Orphaned Land + Arkan + Myrath + Artweg @ Rennes (Ubu) – Nov 15th 2011

I’m not going to tell you again how much I enjoyed Myrath’s latest record "Tales Of The Sands". Therefore I immediately seized the opportunity to see them live when I heard they were coming to town. It’s their first real tour, and it was interesting to see how these very gifted young guys from Tunisia were handling a long tour with an important band such as Orphaned Land.

The whole caravan is going by the name “Oriental Tour 2011”. Myrath comes from Tunisia, Arkan is an oriental-Death metal band and Orphaned Land, as you all probably know, hail from Israel and are now famous for playing oriental prog’ metal.

First thing I noticed: the venue is actually a bar, with a very small stage and a limited audience. Perhaps about 200 hundred people only. Another reminder for those who might have forgotten how much times are tough for Metal bands. Orphaned Land seem so respected, so admired and yet they have to play in ridiculously small venues… Also, for those who complain about bands touring the whole world and not coming to France, this is a very clear explanation.

So just imagine the audience attending Artweg, the totally unknown opening act. But that didn’t affect the guy’s motivation as they hit the stage with passion and professionalism and their performance was full of energy. To be honest, their groovy HXC is no special or revolutionary. From what I understood, the lyrics are about anti-racism, freedom, and brotherhood…You’re thinking “completely cliché”, right? Wait ‘till you hear about the rest of the show. Besides, when singer “Mugen” says “headbang”, regarding the man’s actual size, you better obey.

Artweg's show was very energetic, despite the tiny crowd

The band I was most looking forward to seeing is without a doubt Myrath. And they sure didn’t disappoint me. The 5 guys hit the stage with radiant smiles, and you could feel the tension in the beginning of the show. It’s so refreshing to see a band so eager to play live and to transmit their passion and energy. The songs are solid and Myrath sure know how to compose progressive Metal with oriental hooks. On record, Myrath sounds like a blend of Symphony X and Dream Theater but on stage, they specifically made me think of Symphony X as they clearly chose to focus on the “heaviness” of their music. The guitars are so powerful and sharp and the crowd headbanged all along the show. The Arabic choruses and the very cool keyboards of Elyes are the things I’ll remember the most though. The closer “Beyond The Stars” was one fantastic moment enjoyed by everyone in the audience. The performance was short, intense and full of passion. WOW. I think that after some more touring, this band is going to kick some serious ass.

 Great Performance by singer Zaher, not the kind of singer that will let you down on stage

Their music reminds my Of Symphony X, and guitarist Malek kinda looks like Michael Romeo...

  

Setlist Myrath

Sour Sigh

Braving The Seas

Merciless Times

Under Siege

Wide Shut

Tales of the Sands

Madness

Beyond the Stars

I really had no idea what Arkan sounded like. I’d heard of the band, and I also knew that their drummer, Foued is very talented. He used to play in The Old Dead Tree. One thing I knew for sure: Arkan really needed to be awesome to step up to Myrath’s performance. The crowd got thicker and the guys hit the stage with their very heavy Death Metal. All of a sudden, some chick dressed up in a white traditional dress pops out of nowhere and starts dancing on stage. Talking about clichés! The “chick” is in fact Sarah, the lead singer of the band. And she’s also very good at adding that oriental/mystical touch to Arkan’s Death Metal. Again, nothing totally original here, as there are a bunch of bands that play that kind of Metal with gothic elements and a female singer. But the energy and the professionalism of the band struck me again, and the crowd went fully insane during the entire show. Their position right before Orphaned Land is well deserved regarding their awesome performance. I might give their pretty cool oriental/death metal a chance as well. Cool Show.

Sarah: the lead vocalist and bellydancer of Arkan

James from Metallica? Michael from Volbeat? No, Florent from Arkan

Bassist Samir really had a connection with the crowd. He still looks like the bad guy in Aladin

Setlist Arkan

Blind Devotion

Origins

Tied Fates

Inner Slaves

Groans of the Abyss

Lords Decline

Deux Vult

Chaos Cypher

Now I didn’t really know what to expect from Orphaned Land. On one hand, everybody keeps telling how much this band is awesome, both on stage and on record. On the other hand, I was very disappointed by their performance at Hellfest earlier this year. They’d focused on the “catchy” elements; and they had a Lebanese belly dancer on stage (almost caused a diplomatic incident, remember?)…That show was just a failure.

But tonight, the environment is completely different. The stage and the audience are small, the atmosphere is intimate, and the crowd is already satisfied. Orphaned Land walked into won ahead territory.

They still kicked ass. Ok, I must admit I didn’t watch their entire show (I had school the next day, had to go to bed early) but what I saw was already tremendous. These guys play some pretty complex tunes, but they manage to make it sound catchy on stage and they display this positive energy all along. Although their whole concept and imagery seem naïve, they still make you believe in it and you can’t blame them for trying to transmit a positive message after all…

Why so sad Uri?

Kobi, headbangin' with attitude

Maybe progressive, maybe oriental, but this was still a METAL show!

Setlist Orphaned Land

A'salk [intro tape]

Halo Dies (The Wrath of God)

Birth of the Three (The Unification)

Olat Ha'tamid

Barakah

The Kiss of Babylon (The Sins)

Sapari

From Broken Vessels

A Neverending Way

The Path, Part 1: Treading Through Darkness

Ocean Land (The Revelation)

Vayehi Or

The Warrior

El Meod Na'Ala

In Thy Never Ending Way (Epilogue)

--------------

The Beloved's Cry / The Storm Still Rages Inside

Norra el Norra (Entering the Ark)

Ornaments of Gold

All in all, this was a fabulous evening, with 4 very passionate and professional bands at their best. I also enjoyed the intimate atmosphere linked to the size of the venue. The bands communicated very easily and the crowd’s response was awesome. It’s pretty sad to see these guys playing on such a small stage, but you cannot blame them for that. In fact, we should be thanking them for coming up, and for being both talented AND humble.

It’s really time that French Metal fans, that love to criticize and to praise their favorite bands online, start showing up to concerts. There are less and less bands touring this country, and the few brave ones who take that chance have to deal with pretty shitty conditions. If you still want to see other bands than AC/DC in France (not only Paris) move your ass and attend the damn gigs!

Yath

Thanks to Anita & Fred for inviting me to that cool evening.

Note: Apologies for the lousy quality of my pictures. I only had a small digital camera that night, and unlike other disciplines, size does matter when it comes to shooting a live show. 

Who in the world still likes progressive metal??

Tough one. I know I used to. I used to love prog’ metal, I use to listen to inexplicable music and get crazy over never ending intros and epic guitar Vs keyboard duels. But now, I don't know anymore. 

I’m even hesitating: should I add the new Dream Theater record (A Dramatic Turn Of Events) to my “To Buy List” (this list really exists, I’ll tell you more about how it’s organized and precisely managed someday)? The cold fact is I bought the 2 previous records (Systematic Chaos & Black Clouds and Silver Linings) without thinking, and I can’t remember a single damn note of them… I just don’t feel like listening to their music anymore. 

Do I want to buy this one?

I even bought a Zero Hour record once. Don’t ask me how I actually survived, but I think I’d be too scared to play it again, I’m not willing to loose my sanity. I’m being sarcastic here on purpose, because this band really is hard to get into, but the guys are very talented and there is some pretty smart musicianship here, if you think you’re tough enough, check’em out.

The music is hard to follow, but this album has a very dark and interesting atmosphere...

Considering that Dream Theater is almost prog’ metal’s best definition, imagine how I feel about all the 2^nd class bands that sound like a cheap version of DT… In fact, I do not only dislike 2^nd class prog’ metal bands, I truly detest them. They are the downfall of a genre that is becoming a predictable & soulless self-parody. I still remember how much pain I felt when I tried to listen to bands like Communic or Thought Chamber. Just go to Inside Out Music label’s page to see how many of these bands released one or two records before getting back to being totally anonymous…I think times have changed for prog’ metal and people are not buying it anymore.

Just so that things are completely clear though; we’re talking here about PROG METAL in its literal meaning. Nothing to do with prog’ rock of course and nothing to do with Metal bands that have a progressive edge (we spoke of Obscura the other day, I can mention bands like Edge Of Sanity, Borknagar, the awesome Enslaved…).
There is also a new generation of bands, lead by Mastodon and who can be classified as "progressive" metal as well. They sound totally different though (totally different influences) and we'll probably discuss that scene soon, as the new Mastodon record is to be released by the end of the month. Until then, enjoy the cool new video...

That was the negative answer to the question. But there is also a positive answer since there are some awesome Prog’ Metal bands out there, and just because some of the leaders are declining, you shouldn’t ignore them.

Somehow, with their big chunky and fat packaging, Nuclear Blast convinced me into buying the new Symphony X two-CD record. Now that’s a nice band who managed to evolve and to seduce the Metal audience by being more aggressive and more “thrashy”. I still think their masterpiece is the fabulous record called "V", but it’s undeniable that all their CDs are good, original and catchy. 

 I feel like a teenager when I fall for such flashy special editions.

This one stays my favorite from Symphony X. Fantastic!

Another awesome prog’ metal band I must tell you about is Myrath. This young band from Tunisia is an perfect mixture of Dream Theater and Symphony X. Myrath sort of found the ideal equilibrium between technicality, impact, melodies and exotic tunes. Yes, they include some Arabic music here and there and they do it perfectly. It sounds genuine; it’s NEVER cheesy or cliché. The songs are pretty short and each one of them sounds memorable in it’s own way. Make sure you grab a copy of their new CD called “Tales Of The Sands”.

Perhaps one of the best "oriental metal" bands alongside Melechesh (who are way more extreme)

And of course, one must not forget to mention some awesome and classic bands like ARK, Conception or even Pagan’s Mind. 

ARK are split up, but they have probably issued one of the top10 records in heavy metal history. "Burn The Sun", their second and last effort is a masterpiece, nothing else to say about that fact. If you like rock, if you like music, you cannot ignore that one. Describing it would probably take me another couple of pages. Just know that the line up comprises all stars Tore Ostby and Jorn on the top of their game. 

MASTERPIECE.

Tore Ostby is also involved in Conception, alongside fantastic singer Roy Khan. The band has issued 4 records in the 1990’s, each one of them is brilliant. One of these band’s secrets is the genius guitar parts of Tore. Instinctive yet technical, heavy and yet so spiritual; Flamenco and Jazz guitar have never been so perfectly included on a Metal record. What is this guy doing by the way, anyone got news of his new projects?

In Your Multitude is conception's third and probably fan-favorite CD

Now Pagan’s Mind is a little bit different. This band can be described as being “Too much”, in all compartments. Too shiny, too cheesy, too technical, too melodic, too crazy… But they guys know what they’re doing and their songs are just awesome and addictive. 

The last CD called Heavenly Ecstasy is about some love story between a space goddess and another alien. If you buy the special edition you’ll get a couple of bonus songs, linear notes from each musician (detailing their passions, life philosophy…) and a fantastic old-school poster with a 100% leather and “Metal” pose.

Needless to say that the concept’s love story has a very happy and philosophical ending. Love is superior to evil; always.