel like I’m missing out if I can’t fully pay attention. Like I said, this is a pretty minor gripe, and I don’t feel that it really reflects poorly on Orphaned Land or their work.

Originally reviewed for The Number Of The Blog: http://thenumberoftheblog.com/2010/01/25/album-reviews-orphaned-land-the-never-ending-way-of-orwarrior/

Just keeps getting better! - 95%

Damnation_Terminated, March 14th, 2010

OK, I could literally write for a LONG time about the many MANY plus sides of this album, I truly could. But I don't want to bore you, the reader, and will simply say right from the outset, you NEED this album!

Were I to go into more detail, however (and judging by the lengthy list of rules for writing a review, I need to do so) I would have to suggest that on first listen to this album, you may not like it. You may, like myself, listen to it, having waited for nearly 5 years for it after the masterpiece that was "Mabool" and initially be disappointed. Mabool was such a quality piece of work, and "The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR" was so long in coming, it was hard not to hype it up so much, and it seems that it doesn't live up to the hype.

However, I would strongly urge you, dear reader, to keep at it! I have had this album on repeat for about a week now, and every listen I have unlocks new levels of brilliance in the musical technicality and layers of complexity! The music is astonishingly well written and tightly played, and you can tell that the reason Orphaned Land took so long to make this album is because they wanted to make it sound good... I mean, really good... It is evident that they have progressed nicely as musicians, together as a band, and they have obviously worked very hard to produce some high quality metal musicianship.

The presence of the Israeli/middle eastern folk music that so marks their sound is weaved effortlessly throughout the album, mixing with the heavy music, that in some places is heavier than anything on Mabool. They have managed to go in a new direction with it, however, and one must put this down to the work of the legendary Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Opeth) who has clearly influenced the band in some of the tracks, none more so the third track "Bereft in the Abyss."

The one low point, and the reason I have knocked 5% off (this shows it is not a major issue) is the first track. Where Mabool had "The Birth of the Three" to open the album, this has "Sapari" which is, simply put, annoying. I can't explain it more then that but it is a weak beginning, but it is only a short track, and when it leads into the haunting piano melody of "From Broken Vessels" you immediately forget about it.

There is an atmosphere of mystery, excitement and aggression prevalent throughout every song and the band has obviously poured their soul into its making. Orphaned Land, you made me wait for so long, but all is forgiven: it was worth it!

Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR - 80%

ThrashManiacAYD, February 11th, 2010

And some still question the worth of metal...Israel's majestic Orphaned Land are back with their first album in 6 years, and fourth overall in nearly 20 years, and a grander, more artistically composed record you will not hear this year. Whatever the quality of this album, Orphaned Land's presence in the fields of metal, Middle Eastern folk and now prog is a credit to the geographical and musical diversity of metal these days and a boon to it's being as a genre intent on the pushing of boundaries in all manner of concepts.

"The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR" is so layered and complex in both message and musical delivery that I must hold my hands up and admit that after a number of listens I am still discovering new features in the 78 minutes of it's delivery. From opener "Sapari", one of the most straight-forward in structure and thus perhaps not coincidently, one of the catchiest, the feel of intense passion and emotion contained within cannot be understated, especially when compared to many of the albums that pass for 'folk metal' these days. Through 2004's "Mabool" and backwards in OL's history the band have expertly blended Middle Eastern folk melodies, through the use of local traditional instruments such as the oud, saz and bouzouki, with heavy metal rhythms and structures and now as time has gone on, a strong dose of prog/synth tendencies. Too, with the hoarse and clean vocals of Kobi Farhi, choir chants and the wonderful female vocals of Shlomit Levi, there is an intense amount to admire and immerse oneself in "The Never Ending...", lending itself as much a musical education as a composition in it's own right.

Relating Orphaned Land to other bands is difficult and for the most part, futile, with the exception of one of today's giants: Opeth. Taking a cue from Akerfeldt and co's mastery of the prog-meets-metal dynamic, OL take a veritable slurp from Opeth's well of influence in tracks like "The Path (Pt. 1) - Treading Through Darkness", "Vayehi Or" and "His Leaf Shall Not Wither"; through the production technique of Opeth's 'sixth member' Steven Wilson to the recognisable sound of the Swede's brilliant "Damnation" album. Despite this, repeated listens will still only bring the conclusion that Orphaned Land sound like Orphaned Land and noone else, reason for which can be summised by the authenticity of their Middle-Eastern bouzouki passages, a trait Nile have admirably strived for for many a year, in songs like "Olat Ha'tamid" and "New Jerusalem". This amalgamation of styles, deeply intertwined into the soul of the music generates the depth of emotion guaranteeing ultimate success for the album, begging you to listen repeatedly and intently to a piece of art that has clearly been meticulously slaved over it's construction.

With "The Warrior", my favourite track, the album moves into it's second of three parts and boy is it a pleasurable listen. The lead soloing that seems to dominate much of it's 7 minutes is superlative, giving the air of the prog influence mentioned earlier, in an evocative and passionate display of Yossi Sassi Sa'aron's guitar playing skills, atop some not inconsequential keyboard rhythm backing. As the album progresses the quota of prog in the band's structuring of songs like "In Thy Never Ending Way" and "Barakah" is seen to increase. Not being of a sufficiently devout prog worshipping tendency it is in these later stages that my interest is felt to wane a little, at least until I remind myself of the energy OL have invested in these songs and that they thus deserve my full attention. Forgetting that I would suggest the album is one or two songs too many there is still great warmth in "Vayehi Or" and "M I ?", just best perhaps enjoyed after a short refreshment break for your mind and soul.

In view of those who have known Orphaned Land since before "The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR" this album feels like a continuation of "Mabool" with greater developments in the all-round performance and production on show. As of now I have not identified a song so instantly pleasing as either "Ocean Land (The Revelation)" or "The Kiss Of Babylon (The Sins)" off "Mabool" but this new one is without doubt full of wonder and long-lasting enjoyment to all capable of working through it's dense layering and religious symbolism. Given Orphaned Land's position deep in the wilderness when it comes to any modern 'scene' it is not clear how much appreciation this album will engender, but in a meritocratic world it would be lauded to the skies for it's natural local diversity and impressive musicianship to the level where only a very few others could touch them.

Originally written for www.Rockfreaks.net