| The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Orphaned Land | ||||
| Released | January 25, 2010[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2009 | |||
| Genre | Oriental metal, progressive metal, death/doom | |||
| Length | 78:22 | |||
| Label | Century Media | |||
| Producer | Steven Wilson and Orphaned Land | |||
| Orphaned Land chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Fury Rocks | (9.4/10)[3] |
| Lords of Metal | (97/100)[4] |
| Rock Sound | [5] |
The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR is the fourth full-length studio album by the Israeli 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.[6] The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR is Orphaned Land's second concept album. The album was mixed by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree.
Contents |
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. This choice was made specifically in order for this album to give it a different feel from earlier work, according to Kobi Farhi.[7]
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.[8]
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.[9] The album is ranking at #6 of the Metal Storm webzine Top 20 albums of 2010.[10] In early 2011, the album was rated the Metal Storm #1 progressive metal album for the year 2010.[11]