If you thought Judas Priest had undertaken a mammoth subject for their sprawling epic, Nostradamus, earlier this year, then Israel’s Amaseffer will make you think again. With Slaves For Life (Inside Out Records, 2008), they have released the first part of a trilogy. The subject? The Biblical account of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Ambitious? Certainly. Epic? Vastly so. Intriguing? You bet. Successful? Yes, read on. Amaseffer started as drummer Erez Yohanan’s brainchild in June 2004. He added guitarist Yuval Kramer and within months they were joined by a second guitarist, Hanan Avramovich. The band's name, Amaseffer, is the name given to the Israelites in the Bible and means, "People of the Holy Book."
With everything starting to take shape, all that was needed was a vocalist. Eventually they contacted Mats Leven whose previous credits include Yngwie Malmsteen, Thrion, Fatal Force, among others. By now, Slaves For Life had been recorded in Germany and Mats was left working on his vocal part. The result is history, or should I say, ancient history.
Amaseffer explain on their Myspace page, "In the eyes of the Old Testament people, these events are more important than creation. Again and again the thoughts and songs of Israel’s people will return to the time of Exodus."
The events in Slaves For Life are dramatic to say the least. God speaks to Moses, the ten plagues are unleashed upon Egypt, and Moses prepares to free his people. So what sort of job has Amaseffer made of such a huge, epic, account? I was intrigued to find out.
Magnificent is the answer. With the album divided into ten dramatic tracks, Amasaffer have somehow managed to convey every conceivable angle of the story. There is despair, anger, triumph, drama, determination, fear, and every other imaginable emotion that Exodus raises.
It is an extraordinary achievement and even though the subject matter might leave some suspiciously uncertain, it should be explored as an exceptional piece of vast, majestic, cinematic, and progressive music.
Slaves For Life doesn’t just pay lip service to its massive subject. There are choirs, philharmonic orchestras, background sound effects, a spoken narration by founder member Erez, and a whole cast of guest musos, including vocalists Angela Gossow and Maya Avraham. The album runs seamlessly through the different events, utilizing an intoxicating mix of authentic Middle Eastern music that adds an even greater sense of drama to the whole production.
Article comments
1 - Nick
Had I not stumbled across something about this album on Blabbermouth, I might have missed out on this one.
It's like the heavy metal soundtrack to The Ten Commandments, still one of my favorite movies. Definately one of my favorites this year, and I've only just begun to discover everything Amaseffer has put into this.