This is my review... excuse me for the traslation...
You can find the original (in italian)
here
"
Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days."
Genesis 7:23-24.
‘Mabool’ is a concept album. It tales about the Snake, the Eagle and the Lion, metaphorical represention of the three monotheist religions, and their trip to redempt umanity. A trip that’s not going to end up well, since the flood (Mabool, indeed) will cover the earth anyway. ‘Mabool’ is an impressive album such as formal perfection, as shocking for how the band easily take heavy metal (in its largest meaning) under control and regenerate it, erasing the barriers, blowing down note after note tabous and conventions negatively characterizing this musical genre so often.
‘Mabool’ is extreme for it connects western and middle-eastern music. Extreme in his not-shape, a definitely progressive approach that does not fear any contamination with death metal or doom or eastern folk or nu metal, leading the "progressive" idea to a "melting pot" of different musical experiences.
‘Mabool’ is an album where the (relevant) band's technique and harsh and articulated tunes do not affect its easy-listening qualities. Hearing after hearing is revealed an unbelievably stratified sound, where an ethnic underground support the electric session (or viceversa).
‘Mabool’ is one of those works normally defined ad ‘well-made album’ or even a ‘perfect album’. It's not important the use of around thirty session men for acoustic instruments (oud, saz, buzuki, qannun, violins, ten percussions and something else), it's not important if the piano-solo closing ‘Norra El Norra’ is one of the most beautiful piano-tune ever listened on a heavy-metal album, it's not important if the instrumental break of ‘A Call To Awake’ would have easily found a place on Dream Theater's ‘Metropolis Part. 2’, it's not important if we have never listened to anything like this before, it's not important if 8 years passed by since the last studio-album, it's not important if a children choir is used or if the songs are singed in English, Latin, Yemenite, Arab or Hebrew. It's not important, because every note follow each other, making us want to listen and listen again, with no care to 'get the trick'.
The storm still rages...
vote 9/10
