“The book of Gates” is the next release by Amadeus Awad under project name EON. The EP is scheduled for release on September 13 at Metro al Madina.

Featured on the EP are the following international artists and local talents:
Elia I. Monsef on Vocals.
Russell Allen on Vocals.
Amanda Somerville on Vocals,(Speaking about the EP)
Kevin Moore on Keyboards.
John Macaluso on Drums. (The tracking video)
Dan Veall on Bass.
Elyes Bouchoucha on Keyboards.(Joining the project)
Amadeus Awad on Guitars.

The music was written by Amadeus Awad and Elia I. Monsef and lyrics were written by Amadeus Awad.

Album Cover

We got hold of the music and lyrics before the release and here is our review.

  • First, what is the book of gates?

Taken from Wikipedia, below is a brief explanation which makes it clear, what will our journey through the EP be.

“The Book of Gates is an Ancient Egyptian funerary text dating from the New Kingdom. It narrates the passage of a newly deceased soul into the next world, corresponding to the journey of the sun through the underworld during the hours of the night. The soul is required to pass through a series of ‘gates’ at different stages in the journey. Each gate is associated with a different goddess, and requires that the deceased recognize the particular character of that deity. The text implies that some people will pass through unharmed, but that others will suffer torment in a lake of fire.”

Elia I. Monsef

The EP consists of four tracks, Vision in Sand, The Crown’s Fate, The Book of Gates, and Incarnation.

I would say the recording and mixing quality is great and Amadeus shines as always with guitar mastery and perfect solo lines, Elia leads the music with his roaring, soaring and soothing voice. No words can be said about the international artists only that each has his signature in his art, the perfection of what he/she does and it clearly appears in EON. Here is an overview of the tracks:

Vision in Sand can be considered as a short intro to the EP; it opens with an acoustic guitar melody and the lyrics talk about death and the journey ahead. I shall not explain more and will leave it for you to follow the story. This is a great intro for the EP.

The Crown’s Fate open with an acoustic progression then moves into the metal in Power style. This track is for Amanda Somerville (The Queen) to shine with Russell Allen (The Pharaoh) There is a relatively long solo of guitar, keyboard and complex drum work in the middle with nice effects on keys and clear Macaluso drumming style. The Middle Eastern feel is always there, music from the Nile, from the ancient days creeping into your ears.

The Book of Gates has a more aggressive intro, kind of the typical ProgPower metal at first but then turns into that beautiful fusion of melodies along with Elia’s perfect voice. I should say that for this track the lyrics are memorable and easily become sing-along material, kind of a new Anthem there:

Gate by gate eagles fly
tonight my name is glorified
Rage will fall like rain and end her reign!

You can’t expect less than a perfect passage in mid-track, that acoustic magic again comes at perfect time in perfect mix. You can notice oriental beats and key effects which take you to the middle of the Sahara, it has to be the genius work of Kevin Moore. I think it is time to say it, this EP is beautiful, it kept me listening to it again and again.

Incarnation again opens with aggression, maybe because it’s the return of the Pharaoh with much ANGER after betrayal. Russell Allen shines most on this track, just one of the best vocalists in present days. The keyboard work of Kevin Moore is quite vibrant here leading me to ask for more. Please EON don’t let this track be the last one on “The Book of Gates”. (I heard there will be more…)

This is an Epic tail in four tracks, well crafted, beautifully told, and I think it will leave a big mark on the international Metal music scene and open new doors to our local Middle Eastern scene.

Unmixed Teaser: