Band:	Orphaned Land
Album:	Mabool: The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven
Style:	Oriental folk metal, Progressive metal
Release date:	March 09, 2004
A review by:	Jeff

Disc I
01. Birth Of The Three (The Unification)
02. Ocean Land (The Revelation)
03. The Kiss Of Babylon (The Sins)
04. A'salk
05. Halo Dies (The Wrath Of God)
06. A Call To Awake (The Quest)
07. Building The Ark
08. Norra El Norra (Entering The Ark)
09. The Calm Before The Flood
10. Mabool (The Flood)
11. The Storm Still Rages Inside
12. Rainbow (The Resurrection)

Disc II [The Calm Before The Flood] [Limited Edition Live Acoustic CD]
01. The Evil Urge
02. A Never Ending Way
03. Mercy [Paradise Lost cover]
04. The Beloved's Cry
05. The Orphaned's Medley

After a too long waiting of eight years, the oriental sun is finally shining again on your heads. My friends one of the most innovative and fantastic band from Israel is back with a new album that we can already call legend. "Mabool, the Story of the Three Sons of Seven" is the fourth album of the band, and even if their others album are damn great, I must just say that this time the band knew how to do something that everyone can [must] like and fore sure will not be able to forget.


"Mabool" is a concept album, and talk about the story of the "Three", three originals heroes created by the band himself and put into the mythological story of the Flood on the Earth. During these twelve chapters you could see this original version created especially by the band, and believe me it's hard to find such original and good story. Really I can just congratulate the band again and yes damn it's good to have an epic story that don't talk about Fantasy or Middle Age.

If I must resume "Mabool" in one word, I could say "work", because it's certainly the first thing that you will feel when you'll listen that album in addition of beauty, sadness, perfection etc etc etc?
Yes, the work on that new Orphaned land album is just fantastic. It's very hard for me to find and remember albums, with such great musical arrangements. Great metal music with great metal musicians we already know the quality of the guys of the band. Yossi Saharon for example is this kind of musicians who, in addition to be an excellent guitarist, will also play a ton of instruments on the album like, Saz, Buzuki or Out [all oriental lute and mandolin]. Same with Kobi Farhi, one of the best metal singer actually, we can sing with a pure Death voice or do his fantastic and beautiful clean vocals and all that, in English but also Hebrew or Latin, just amazing?.
If I can talk about the musicians of the band, I must also talk of all the guest musicians that we can hear on that album. A ton of Oriental choirs, percussions, violin, cello, and of courses the beautiful voice of the female singer Shlomit Levi. Here again even if the female vocals are maybe less present than on the old albums, I can just say that again Orphaned Land knew how to add to their music the magnificent voice of this great singer. Beautiful and enchanting again? At the end this album has a ton of influences and if it can sound Death or Gothic or Folk, I could say that is just a great musical mix with this beautiful Oriental touch, and personally I want more of such music.
The artwork [again and again and again?] is great too. The layout and the draws are excellent, same with the cover and the pictures of the band. Nothing to say again. The production of the album [I can also talk of the perfect sound of the cd?] is just perfect.


The quality of writing of this new Orphaned Land is perfect and well this time I will just say that we are with The masterpiece. Without any doubt this album will be one of the best of the year. When I see that in addition, with the limited edition, you also have an excellent acoustic live with 5 Orphaned Land classics like "The Beloved Cry" or "El Norra Alila" and a damn great Oriental cover of Mercy [Paradise Lost], well what can I say more?
I don't have the habit normally to give the maximal rating to a cd but this time, no way I will give it. This is beautiful, this great this is just a Masterpiece. With "Mabool" Orphaned Land gives to us one of the best Metal album ever. Thanks to be back guys!