Analysis: Reasons behind making Odious' "Mirror of Vibrations" as one of the finest African Metal albums within more than 10 years

Analysis: Reasons behind making Odious' "Mirror of Vibrations" as one of the finest African Metal albums within more than 10 years

By: Rana Atef a.k.a ``DaRk~~KniGhT``

Originally published on 8/7/2018 at 2:43 pm

The Story

Few Hours ago, African Metal page started its celebration of 10 years of establishing "African Metal" page, and I should appreciate the page's efforts in documenting, reviewing, and giving creditable charts for African Metal Scene. That's why, the page decided to give deep analysis for the most iconic African Metal albums within 10 years, and it picked Odious' "Mirror of  Vibrations" firstly, as one of the best "crafted Black Metal albums", although the album was released 11 years ago, it is still on the top of the best composed African Metal albums, 

So, I decided to give myself a chance, and review the reasons of making this release on the top in the history! 

Background

Odious is one of the earliest Black Metal bands in the Middle East, and Africa. Founded in 1998 by Bassem Fakhry to be one of  the most successful Metal bands in the history of Africa. 

The first Oriental/Black Metal band, the first Egyptian band that signed with European label, the first Egyptian band that cooperated with major band as Septicflesh, the first Egyptian band that participated in a major European tour with two big names in the music industry as Septicflesh and Inquisition.

Although the new generations of Metalheads witnessed Odious on the stage for only twice with its historical magnificent piece of art "Skin Age", unfortunately, "Mirror of Vibrations" is still a hidden, undiscovered piece for the current generation. 

And as this blog carries more wider space for my thoughts, I decided to analyze "Mirror of Vibrations" album, and reviewing the reasons for making it one of the most iconic African Black Metal albums.

The Body

Released in 2007, via Sleaszy Rider Records, this album is like a blast in the Egyptian Metal Scene. It spread more than Odious’ early stuff. The album contained 9 tracks in total: Silver Sea (Intro), Poems Hidden on Black Walls, Deaf and Blind Witness, For The Unknown Is Horrid, Invitation to The Chaotic Revelation, Smile in Vacuum Warnings, Split Punishment, Upon The Broken Wing, and Dilemma (Outro). 

Actually, the album combines a lot of success elements to make it on the top till today. The elements which I am going to explain in detail are:

Originality  

Employing the Presence of Heritage Harmoniously 

Depending on Attractive Tunes, and Melodic Riffs

Redefining the Mediterranean Hybrid Cosmopolitan taste of Alexandria

Improving the Concept of Neoclassicism & Reviving the Forgotten Magical Artistic/ Cultural Identity of the Orient 

Highly Philosophical Themes, and Impressive Diction

1- Originality  

The main element of success for any album is originality, and introducing  phenomenal, rebellious, fresh or maybe shocking musical combination, we can say that Odious managed to create this kind of positive shocking musical mood, give me the chance to take you back to the late 1990s, and early 2000s, yeah the album is released in 2007, but some of the material was written back. 

With the conditions the Egyptian Metal scene faced during this period, and with the existed musical genres in Egypt at this time, Odious introduced the different, the fresh sound. 

Not only through merging between complex musical Metal notes and forgotten inherited cultural sounds, but also it crafted a unique style dedicated to itself, so when a track of Odious played, you can distinguish the sound easily without any hesitation. 

Also in the presence of a lot of Oriental bands all over the world, Odious succeeded to set proper rules for Oriental Metal band from Egypt, and to create tuneful atmosphere of two unfamiliar musical genres. 

It is another kind of success to be profound with the notes, tunes of oriental music, and Black Metal music to make some sort of blending between both, and write such "Mirror of Vibrations" beautifully. 

2- Employing the Presence of Heritage Harmoniously 

When you look at the playlist of "Mirror of Vibrations," you will distinguish that Odious depended on long tracks to create different musical movements, wanderered between Black Metal parts, Oriental parts, and mixture of both in some movements. 

The listener wouldn't feel any boring, and what's really magnificent is the harmony between the instruments as Odious could match between the oriental string instruments such as Lute (Oud), and Dulcimer (Qanon) with the other instruments such as Guitar and Bass, and the same with Drums, and Oriental Percussion: Drums (Tabla) and Tambourine (Reqq).

For example: the duet between guitar and lute in "Silver Sea", the into of "Poems Hidden on Black Walls." It is a part from old folk song following Egyptian countryside folk music, in addition the music of the track is mainly based on the conversation between Guitars and Oud (lute) and between the Drums and oriental percussion (Tabla).

Another example is the riffs of "Deaf and Blind Witness," they are highly influenced with oriental/Egyptian country side folk music, except the first part of the song carries extreme Black Metal mood

 Also, "For the Unknown is Horrid" carried in the middle sounds of famous oriental sounds "(Zagharet) which is breaking the unknown rules of oriental music!

Lute based intros for "Smile in Vacuum Warnings", and "Upon the Broken Wings" is a significant pure, and catchy oriental signs.

3-Depending on Attractive Tunes, and Melodic Riffs

One of the main keys of Odious "Mirror of Vibrations" is employing highly dynamic guitar tunes to attract the ears of the listeners, and to keep the wave of tunes, and sounds move smoothly, also keys played a vital role to keep the sounds in harmony, and consistent. 

For example, "Split Punishment" opening with fast, blackened guitar sounds, highly Black Metal influenced riffs, but in the middle, it carries the riffs of the known, active “Dabka” (Palestinian, Lebanese dance, and subgenre of folk music)

Another example is, "Poems Hidden on Black Walls", It has many movements between pure extreme Black Metal riffs and Oriental riffs. The solo of the track is evil and dark. It has many musical interludes to give a space for every instrument.

For "The Unknown Is Horrid",  It wasn’t only started with catchy tunes but also carried a strange oriental taste represented in  and the great usage of the Tabla. The track carries a musical interlude which is highly oriental. It gives a wide space for the Oud, the Tabla, and The Nai from 5:54 till the end of the track.

Invitation to Chaotic Revelation is the heaviest and fastest track on the album. Its intro brings the tunes of Nargaroth to my mind. It is also the darkest track of the album. Smile in Vacuum Warnings intro is shocking. 

4- Redefining the Mediterranean Hybrid Cosmopolitan taste of Alexandria

Actually, talking about the mixing between East, and West culturally, and musically, so we should mention "Alexandria", as it is the best cosmopolitan atmosphere in Egypt, not only for its distinct location on the Mediterranean, but also for the mixture of cultures of its people.

Naturally, Odious members affected with the remains of Greek/Italian cultures in Alexandria, the salty taste of the sea, the inherited sounds of Alexandrian Mediterranean music represented in Accordion, "Upon the Broken Wings." 

Even, the natural sounds of the sea, and sea birds is involved in the album, as "Silver Sea" intro. 

5-Improving the Concept of Neoclassicism & Reviving the Forgotten Magical Artistic/ Cultural Identity of the Orient

The band perfectly introduces a revival of these classical pieces through its music. Globalization endangers national culture and identity, that’s why we need to rediscover them and make some sort of revival to our legacy.

The music of Odious focuses on the Egyptian culture such as folk music of the countryside and the Egyptian desert. The classical taste in the chosen oriental riffs adds to Odious’ music richness. That’s what I mean with the Classical Legacy.

Regarding Neoclassicism, Neoclassicism as a direction is reintroducing old and folk classical pieces in a new or modern way. Black Metal or Death Metal is still a modern or postmodern form or wave of music, this is the modern frame of music which Odious uses, and this is the first part of the name (Neo).

Also, Odious re-represented forgotten forms of heritage, and re-discovered many aspects of the identity of the orient, music, instruments, sub-musical genres, ways of performance. 

6 - Highly Philosophical Themes 

For the first time, I am talking about the lyrical themes of Odious, and I am writing her, my understanding and point of view, I don't know what the band exactly means!

But, the lyrics of Odious are somehow complex, I felt that some lyrics dedicated to major existential questions: as the reason of existence, the rise of man, inner psychological maze of overthinking, mystery, for example

 Is another coming simple question

But poor can't find any key

The only solution for you to exist

Is closing your eyes and let it be 

A part from "For the Unknown is Horrid"

And one of the repeated word is "Question", and actually the usage of this word is so tricky, as the existence is connected with different kinds of questions like the question of Hamlet, in "Hamlet" by Shakespeare, and I can feel that the ideas of the quoted part from Odious song is close to the part what I am about to quote from Hamlet play, 

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

 Another lyrical part may refer to Hamlet is from "Smile in Vacuum Warnings"

 Having more choices but one decision

Many voices losing this mission

Having more choices but one decision 

Voices voices losing this mission

Another point is using symbols as the "serpent", "the sin", "the lost guardian", which in my point of 

view led to the legendary "Paradise Lost" which portrays the fall of Adam, and the conversation

 between Eve, and the Serpent. 

The lyrics of "Split Punishment" attracted my attention due to the symbols of "birds", "cage", "rage", "wings", the lyrical style of the track is so close to, guess what "The Caged Bird" by the legendary Maya Angelou, this is a quote from Angelou's "The Caged Bird",

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and   

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard  

Now, I am quoting a part from "Split Punishment" by Odious, 

Wave goodbye to the judging birds

And close the chains of their cage

Feed them to smile but keep their wings

Away to avoid the cruelty of their rage

It is a matter of time and soon they all will die

The sky is near the day is short

But the tunes are still very high

The freedom of a man in the presence of chains of globalization, and modern forms of slavery!

"The picture of Dorian Gray" is also one of the employed theme in Odious lyrics, here is a part from 

"Smile in the Vacuum Warnings", 

 It is a dream to reach the beauty of the stars

But when you reach this beauty

You may burn the sun

Sad faces on drab skin

Turning my heart to stone

Move a part and slowly take

The pleasure of being alone

Two of the main crisis in the character of Dorian Gray, that he wanted to keep the beauty of himself, 

against the impact of time, also, the novel is highly philosophical and it symbolizes the issue of sin 

and salvation, human inner conflicts between good, and evil.  

War, sin, conflicts, time, human existence, and history are all form the philosophical semantic style 

of the lyrics, before ending this part, I want to add the symbolism of the cover art, as the matter of 

narrating stories from the old times is asserted through the whole lyrics, so the image of 

ancient Pharaonic statues but with sad, bloody face referring to the ugly side of the ancient tales! 

  

Conclusion 

In general, the music of Odious in 2007 was characterized by the domination of the Oriental folk riffs with a wide space for the Oriental instruments. The music is based on mixing pure Black Metal with familiar classic oriental colors. The vocals are mainly the traditional brutal Black Metal vocals. Lute (Oud) and Guitars form a dynamic catchy atmosphere. Another note is the performance of the vocals, mostly of them are influenced with the oriental performance in singing, and I am asserting, the performance, not the pitch.

Oriental Percussion (Tabla) and Drums reflect the strength of the East and West. The Keys plays a vital role through the music as it is the instrument which has the freedom to access through all kinds and moods of music. 

In my point of view, Odious succeeded to employ a lot of iconic literary, and thematic selections to create a deep, complex, philosophical thematic concerns within the lyrics, and to give use literature as a mutual bridge between East, and West as Music.

So, I want to close my article with the final line of Odious "Poems hidden on Black Walls"

" With every tongue's speech, revival reach"