Known to me as the Co-founder of Orphaned Land, Yossi Sassi is an internationally acclaimed musician having shared the stage with a plethora of artists from across the world, such as Metallica, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman and Steven Wilson to name a few. Having given a TED talk on ‘The power of music to unite people’, he was awarded 4 peace and friendship awards from cities and governments. That’s not all, he invented the unique Bouzouki-Guitar instrument (Electric guitar combined with acoustic Bouzouki) and is known to play 17 different types of guitars and traditional instruments.
While the music has a blend of eastern and Oriental scales eclectically blended with Progressive rock we do hear a lot of experimentation with tones. The band loves to drive inspiration from different cultures in the world, while listing Joe Satriani, David Gilmour, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, and Opeth as some of their influences. To me that’s a wonderful list of progressive influencers and some of my favourites too. “Hear and Dare”, marks as the 5th Studio album released on the 19th of March 2021, with Production by Amir Rozanes, Concept art by Amir Rozanes, Liza Murashkovsky, Album design by Noa Reshef, Engineered and recorded by Liron Schaffer at Black Rock Studios, Santorini, Greece; Additional recordings at Jaffa Sound Arts; Mixed and Mastered by Liron Schaffer & Jonathan Jacobi.
The album starts off with “Brotherhood” which is an absolute ecstatic Instrumental piece, an amalgamation of different instruments, cultures, seasons, stories and eras. The song arrangement showcases immense maturity and creativity, and Yossi is a master blender. “The Mind Spirit” booms in and takes on a progressive stance, with odd time sequences, a blend of multitude of instruments, where East meets West which sounds as if the melodies are duelling out and eventually culminating into something unique and mellifluous. “Hear and Dare” starts off with crunchy guitar riffs layering on marching drums, and as all the elements mix up, we hear Mats Levén adding a unique blend into the mix with his vocal deliveries. The song carries its momentum and ends the way it starts (only a pitch higher).
“Benjamin’s Journey” has middle eastern roots in its sound, as it takes you back to an era of ancient time, but the constant plummeting of the bass/drums pulls the song back to the present era. This whole arrangement brings in an effect which makes the song appear in a limbo. Is there some higher meaning to this? Am I on to something here? “Gates of Ishtar” brings about an upbeat mood and progressive modes as we hop time signatures, add and opt out of instruments in the midst, like a tug of war with time and melodies. “Gia Sigouria” features Christos Dantis on vocals, although the language is foreign to my ears, it definitely sounds timeless. The blend of heavy guitars with clean Bouzoukitara makes for an eclectic sound, something so unique that it has patented its way to YS & TORO’s sound.
“Levitating” jazzes it up right from the onset, a blend of Flutes, Bouzoukitara, Pick and Slap Bass and a solo that experiments and fits beautifully well within the realms of the magic that’s being weaved bar by bar, is a true hallmark of Yossi. “Night Flight” is the longest song on the album, given its intro has soundscapes that of nature and animals, I have a feeling that the song is going to transcend stories through the song writing. After listening to the whole bit, I was reassured that this was an elaborate Jam that was just recorded, as its essence lies in its ingenuity.
“Kostas” starts off with a haunted colour which is rundown by a crafty bassline overturning the mood of the whole song altogether. What a twist, as it gets funkier and groovier it uplifts the mood, and would excite you to get on your feet and just dance about. This has to be my favourite song, as it plays out a whole range of emotions in such a short span of time. Yossi Sassi you crafty mastermind! This album culminates with “Hope”, a song very different from the rest of the album. Melodies and instruments find and complement each other, the tone mellows down, like finishing off a story, bringing in peace and harmony and finding its place in our hearts. I was privileged to have received a bonus track along with the album, “Mayim Mayim” which features Marty Friedman and is definitely a treat for metalheads. It totally is out of place from the context of the album but a reminder of how gifted and crafted Yossi is.
Production – The album is mixed, mastered and produced brilliantly. I could have not asked for a better sound.
Conclusion – This is a beautiful album and needs to be listened to by all. The magic that’s been woven here is going to go a long way, it’s a timeless classic which will find its place in the history of mankind. This album is a reminder that music indeed is a global language crossing all barriers, times and geographies, that music needs no words to communicate emotions, all one needs is an open outlook.
Rating: 11/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Band Members:
Yossi Sassi – Vocals, Guitars, Bouzoukitara, Bouzouki, Charango, Saz
Or Lubianiker – Electric Bass
Shay Ifrah – Drums
Ben Azar – Guitars, solos on “Heart & Dare” & “Gia Sigouria”
Roei Fridman – Percussion
Danielle Sassi – Flute, Tenor Flute
Sarel Ha’cohen – Kanun
Yogev Levy – Ney
Guest musicians:
Mats Levén – Lead Vocals on “Hear and Dare”
Christos Dantis – Vocals on “Gia Sigouria”
Emil Guseinov – Viola
Track Listing:
1. Brotherhood
2. The Mind Spirit
3. Hear and Dare
4. Benjamin’s Journey
5. Gates of Ishtar
6. Gia Sigouria
7. Levitating
8. Night Flight
9. Kostas
10. Hope
11. Mayim Mayim – Feat. Marty Friedman (Bonus)
Release Date: March 19th. 2021
Record Label:
Weblinks: Facebook / Website / Twitter / Headstart / Bandcamp
Video for ‘Hear and Dare’ (ft. Mats Levén)
Video for ‘Brotherhood’
Video for ‘The Mind Spirit’
