Slaves for Life (CD - 2008)

Some Christian fundamentalist preachers of the far right have stereotyped metal in general as music for Satanists, but the truth is that lyrically, metal is a lot more diverse than that. While there are, in fact, some metal bands that specialize in Occult themes (especially in death metal and black metal), other metalheads might be writing about anything from science fiction to politics to good old-fashioned sex. And then there are the metal bands that get into religious topics, which is what Israeli progressive metallers Amaseffer do on their debut album, Slaves for Life. The first part of a trilogy about the history of Jews as described in the Old Testament, this 77-minute CD brings a strong Middle Eastern influence to progressive metal; the results are highly theatrical, and lead singer Mats Levén (known for his associations with Yngwie Malmsteen and Therion) favors a dramatic vocal style that is perfect for a prog metal epic like Slaves for Life. If this 2008 release reminds you of director Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 film The Ten Commandments (which starred the late Charlton Heston as Moses from the Old Testament), it is no coincidence--that is exactly the type of epic that Amaseffer had in mind when they wrote this material. And one certainly doesn't have to be religious to appreciate Slaves for Life; in fact, this album has a lot to offer from both an historic standpoint and a religious/spiritual standpoint. Not everyone who admires Heston's portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments is a devout Jew or devout Christian, and similarly, there will no doubt be some admirers of Slaves for Life who have never even read the Old Testament. Slaves for Life is a thoughtful and well-crafted debut from these Israeli prog metallers. ~ Alex Henderson minimize