El Norra Alila
Encyclopedia
El Norra Alila is the second full-length studio album
by the Israel
i metal
band Orphaned Land
, released on July 18, 1996 by Holy Records
. The album was reissued as a deluxe edition in July, 2006 as a 10-year-anniversary for the album and contains extras; the song "Disciples of the Sacred Oath" and video
clips of "Ornaments of Gold" and "The Evil Urge".
s and Jews, which held a concept of light
and darkness
. There are religious translations within the album name, "Nor" means "the light" in Arabic, "Alila" meaning "the night", "El" meaning "God" in Hebrew and "Norra" meaning "terrible", and "Alila" meaning "tale". This means that the album can be translated as; "God of Light – Evil of the Night" and gives reference to its concept.
The name is a pun on El Nora Alila
, a popular Sephardic
piyyut
, which is sung during Ne'ilah of Yom Kippur
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Orphaned Land
Orphaned Land
Orphaned Land is an Israeli progressive metal band, formed in 1991, that combines Death/doom, Jewish and Arabic influences.- History :In 1992, the band changed its name from the original Resurrection to Orphaned Land....
, released on July 18, 1996 by Holy Records
Holy Records
Holy Records is a French metal label run by Misanthrope frontman Phillipe De L'Argilière. Aside from Misanthrope itself, the label has not signed many French bands, but also corresponds with several Greek bands.-Current and former artists:*Am'ganesha'n...
. The album was reissued as a deluxe edition in July, 2006 as a 10-year-anniversary for the album and contains extras; the song "Disciples of the Sacred Oath" and video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
clips of "Ornaments of Gold" and "The Evil Urge".
Album meaning and concept
The album conveyed a message of co-existence between MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s and Jews, which held a concept of light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
and darkness
Darkness
Darkness, in contrast with brightness, is a relative absence of visible light. It is the appearance of black in a color space. When light is not present, rod and cone cells within the eye are not stimulated. This lack of stimulation means photoreceptor cells are unable to distinguish color...
. There are religious translations within the album name, "Nor" means "the light" in Arabic, "Alila" meaning "the night", "El" meaning "God" in Hebrew and "Norra" meaning "terrible", and "Alila" meaning "tale". This means that the album can be translated as; "God of Light – Evil of the Night" and gives reference to its concept.
The name is a pun on El Nora Alila
El Nora Alila
El Nora Alila is a piyyut for the Ne'ilah service at the conclusion of Yom Kippur...
, a popular Sephardic
Sephardic Judaism
Sephardic law and customs means the practice of Judaism as observed by the Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, so far as it is peculiar to themselves and not shared with other Jewish groups such as the Ashkenazim...
piyyut
Piyyut
A piyyut or piyut is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Piyyutim have been written since Temple times...
, which is sung during Ne'ilah of Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
.
Track listing
- "Find Your Self, Discover God " – 6:15
- "Like Fire to Water" – 4:46
- "The Truth Within" – 4:34
- "The Path Ahead" – 4:16
- "A Neverending Way" – 2:06
- "Takasim" – 1:13
- "Thee by the Father I Pray" – 3:11
- "Flawless Belief" – 6:46
- "Joy" – 0:42
- "Whisper My Name When You Dream" – 4:35
- "Shir Hama'Alot" – 5:02
- "El Meod Na'Ala" – 2:22
- "Of Temptation Born" – 4:42
- "The Evil Urge" – 16:07
- "Shir Hashirim " – 1:58
Deluxe Edition
- "Disciples of the Sacred Oath"
- "Ornaments of Gold" (video clip)
- "The Evil Urge" (video clip)
Band members
- Kobi Farhi − vocals
- Yossi Sasi − lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
s - Matti Svatitzki − rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- Uri Zelcha − bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Sami Bachar − drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Session members and guests
- Hadas Sasi − female vocals
- Amira Salah − Arab female vocals
- Abraham Salman − kannun
- Avi Agababa − zilZilZills, also zils or finger cymbals, are tiny metallic cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. They are called sājāt in Arabic. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells....
, bendirBendirThe bendir is a frame drum used as a traditional instrument throughout North Africa. Unlike the tambourine, it has no jingles but most often has a snare stretched across its head, which when the drum is struck with the fingers or palm gives the tone a buzzing quality.The bendir is a frame drum...
, tarTar (drum)A tar is a single-headed frame drum. The tar comes from North Africa and the Middle East. Depictions of these frame drums date back thousands of years....
, dumbek, darbuka, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all.... - Sivan Zelikoff − violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Yariv Malka − samplerSampler (musical instrument)A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
, shofarShofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :... - Felix Mizrahi − violin
- Avi Sharon − oudOudThe oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - David Sasi − vocals, backing vocals
- Unknown musician goes by the name "Vovin" - Guitars
Production and other
- LyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
by Orphaned LandOrphaned LandOrphaned Land is an Israeli progressive metal band, formed in 1991, that combines Death/doom, Jewish and Arabic influences.- History :In 1992, the band changed its name from the original Resurrection to Orphaned Land....
, Alon Miasnikov, Traditional - MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
by Orphaned Land, Traditional - Production by Kobi Farhi, Yossi Sassi
- Engineered by Udi Koomran
- Assistant and Producers: Ran Carmeli, Yuval Segal, Yaniv Barzilai, Gerry Gani
- Mastering by Ran Bagno, Udi Koomran
- Arrangement by Udi Koomran, Kobi Farhi, Yossi Sassi
- "Shir Hashirim" recorded in The Infinite Studios by Yariv Malka.