The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOr
Encyclopedia
The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR is the fourth full-length studio album
by the Israel
i metal
band Orphaned Land
. The album was released on January 25, 2010, after many delays. ORwarriOR means "light warrior" or "warrior of light", representing a conceptual hero of the battle of light versus darkness. The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR is Orphaned Land's second concept album
. The album was mixed by Steven Wilson
of Porcupine Tree
.
The album contains 15 songs that add up to approximately 79 minutes. The album's artwork contains no digitally manipulated images; instead, it contains customized calligraphy in both Arabic and Hebrew. On ORwarriOR, Kobi Farhi sings in English, Hebrew and Arabic. The album was released along with a DVD.
By August 24, 2009, Kobi Farhi's book, Tango Between God and Satan was close to being ready to be released; it will contain 33 stories. He is planning to finish the book during the 2009-2010 Orphaned Land tours.
On September 7, 2009 Orphaned Land's official website published a short teaser of the album's introductory piece.
The album was preceded by release of the "Sapari" single. "Sapari" is a Yemenite folk song arranged by Orphaned Land. Some samples of this song are available on YouTube: an acoustic version by Orphaned Land's female "Yemenite" singer Shlomit Levi (part of Shlomit's live acoustic sample), a live version which Orphaned Land performed in Tel-Aviv in late 2008, and a rendition of the song by Dror, a Middle Eastern singer promoting peace between Jews and Arabs.
The album features Arabian violins performed by the Arab Orchestra of Nazareth
. This choice was made specifically in order for this album to give it a different feel from earlier work, according to Kobi Farhi.
After the release of "Sapari", a 2:40 cut of the song "Vayehi Or" was released through the band's myspace page. Shortly after, the time listing was revealed. On January 5, 2010 the song "Disciples of the Sacred Oath II" became available for streaming through the band's myspace page.
There are numerous packages of the album to be purchased. Along with the original and limited editions, the album is sold along with an Orphaned Land t-shirt or along with postcards, posters, magnets, 28-page Mediabook or a special "Disciples Package" that includes collectible items along with a brand new "Disciples t-shirt". They are found on the different websites that sell Orphaned Land merchandise, such as the official website, the official fanclub (Orphaned Disciples), etc.
During February 2010, the official music video of "Sapari" was released to the public. Within the first week of being released in the United States, this album sold 600 copies and reached 80th place on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The album is ranking at #6 of the Metal Storm
webzine Top 20 albums of 2010.
In early 2011, the album was rated the Metal Storm
#1 progressive metal album for the year 2010.
Additional personnel
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Orphaned Land
Orphaned Land
Orphaned Land is an Israeli progressive metal band, formed in 1991, that combines Death/doom, Jewish and Arabic influences.- History :In 1992, the band changed its name from the original Resurrection to Orphaned Land....
. The album was released on January 25, 2010, after many delays. ORwarriOR means "light warrior" or "warrior of light", representing a conceptual hero of the battle of light versus darkness. The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR is Orphaned Land's second concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
. The album was mixed by Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
of Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
.
Background
By August 24, 2009 ORwarriOR's final mixes were almost ready. Several songs from the new material were performed live at Brutal Assault festival (June 8, 2009, Czech Republic). The album also includes a "follow-up" to a track previously released on "El Norra Alila: Deluxe edition" (2006) "Disciples of the Sacred Oath" - "Disciples of the Sacred Oath II."The album contains 15 songs that add up to approximately 79 minutes. The album's artwork contains no digitally manipulated images; instead, it contains customized calligraphy in both Arabic and Hebrew. On ORwarriOR, Kobi Farhi sings in English, Hebrew and Arabic. The album was released along with a DVD.
By August 24, 2009, Kobi Farhi's book, Tango Between God and Satan was close to being ready to be released; it will contain 33 stories. He is planning to finish the book during the 2009-2010 Orphaned Land tours.
On September 7, 2009 Orphaned Land's official website published a short teaser of the album's introductory piece.
The album was preceded by release of the "Sapari" single. "Sapari" is a Yemenite folk song arranged by Orphaned Land. Some samples of this song are available on YouTube: an acoustic version by Orphaned Land's female "Yemenite" singer Shlomit Levi (part of Shlomit's live acoustic sample), a live version which Orphaned Land performed in Tel-Aviv in late 2008, and a rendition of the song by Dror, a Middle Eastern singer promoting peace between Jews and Arabs.
The album features Arabian violins performed by the Arab Orchestra of Nazareth
Arab Orchestra of Nazareth
The Arab Orchestra of Nazareth is an Israeli orchestra that plays Arab and Mediterranean music. It was founded in 1991 by conductor and musicologist Suhil Radwan....
. This choice was made specifically in order for this album to give it a different feel from earlier work, according to Kobi Farhi.
After the release of "Sapari", a 2:40 cut of the song "Vayehi Or" was released through the band's myspace page. Shortly after, the time listing was revealed. On January 5, 2010 the song "Disciples of the Sacred Oath II" became available for streaming through the band's myspace page.
There are numerous packages of the album to be purchased. Along with the original and limited editions, the album is sold along with an Orphaned Land t-shirt or along with postcards, posters, magnets, 28-page Mediabook or a special "Disciples Package" that includes collectible items along with a brand new "Disciples t-shirt". They are found on the different websites that sell Orphaned Land merchandise, such as the official website, the official fanclub (Orphaned Disciples), etc.
During February 2010, the official music video of "Sapari" was released to the public. Within the first week of being released in the United States, this album sold 600 copies and reached 80th place on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The album is ranking at #6 of the Metal Storm
Metal Storm (webzine)
Metal Storm is a webzine specializing in various forms of heavy metal music. It is based in Tallinn, Estonia but caters to an international audience, symbolically recognized by the acquisition of an EU domain in 2008...
webzine Top 20 albums of 2010.
In early 2011, the album was rated the Metal Storm
Metal Storm (webzine)
Metal Storm is a webzine specializing in various forms of heavy metal music. It is based in Tallinn, Estonia but caters to an international audience, symbolically recognized by the acquisition of an EU domain in 2008...
#1 progressive metal album for the year 2010.
Part I: Godfrey's Cordial – An ORphan's Life
- "Sapari" – 4:04
- "From Broken Vessels" – 7:36
- "Bereft in the Abyss" – 2:45
- "The Path (Part 1) – Treading Through Darkness" – 7:27
- "The Path (Part 2) – The Pilgrimage to Or Shalem" – 7:45
- "Olat Ha'tamid" – 2:38
Part II: Lips Acquire Stains – The WarriOR Awakens
- "The Warrior" – 7:11
- "His Leaf Shall Not Wither" – 2:31
- "Disciples of the Sacred Oath II" – 8:31
- "New Jerusalem" – 6:59
- "Vayehi Or" – 2:40
- "M i ?" – 3:27
Part III: Barakah – Enlightening the Cimmerian
- "Barakah" – 4:13
- "Codeword: Uprising" – 5:25
- "In Thy Never Ending Way (Epilogue)" – 5:09
Band members
- Kobi Farhi − vocals, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, death growlDeath growlA death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
s, chants, spoken reading - Yossi "Sassi" Sa'aron − lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, clean guitars, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s, classic guitars, sazBaglamathumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, oudOudThe oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths... - Matti Svatitzki − rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, clean guitars, acoustic guitars - Uri Zelcha − bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, fretless bass
Additional personnel
- Avi Diamond − drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Steven WilsonSteven WilsonSteven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
− keyboards, production - Shlomit Levi − YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
ite female vocals