Band:	Odious
Album:	Mirror Of Vibrations
Style:	Melodic black metal, Oriental folk metal
Release date:	April 2007

01. Silver Sea
02. Poems Hidden On Black Walls
03. Deaf And Blind Witness
04. For The Unknown Is Horrid
05. Invitation To Chaotic Revelation
06. Smile In Vacuum Warnings
07. Split Punishment
08. Upon The Broken Wings
09. Dilemma

Mirror Of Vibrations is the first full-length album by the Egyptian black metal band Odious. Their musical style could be described as folk-infused atmospheric black metal. You see, folk instruments have been incorporated into most styles of metal by more bands than one would care to count, sometimes to good effect, many times just for the "we-so-cool" effect. In this case, Odious has done it masterfully.

Odious plays a style of metal in which the oud and the guitars go hand in hand, the tabla (oriental drum) is used in tandem with the drum kit and the keyboard is utilised, all to create a sound that is unique and original - the likes of which you probably haven't heard before. For the vocals, Bassem Fakhri employs two shrieks of different pitches, with the higher pitch used more often. Every member is proficient with his instrument, although the production does them no justice, (which, in my opinion, is not a problem considering this is the debut album of a band that hails from a metal-unfriendly region). The songs are well over five minutes in length (except for the intro and outro tracks) and employ structures not uncommon to the genre. What's worth praising here is the atmosphere: dark, haunting and distinctly oriental. The lyrics are philosophical - dealing with several themes - and generally well-written, though you'll need a lyrics sheet if you want to enjoy them fully.

This is one of those albums that grow on you. I don't remember liking it much the first time I heard it two years ago, as the production wasn't acceptable to my untrained ears back then; it detracts from the overall quality of the sound of this album, especially the vocals and the bass. But once I got past that, I started to really enjoy the album for what it is: an original mix of Eastern and Western music and an amazing display of musicianship.

All in all, a great debut, although I'd have liked to see at least one track sung in Arabic, and more oriental instruments. It will be interesting to see how they evolve their music and improve on this success for their next album, Skin Age, scheduled for 2012.

If you like Melechesh, Myrath, Orphaned Land or you're a fan of folk or melodic black metal in general, this album might very well be for you.

Highlights: "For the Unknown Is Horrid", "Poems Hidden On Black Walls"