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| Oriental metal |
| Stylistic origins |
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| Cultural origins |
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| Mainstream popularity |
Underground |
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| Israel |
Oriental metal is a subgenre of folk metal that combines heavy metal music with elements of traditional Middle Eastern music. The music developed in Israel during the first half of the 1990s with the bands Orphaned Land, Melechesh and Salem being the pioneers of the genre. Contributions from other countries have emerged since then.
[edit] Origins
The progressive metal outfit Orphaned Land was formed in 1991 in Israel with their first and only demo The Beloved's Cry released in 1993, "immediately creating a media stir"[1] that "quickly drew attention to their unorthodox style."[2] Members of the group were still teenagers when they released their debut album Sahara in 1994.[3] The music of Orphaned Land "borrow heavily from Middle Eastern music styles"[2] with traditional elements coming from both Jewish and Arabic folk music.[4] Acclaimed as "one of the world's most unique and trailblazing heavy metal bands,"[2] Orphaned Land's style of music has since been dubbed oriental metal.[1]
The year 1993 saw the formation of Melechesh in Jerusalem, "undoubtedly the first overtly anti-Christian band to exist in one of the holiest cities in the world."[5] Melechesh began as a straightforward black metal act with their first foray into folk metal occurring on the title track of their 1996 EP The Siege of Lachish.[6] Their subsequent albums saw the group straddling the boundaries between black, death, and thrash metal, with "impressive, tastefully rendered epics chock-full of superb riffs, Middle Eastern melodies, and vocal exchanges varying from a throaty midrange screech to chanting."[7]
Predating both Orphaned Land and Melechesh, Salem was formed as far back as 1985 with their first album Creating Our Sins released in 1992.[8] They began as a black and death metal band before turning towards doom metal with their 1994 release Kaddish.[9] That album featured a Hebrew cover version of a traditional Yiddish song S'Brent ("Haayara Boeret") originally written by the Polish Jewish poet Mordechai Gebirtig.[10] The band has continued to use folk elements in their music.[11] This includes the use of traditional music on the guitars[12] as well as non-traditional instruments like the darbuka.[13] Despite attracting some degree of notoriety by receiving a mail bomb from the anti-Semitic Varg Vikernes, Salem has not attained the popularity of Orphaned Land or Melechesh.[9]
Other oriental metal acts have since emerged with the band Distorted notably forming in 1996 as the first female-fronted metal act from Israel.[14] Other groups from the region include the Israeli Arallu[15] and the Palestinians Khalas.[16]
[edit] Musical characteristics
Similar to its parent genre of folk metal, oriental metal bands adopt different styles of heavy metal music. Melechesh and Arallu both perform a style they describe as "Mesopotamian black metal", a blend of black metal with Mesopotamian folk music.[5][15] Doom metal can be found in the music of Salem and Distorted.[9][14] Orphaned Land performs a blend of progressive metal and doom metal.[1]
[edit] List of bands
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- Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Harris, Keith (1999), “An Orphaned Land?: Israel and the Global Extreme Metal Scene”, New Voices in Jewish Thought: Volume 2 (London: Limmud Publications): 1-21, ISBN 0953227324, <http://www.keithkahnharris.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/orphaned.htm>. Retrieved on 26 April 2008
- Kahn-Harris, Keith (2002), Young, Richard, ed., “"I hate this fucking country": Dealing with the Global and the Local in the Israeli Extreme Metal Scene”, Music, Popular Culture, Identities (Amsterdam: Rodopi): 133-151, ISBN 9042012498
- Kahn-Harris, Keith (2005), Bennett, Andy, ed., “'Roots?' The Relationship between the Global and the Local within the Extreme Metal Scene”, The Popular Music Studies Reader (London: Routledge): 128-140, ISBN 0415307104
- ^ a b c Sharpe-Young, Garry. Rockdetector Orphaned Land. Rockdetector. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ a b c Rivadavia, Ed. AMG Orphaned Land. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Melzer, Alexander. Interview with Matti Svatizky of Orphaned Land. Metal-observer.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Fjordi. Interview with Orphaned Land. Frombelow.dk. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ a b Sharpe-Young, Garry. Rockdetector Melechesh. Rockdetector. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ McKay, Aaron. Interview with Moloch of Melechesh. Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ Serba, John. AMG Djinn Review. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ Sharpe-Young, Garry. Rockdetector Salem. Rockdetector. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ a b c Pretorius, Neil. Necessary Evil Review. Metal-observer.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Snoep. Interview with Ze’ev Tananboim of Salem. Lordsofmetal.nl. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Congrains, Kike. Interview with Ze’ev Tananboim of Salem. Metalstorm.ee. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Snoep. Collective Demise Review. Lordsofmetal.nl. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Plunkett, Ryan. Necessary Evil Review. Metalreview.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ a b Grant, Sam. Interview with Miri Milman of Distorted. Soniccathedral.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ a b Puhl, Carl. Interview with Butchered and Yonatan of Arallu. Lordsofmetal.nl. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Earache, Asher. Interview with Bassam Beromi, Abed Hathout and Fadel Kandil of Khalas. Hardandheavy.net. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Puhl, Carl. Interview with Butchered and Yonatan of Arallu. Lordsofmetal.nl. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ BILOCATE: 'Sudden Death Syndrome' Artwork Unveiled. Blabbermouth.net (2008-05-12). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ DISTORTED: Video Footage From 'Voices From Within' Recording Sessions Posted Online. Blabbermouth.net (2008-05-09). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Earache, Asher. Interview with Bassam Beromi, Abed Hathout and Fadel Kandil of Khalas. Hardandheavy.net. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Kahn-Harris 2002, p. 146
- ^ Melechesh Sign With Nuclear Blast. metalunderground.com (2003-07-17). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Kahn-Harris 2005, p. 145
- ^ ORPHANED LAND To Enter Studio Later In The Month. Blabbermouth.net (2003-07-17). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Eck, Markus. Interview with Ze'ev Tananboim of Salem. Metalmessage.de. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
[edit] External links
