Mabool - The Story of the Three Sons of Seven

I was still discovering the metal genres at the time I purchased this album (in fact I ordered it at the same time I ordered Haste The Day's debut album) and so hearing all ethnic sounds and instruments in metal seemed quite foreign, and frankly, quite annoying. I heard the song "Ocean Land" and read many praising reviews of this album and thought it could be a good addition. However, my ignorance towards ethnic sounds in metal caused me to give up on the album halfway through. I rated it roughly 8/10, put it on my CD stand, and there it lay for about a year and a half.

Luckily in that year and a half I immersed myself in many genres of metal and all sorts of experimental music. It was then I brought "Mabool" back out to listen. What a turning point that would turn out to be.

Half way through I realised, "wow, this is amazing". A few more listens in the coming weeks and I came to the conclusion this was one special and terribly original album. Never before have I heard musicians blend in such elements into their music making it sound so normal and effortless.

Right from the first track, the music endures many changes in vocals, riffs and instruments. It is an indication of what is to come. The first three tracks are predominantly filled with metal and alterations between rough and (very good) clean vocals. So all metal heads will enjoy the beginning of the journey. It is when things start to calm down that the real test begins. "Ocean Land" contains an amazing guitar solo and "The Kiss of Babylon" incorporates infectious chants near the end that fold out into the beautiful voice of a female. This only highlights the diversity of "mabool", and once the Latin choirs begin in "Building the Ark" you can truly appreciate the magnitude of originality to be found here.

"Building the Ark" is the turning point of the album. After this, the aggression and metal aspects begin to diminish. The mid point of "Mabool" showcases the softer more artistic side to Orphaned Land and then comes the two epics of the CD: The title track and "The Storm Still Rages", Clocking in at 16 minutes between them. For me, "The Storm Still Rages" is the highlight of the whole album, as it is a continuation of the title track and flows into a gigantic 4 minute guitar solo. When the line "hear your orphaned child..." is repeated by Kobi, you realise that the majority of people are missing out on one of the greatest musical experiences available. The CD finishes with an acoustic instrumental that reminds one of nature and is a fitting conclusion to the journey of "Mabool".

So, after listening to the album with a much more open mind than previously, I can only praise the Israeli's work. I often hear bands attempting to mix various sounds into the music, but it generally comes off as amateurish or forced. Orphaned Land has no problem here, as it feels like music is supposed to flow in this manner. With an open mind, I believe anyone can appreciate what the band as to offer with "Mabool" for it showcases everything metal stands for... talent, originality, aggression, expression and most importantly on this album, harmony between instruments, people, culture and religion. The original 8/10 does no justice... only a perfect score will suffice for the greatest 70 minutes of music created.