Band:	Sand Aura
Album:	Elegy Of The Orient
Style:	Oriental folk metal, Progressive folk metal
Release date:	November 13, 2012
A review by:	Auntie Sahar

01. The Sand Aura (From The Land Of Nod)
02. Aljahelia
03. The Orphaned Child I (Pilgrimage For His Name)
04. The Orphaned Child II (Fountain In The Desert)
05. Fountains Of Moses
06. Ya Sabbya
07. The Shepherd's Elergy
08. Sidi Abd El-Raheem

Imagine you're walking through a desert, in the blistering heat, in the middle of the day. Let's say the Sinai desert, since Sand Aura are Egyptian. You're dying of thirst, looking for water in any and all directions. All of a sudden, it begins to rain, and out of nowhere emerges a group of hooded desert-dwellers to offer you rainwater that they've collected in bowls as a drink. As you take your sips, your body is completely rejuvenated, and your mind begins to fully absorb its surroundings, wandering off to dreamlike musings upon what the area was like thousands of years ago, its history, and its legacy. Elegy Of The Orient, the 2012 debut from this little-known African band, paints a picture of such an experience with its music, from its very first seconds sending you on a musically historic trip that doesn't let you go until its final seconds.

It's oriental folk metal in the purest, most intense meaning of the stylistic label, plain and simple. From the native instrumentation ("Aljahelia," "Fountains Of Moses"), to the Arabic chants and spoken word parts ("The Orphaned Child I"), to the beautifully-layered female vocals sprinkled here and there ("The Sand Aura," "The Orphaned Child II"), Sand Aura make it quite clear that they are not fucking around with this release. These guys are prideful of their Egyptian heritage, and they're going to make you realize it. Epic wouldn't be a fair enough word for Elegy Of The Orient. It's better to call it entrancing, or mesmerizing, for at times the spell it casts upon the listener really can make them feel as if they're in a modern (albeit heavier) version of Ancient Egypt! The ambient elements in particular, such as wind blowing at the beginning of "Aljehelia," or the water sounds at the beginning of "Fountains Of Moses," really help to intensify this effect.

But that's not all there is to the grand equation that is Sand Aura, as there are also the progressive and extreme metal elements that help to make Elegy Of The Orient truly unique. What really surprised me in particular was the fact that on occasion, the guitarist carves into some really bluesy, almost psychedelic leads, that are truly, truly tasty (around 2:10 on "The Orphaned Child II" and around 4:10 on "The Shepherd's Elegy"). Then, of course, come the death growls. It's really interesting, because, like I said in my review of The Flight Of Sleipnir's new album, they're not there just to be there. No? it's more like they're there to represent the harsher side of ancient Egypt. Almost as if the more melodic, folky elements stand for Ancient Egypt's beauty: the Nile, the animals, the pyramids, etc? whilst the heavier parts and the growls represent its more brutal side, such as the might of the pharaohs, the enslavement of the Israelites, and so forth, and this is an amazingly well-executed technique.

Sand Aura are yet another example of how fantastic bands can sometimes be criminally underrated. These guys really take an approach to oriental metal that I've honestly never heard any other band replicate, either because their sound is unique to them or because, well, I just haven't checked out enough oriental metal. It's not the evil sound of Nile and Melechesh, and even though it can definitely get quite melodic and proggy at points, it's still not quite Orphaned Land either. No, it's more like just what I said: a celebration of the fascinating nature of the band's Egyptian past, both the serene and harsh sides of it, and Sand Aura strike an excellent balance between the two with their debut, showing much potential for their future albums. If Ramesses II was still alive today, this is probably what he would be listening to for music. Don't believe me? Well then, see for yourself on their Bandcamp