Orphaned Land

New to the complex chaos of progressive metal? Then this overview is for you!

Our favorite Israeli metal band Orphaned Land will return to North America, riding sidecar with doom 'n' gloomers Katatonia on a full tour. The only way to make a real dent in the U.S. is to keep canvasing the country with shows, and Orphaned Land understand that concept...

On 'The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR,' Israeli metal band Orphaned Land dug deep into the recesses of history. The album has an exotic feel, thanks to the band's use of atypical, medieval instruments. "We use traditional acoustic instruments from ancient cultures and the lore of the different nations," guitarist Yossi Sa'Aaron Sassi told Noisecreep...

Many Americans don't have first-hand experience with Israel or the Middle East and what knowledge they do have of is often gleaned from the nightly news, which spotlights the strife that often occurs, as the region is a global hot spot where the three major monotheistic religions converge...

While in New York City for a gig, Israel's Orphaned Land not only visited the M&M store, they donned stage attire, which finds them dressed like Jews, Arabs and Jesus, and strolled through the heavily trafficked Times Square. Any New Yorker can attest to the fact that this normally won't cause natives and non-tourists to bat an eyelash or steal a second glance. ...

At day two of South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the Full Metal Texas extravaganza held at Emo's was an all-day, all-metal affair, featuring a 'surprise' second appearance -- the worst kept secret of the day -- by New Jersey's maniacal Dillinger Escape Plan...

"Are you ready for some Celtic metal?!" Suidakra frontman Arkadius Antonik asked the crowd at BB Kings on March 8. Of course they were ready! The German death metal band played after the more mellow Gwynbleidd and before Orphaned Land. "On the last tour I asked every night for your support...

In New York City on March 8, three very big and important metal shows were simultaneously going on around Manhattan (yes, all in the same borough). One included one of the most-sought-after bands to reunite this decade: Coalesce. They played with the southern doom masters Harvey Milk...

Suidakra. Go ahead. Spell it backwards. We'll wait while you do. OK, Done yet? It's Arkadius, which is essentially just the name of the band's singer and guitarist spelled backwards. Normally, we don't ask band's to expound upon the origins of their name, because that's a trite journalistic question and we'll leave that to the inquiring minds that really want to know...

Before he formed Life of Agony in 1989 with vocalist Keith Caputo and guitarist Joey Z, bassist Alan Robert was going to school to be a professional illustrator. Then the band got a record deal and he scrapped his art career for a life of rock 'n' roll...