SAHARA

I remember the release of this album well. It really stood out in the scene. Their record label Holy Records was very highly rated at that time and I have only fond memories from that time. I have just googled them and found out that they still exsist. That honestly made my day !

I have a great deal of both respect and admiration for Orphaned Land. They mixed Arabic and Jewish folk music in a time where the Palestinians and the Jews was bitterly fighting over some land. Orphaned Land mixed this with death/doom metal and the result was their demo and this album.

The music here is not particular great. The merging of death and folk music is not satisfactory. It like oil floating on the top of water. Some female vocals are nice, but fragments this album and the result is a game in two halves. Death/doom metal with some folk music inbetween. The music is not particular exciting too. It is too generic doom metal. Doom with death growls. But I have heard worse albums than this one. It is an OK album, but nothing more.

The excellent artwork also deserve mentioning. Holy Records always created visual artworks and this album is no exception. The artwork on this album is excellent and one of their best.

2.5 stars