For me, the appetite for this kind of music started several years ago when I first played the video game "Prince of Persia, The Warrior Within". The soundtrack in this game features that special ingredient I love: distorted guitars playing those weird scales coming from the Middle-East.

Of course, the concept wasn't new for me, I had already enjoyed songs with these characteristics long before playing that video game. -I bet you all remember "Wherever I May Roam" from Metallica- but until that moment I've never listened to a band that featured those elements as a signature or at least as a frequent resource.

It only took me a couple of minutes googling until I found Orphaned Land. I think that for the next 6 months their album "Mabool" was the only music I played in my old mp3 player, hopping that their next release wouldn't take long to come out. Unfortunately I waited for 6 more years...

Meanwhile, I kept looking for more bands exposing mid-eastern elements but only found a few. One that I really like a lot is Ra, although it's not being featured in this website -probably because they've been tagged mainly as Alternative Metal which I think it's not popular here. Anyway, I leave you the link below just in case you are interested in listening what they do:

http://listen.grooveshark.com/playlist/Ra+Mid+Eastern+Sound/44038004?utm_campaign=grooveshark-app&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share&utm_content=call-to-action

I'd really appreciate your comments on
1) what bands you like from this "genre", and
2) how did you come to like this kind of music.

I don't known many bands with that sound.
I can only remember the just mentioned Orphaned Land, wich is very good. And Nile, wich have an "Egypician" kind of style...

If you haven't checked out Secret Chiefs 3 already, I suggest you do so. ;3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0UMQeLd_UU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aih51xy8rWo

Melechesh is a really good black metal with middle eastern sound. They use a bunch of different instruments like the tar, bendir and other ones I love to listen to
- Nice instrumental by them.

Amaseffer might be what you're looking for.

Betray My Secrets maybe?
My first approach was Sahara from Orphaned Land, a great and original surprise in the middle of the 90's

Also that project from some member of Betray My Secrets, SpiRitual I think it was called

I'll second Melechesh, Amaseffer, Nile, and I'll add Myrath (My Favorite - Prog Metal a la Symphony X);



Farzad Golpayegani (Very Unique Prog Metal);



If you want something more br00tal death, there's Scarab as well:

I'd really appreciate your comments on
1) what bands you like from this "genre", and
2) how did you come to like this kind of music.

My answers:

1, Too many bands more than 30 bands, you can check them in my list or here a topic for Arabian\Mid-Eastern metal bands
http://www.metalstorm.net/forum/topic.php?topic_id=19452

2, Because i live in the Middle East

Written by Guest on 24.02.2011 at 16:29

I'd really appreciate your comments on
1) what bands you like from this "genre", and
2) how did you come to like this kind of music.

My answers:

1, Too many bands more than 30 bands, you can check them in my list or here a topic for Arabian\Mid-Eastern metal bands
http://www.metalstorm.net/forum/topic.php?topic_id=19452

2, Because i live in the Middle East

Thank you very much for that list... it's going to take me a while to check out all those bands
As for #2, I get that you feel a great attachment to your roots, which it's awesome because people like you do the music I like

Written by mariano on 24.02.2011 at 06:23

Meanwhile, I kept looking for more bands exposing mid-eastern elements but only found a few.

I think you should try "Arkan" from france their album calls "Hilal", and their new album "Salam" feat the vocals of Orphaned Land in some track i guess, but it's not released yet.

I love this mixture myself, ever since I heard Orphaned Land's "Ocean Land". I keep on digging to find other bands, and so far, here are some great metal or non-metal bands using both guitar and oriental music:

- Absu (not the best one, but this American combo's eponym album has an oriental touch)
- Aeternam (AWESOME if you like melodic death, this is a must from Quebec, Canada)
- Amaseffer (similar to countrymates Orphaned Land, but more symphonic and theatrical)
- Arkan (Extreme Orphaned Land from France)
- Bilocate (Epic Death/Doom from Jordan)
- Melechesh (Great Israeli meloblack band who use a lot of oriental beats and melodies)
- Myrath (Orphaned Land + Symphony X, very catchy Tunisian band )
- Ulytau (From Kazakhstan, an instrumental ethno-rock band)

Also, some movie soundtracks, like that of "The 300 Spartans" (the track "Fever Dream" is kinda cool) feature occasional guitar passages.

Finally, many bands have a couple good oriental songs. I suggest these :

- Ancient Rites, "Templar"
- Crimfall, "Ascension Pyre"
- Hollenthon, "Mysterium Babel" and "Homage - Magni Nominis Umbra"
- Moonlyght, "Radiance"
- Secret Chiefs 3, "The 3" and "The 4"
- Traces, "To Engulf All Creed"

Written by MétalNoir on 25.02.2011 at 05:35

I love this mixture myself, ever since I heard Orphaned Land's "Ocean Land". I keep on digging to find other bands, and so far, here are some great metal or non-metal bands using both guitar and oriental music:

- Absu (not the best one, but this American combo's eponym album has an oriental touch)
- Aeternam (AWESOME if you like melodic death, this is a must from Quebec, Canada)
- Amaseffer (similar to countrymates Orphaned Land, but more symphonic and theatrical)
- Arkan (Extreme Orphaned Land from France)
- Bilocate (Epic Death/Doom from Jordan)
- Melechesh (Great Israeli meloblack band who use a lot of oriental beats and melodies)
- Myrath (Orphaned Land + Symphony X, very catchy Tunisian band )
- Ulytau (From Kazakhstan, an instrumental ethno-rock band)

Also, some movie soundtracks, like that of "The 300 Spartans" (the track "Fever Dream" is kinda cool) feature occasional guitar passages.

Finally, many bands have a couple good oriental songs. I suggest these :

- Ancient Rites, "Templar"
- Crimfall, "Ascension Pyre"
- Hollenthon, "Mysterium Babel" and "Homage - Magni Nominis Umbra"
- Moonlyght, "Radiance"
- Secret Chiefs 3, "The 3" and "The 4"
- Traces, "To Engulf All Creed"

Thank you bro
Right now, Amaseffer seems to be the next on my list, but I have to say that so far Myrath is the band I like the most from all the suggestions I've got here. I guess I'm not so fond of the brutal death metal.

Thanks to this topic I came back to check my forgotten stuff about Betray My Secrets that I hadnt listened in .. around 10 years! and I got goose pimples listening to this song:

Recommended album and pity that Stefan Hertrich stopped with this and also later with SpiRitual

Hello all,

You may like to listen to Arkan, an underrated French/Algerian/Moroccan death metal band with Middle Eastern influence. Arkan is associated with Orphaned Land
, as the mainman of Orphaned Land ,Kobi Farhi, is to make an apperance on Arkan's 2nd album (to be released on April).

1.well I guess you guys already said the bands I like Orphaned land ,Arkan, Myrath, Melechesh and Aeternam
2.I guess living in the middle east will explain why I like this kind of music

I think calling this type of music "Arabian/Middle-Eastern" would be more accurate than calling it "Oriental". I think the closest would be Arkan and Myrath to the sound of Orphaned Land.

Ok this is my final answer for this thread, after years of diging for Oriental bands, i came up with these:
Melechesh
Myrath
Odious
Aeternam
Al-Namrood
Bilocate
Scarab
Lykathea Aflame
Litham
Narjahanam
Sand Aura
Arallu
Amaseffer
Sawlegen
Nile
Mezarkabul
Arkan
Orphaned Land
You can check my lists here it may help you:
Arabian Albums

Hey watsup, im new here

allthough not really middle eastern, we are a band called Nirvair that uses alotta eastern/punjabi dissonant guitaring, especially from a genre called Bangra (or sometimes called British Bangra).

you can check out some of our stuff at www.youtube.com/nirvairists

heres a song called Insectivora, we jus played the other day

Mezarkabul is great band in this genre

And what about Salem? They're awesome too!
(don't now if anyone mentioned them...)

Chthonic!!!

Acrassicauda (Iraq Thrash Band), too bad only 1 Ep released

Based on combination of Black metal and Bosnian traditional music.This is better then Melechesh and much much better then Orphaned Land.

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdbeqxD55Jk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eke2dQjcRQc

real pure oriental stuff

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdbeqxD55Jk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eke2dQjcRQc

real pure oriental stuff

I play in a metal band, it's doom death and used to be pure death. it's middle eastern and we've just released an album! it starts to get some fans in turkey and maghreb

http://fr-fr.facebook.com/pages/%C3%8A/217232001632739

And also thanks for the list! it's great even if i know some names already!

M I D D L E - E A S T E R N

MELECHESH (formely ISRAEL, now HOLLAND - brilliant middle-eastern epic black-thrash metal)
note: they became rather shit after their heraldic release "Emissaries".

ABSU (USA - another brilliant black-thrash metal band that incorporates a ton of middle-eastern influences)
note1: also check out EQUIMANTHORN = great ritual dark ambient from (former) members of ABSU.
note2: no actual middle eastern band members.

NILE (USA - superb oriental inspired technical death metal)
note1: "In Their Darkened Shrines" & "Those Whome The Gods Detest" = their bast albums
note2: no actual middle eastern band members.

NECROS CHRISTOS (GERMANY - vicious death metal with sublime accoustic middle-eastern intermezzo's)
note1: also check RA AL DEE EXPERIENCE = an all middle eastern folkloric accoustic project from members of NECROS CHRISTOS.
note2: no actual middle eastern bandmembers (for as far as I know)

AL NAMROOD (SAUDI ARABIA - suprisingly good melodic, middle-eastern black metal
note: also check MEPHISOPHILUS = rawer black metal project from an AL NAMROOD member.

SCARAB (EGYPT - decent standard death metal)

ORPHANED LAND (ISRAEL - some interesting melodies and/or riffs here or there, but nothing extremely appealing, imo.)
note: O.L. are middle eastern hippies

CRESCENT (EGYPT - brutal death metal with middle-eastern scale patern riffing)
note: I just came across this band, and seemed to be legit.

MORBAD (IRAN - nice rancid technical death-thrash metal)
note: I just came across this band, and seemed to be legit.

~

F U R T H E R - O R I E N T A L

WEAPON (CANADA - Vicious Black-death metal with some thrash influences - all with lots of far-east influences)
note: their frontman is Bangladeshi.

RUDRA (SINGAPORE - Pretty darn decent black metal, played with lots ot far-east compositions)
note: I've discovered this band not long ago myself, and seemed to be legit.