We’ve had a good share of Lebanese Rock / Metal releases this year, but none grabbed more attention than Ostura’s debut album “Ashes Of The Reborn”. LebMetal contributor Karl Sawaya interviewed the band 2 years ago while they were still in the process of recording the album at Mixdown Studios with Karim Sinno (check the entire interview HERE), and I personally found it useful to follow-up and analyze their answers now, after they had released the album and reached the first exposure phase.
The album definitely lives up to the international standard quality wise, as it can be compared to the work of bands like Avantasia or even Rhapsody of Fire. The band spoke about Karim Sinno’s role in the recording process “He helped us a lot, and I dare say he is one of the best in the country”; this is quite true because the band’s genre requires lots of attention to details, especially with the multitude of layers that establish the different moods of the storyline, and for an album with a “good vs evil” concept, the darkness surrounding the Tyrant character (check out “Infernal Hymn“) needs to be as intense as the glowing light behind the Oracle’s voice (check out “Tears Of Paradise“), and that worked out perfectly.
Regarding the music itself, it can be described as Power / Prog Metal disguised as Rock Opera (check out the 10-minute song “Ashes Of The Reborn“), with impressive musicianship and composing throughout the songs. It’s interesting that the band opts for a European-sounding record with a strong emphasis on Folk melodies (check out “The Gathering”). They however “will definitely use oriental scales on the next album”, and I’m looking forward to see if they can find a good mix of Oriental / European.
Drummer Chris Naimeh also stated: “I just hope that non-power metal and non-metal fans give it a shot and listen to it, since we really worked hard on it”, and I agree with the fact that the album speaks to a wide variety of listeners, not just to fans of Power Metal or even Metalheads. Support the band by purchasing the album from Shadow Metallica stores (Sarba, Verdun, Mansouriyyeh, Borj Hammoud), Rock Stock and Two Smoking Buds pub in Jbeil and the LebMetal stand at local events. Again, this album is self-financed and released, make sure you support the band by buying a copy.
Running at 42 minutes long, Ostura’s debut album is a must-listen to release for Lebanese and international Metal fans alike. It’s not merely a well balanced album with quality-sounding material and memorable songs, it’s a testament to the skills and talent of Lebanese musicians who can easily keep up with the European professional standard and make a name for themselves and for Lebanese music.
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