AHOORA - All In Blood With You
Progressive Metal
Label/Kontakt: Eigenproduktion
7 Songs (40:25)
Webseite: www.ahoora-band.com

Metal is a worldwide phenomenon - inconceivably as one would avoid it. However, there are still lands in which Metal represents a real big problem, which can bring followers like musicians in a terrible distress. This mostly happens in totalitarian regimes or in lands like Iran in which still extreme, fundamentalist and religious rules are enforced.

AHOORA is a Metal band which comes from Iran, and only because of this fact, in spite of the music, the ears should be pricked up. We, from the “western world”, can barely imagine it with the picture, which we have from Iran provided by media, and I confess that I could hardly believe it.

The band started in 2001 to cover their favorite songs, including ICED EARTH, IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA and BLACK SABBATH. After their first demo in 2004, AHOORA was the first Metal band in Iran who performed with vocals in May, 2005.

In fact AHOORA was soon forbidden to have anything that is important for a band. The debut album of 2006 never appeared officially in Iran and international invitations to festivals were just not possible to reach because of the prohibition of crossing the border. Therefore it’s understandable that AHOORA plays no regular gigs.

Anyway what does AHOORA play? One can say with certainty that in spite of illegal stealthy acts that are going on, it’s dealt differently with the matters of Metal in Iran than here in our country. AHOORA’s sound is laid out very traditionally and orientates itself with the old heroes of the classical Heavy Metal with progressive orientations. Nevertheless, “All in Blood with You " also has elements of similar genres, above all Doom Metal is very recognizable in some songs ("A History of Extinction").

AHOORA concentrates on variation and genuineness which they can manage well. In the complicated arranged songs they change straight structures to very virtuoso passages: succinct bass play, persuasive solos, tempo and rhythmic changes and also variations in limpid vocals. Moreover, the final 9-minute song “Hunger Within” includes a bright voice of a woman.

The melodies are held very dark as well as the general mood that I also think the basic moods and the background from which the album is originated reflect it very well. My personal tip to start listening to the album is "Between Maybe and Never". Some songs sound a little old-fashioned, but on the other hand there is a feeling of intimacy in them.

One should simply realize to choose a correct point of view to evaluate AHOORA, just like almost any European new generation band, which doesn’t have all the necessary facilities. AHOORA sound a little bit antiquated, the production fulfils the minimum and the instruments may not be perfectly tuned up and have the desired sound, but does it really matter here? The adverse circumstances can’t cover the zeal and the passion, with which the band performs and it must be emphasized once again at this point, that no one in cultural and political institutions endangers himself for this.

A sentence like “Are you ready to die for Metal?” from Joey di Maio can be felt here with a new and a very bitter touch. Death absolutely does not threaten the musicians of AHOORA— but the word Passion obtains a new meaning if someone wants to indulge, although it is officially banned and followed by harsh punishments.

In this regard "All in Blood with You” has become a remarkable work, which may not satisfy our ears much, but yet it’s full of good ideas.

Punkte: 6/10
(Beta / 21.05.2008)

special thanks to Nazli Mesgarzadeh for the translation