Orphaned Land has been around for 18 years already and is quite possibly the most successful Middle Eastern metal band. The Israeli band's name toys aptly with the idea of how three monotheistic religions believing in the same God are ridiculously killing each other for centuries supposedly in the name of God and in doing so they are turning the Holy Land of Israel into an orphaned land. The group's fourth album "The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR" took 5 years to finish, and it's a concept album revolving around a hero, the warrior of light. The record deals with ordinary issues everyone might face in their lives, and hence the listener could relate to the hero easily. Being trapped in a circle of confusion and feeling powerless as everything remains unchanged. This grand theme spinning around darkness and light breaks the album into 3 different parts.

The music on this album is rather multifaceted with ethnic influences mixed effortlessly with varying genres of metal. Exploring both softer grounds of acoustic melodies as well as heavier territory of rhythmic metal crescendo, The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR easily enthrals the listener with its adventurous musical approach although at times it seems to lose some of its direction.

Production-wise the record is on par with its music, having had Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield) handle the demanding mixing duties for achieving a tightly woven sound of exotic metal. The elaborate concept of this album is tactfully complemented even in the calligraphic artwork, which combines letters from Hebrew and Arabic to create a symbol of peace. In conclusion, The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR is rather well-crafted musical journey that is worth checking out for all open-minded music enthusiasts around the world.

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- MAGE (January, 28th 2009)

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LINE-UP:
Farhi, Kobi: Leading Chants, Growls, Narrations, Choir & Backing Vocals Zelha, Uri: Electric & Acoustic Bass Sa’aron, Yossi Sassi: Electric & Classic Guitars, Saz, Bouzouki, Chumbush, Choir Vocals, Piano (Track 2) Svatizky, Matti: Electric & Acoustic Guitars Session Musicians & Guests: Diamond, Avi: Drums Wilson, Steven: Keyboards Levi, Shlomit: Female Vocals Agababa, Avi: Percussions Gavrieli, Avner: Piano (Track 15) Radwan, Nizar: Violin Saliba, Srur: Violin Hagar, Alfred: Nay & Kawala Flutes Danino, Yonatan: Shofar Ruzbahan, Shmuel: Santur
Producer:	Orphaned Land & Wilson, Steven
Mixing by:	Wilson, Steven
Mastering by:	Unavailable

	TRACKLIST:
	Part I: Godfrey's Cordial – An ORphan's Life 01. Sapari 02. From Broken Vessels 03. Bereft in the Abyss 04. The Path Part 1 – Treading Through Darkness 05. The Path Part 2 – The Pilgrimage to or Shalem 06. Olat Ha'tamid Part II: Lips Acquire Stains – The WarriOR Awakens 07. The Warrior 08. His Leaf Shall Not Wither 09. Disciples of the Sacred Oath II 10. New Jerusalem 11. Vayehi Or 12. M I ? Part III: Barakah – Enlightening the Cimmerian 13. Barakah 14. Codeword: Uprising 15. In Thy Never Ending Way (Epilogue) Length: 78:22