Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Orphaned Land - Mabool - The Story of the Three Sons of Seven CD (album) cover

MABOOL - THE STORY OF THE THREE SONS OF SEVEN

Orphaned Land

 

Experimental/Post Metal

4.06 | 333 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

russellk
Prog Reviewer
3 stars A progressive metal band that offers a subtle attack rather than full-frontal assault, ORPHANED LAND conquer with this, their third album.

'Mabool' is a unique album. It marries progressive metal - not quite death metal, as some think - with Middle-Eastern sounds. Further, the inclusive, conciliatory lyrics will appeal to all who wish that troubled region well. This said, it takes more than interesting sounds and laudable sentiments to make a masterpiece. ORPHANED LAND may have a masterpiece within them, but this isn't quite it. The lyrics can be a little shallow and twee on occasion, and the music is often unconvincing, sounding more like a pastiche than a true western-eastern hybrid. Despite the growling vocals I'm reminded far more of DREAM THEATER than I am of OPETH or the other namechecked bands these lads are compared to. Like DREAM THEATER, some of their ideas work and some don't. The result is a rather uneven album.

This album is well worth tracking down and listening to if you are a fan of progressive metal. I can't see it as a masterpiece, and it's not quite a four-star album, but a very solid three star effort. I very much hope the band continues on to make the magnum opus they're undoubtedly capable of.

russellk | 3/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this ORPHANED LAND review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.