A heavy metal monster of a night, drenched with the mystical atmosphere of Hanukkah and holidays in general, is what gathered hundreds of Israeli head bangers to witness a few of the top and most inspiring acts of the local scene. Generally speaking, secular parts of the population, any population, is usually packed with the common archetypical non-conformist metal heads. The latter are expected to feel estranged and surreal in some of the moments a special evening as this had in store for us. Yet an ORPHANED LAND show is an experience as powerful and intense on a collective and spiritual level as it is artistically.

On with the openers. Unfortunately, my colleague and I missed the first act, SHITTY-CITY.

Then came HAMMERCULT. They play Thrashy and Heavy oriented metal that's full of spirit and fun. Volatile and very expressive, some guitar lines will immediately pop up connotations of the Heavy metal giants in the likes of JUDAS PRIEST while the general tone is more reminiscent to the riffs of KREATOR and the likes. Vocals vary from mid-range screams to full on growling and the atmosphere is fun, fast, and loud.
 

They immediately create a carnival of blast beats and shred, and they have a very strong stage presence. They're strong and aggressive and their strong experience with touring is very evident and seems to do them well, since there aren't many Israeli metal acts that carry such spirit live and fuel the audience with such natural flare.
 

Introducing ORPHANED LAND has to include a few important points that cannot be overstated or go on without saying, as obvious as they may seem. Without even mentioning the band members personal virtuosity, it's important to clarify that ORPHANED LAND spreads the word of peace and tolerance in an area that lacks much of either. They are unique voice of timelessness, of ideals and values that signify genuine social responsibility, rare in the Middle Eastern sphere. The themes in the band's catalogue are those of theology, cultures, shared historiography of nations, and unity. They've done what no other band has done in the Israeli metal landscape (or any other musical landscape in the area for this matter), and they speak in tongues of the unspeakable. ORPHANED LAND is a social and artistic expression to a torn up political conflict and general confusion of problems in a much higher scale, and it seems they understand they're here to document an era; to eternalize beliefs and wider understandings; and hopefully, to one day even fix and motivate compassion.
 

That's the essence. In terms of performance, they are unable to disappoint due to even more obvious and pleasant reasons, embedded firm in the bands D.N.A. The music ORPHANED LAND write is absolutely beautiful, mature and complex. Transfusing Mediterranean music with Metal; growling and vocal trills; Oriental instruments and harmonies alongside the extreme edginess naturally born from an amplified guitar, fierce bass lines, and the blastbeats of a musical maniac. It's important to point out that the common ORPHANED LAND riff is often bouncy and highly rythmical and is always accompanied by the enchanted oriental melodies that realy makes the listener get the point.
 

If you haven't listened to these guys in the past let me make it clear, this is a musical experience for those with rich taste who seek for more than the qualities found even in the highlights of any mainstream scene or the brave quirkiness or provocations naturally nested in the margins, including the Metal scene. It's all quite obvious once you get the general tone of the band and realise it's really not common.
 

The sum of all parts is far greater than that of its individual ingredients. The song structures tread between and within the spectrum of death and heavy metal, based largely on the foundations of quality popular music. Meaning that it's packed with catchy melodies, yet it's still profoundly packed with full on progressive and aggressive elements in terms of natural flow; interesting time changes, and overall musical richness. This is not plain metal, neither does it rehash overused elements of oriental music to an extent that is polluted by clichés and banality. This is a new baby born, one that ORPHANED LAND pioneered in both terms of  (regional) philosophy and of artistic creation.
 

Okay, so that's that. The evening was spectacular. ORPHANED LAND played songs covering the bands entire catalogue, mainly from "Sahara" and "Mabool" due to the 10th year anniversary to "Mabool's" release and the bands general 20 year celebrations. They perform with passion and the natural highlights were "Sapari", Birth of the three, "All is One", "Ocean Land", "The Beloved's Cry", and (the full length original version) of the classy "Ornaments of Gold". The setlist was a treat and they perform with true passion and authenticity seen in the humblest of artists.
 

It's a shame former keyboardist parted ways with the band not long ago, leaving all the beautiful instruments that enrich the band's music to the mercy of playback. Though It's really not that bad considering they're still well audible live and leave more space for the members for self expression. Other than that the dynamic of the band members with each other (and especially with the crowd) leads to  greatly felt energy, fundamentally shared between all participants of the show. Candles were lit, prayers were sung, a rabbi was brought (a beautiful belly dancer was dancing on the same spot just moments before!), and the overall enthusiasm was sincere and strongly present. Seeing ORPHANED LAND in Hanukkah is more than going to a metal show – it also kind of feels like witnessing some sort of congregation.

The mystical-oriental-long haired metal toughness and straight forwardness, escorted by spiritual escalation coming to a climax by the lighting of the candles and the joint chanting of the crowd, the band, and the rabbi. Kobi Farhi, the bands singer said just moments before: "Light is the cure. This is the triumph of light over darkness". It actually felt like it was.

*Photography: Gilad Luria Givon