Live DVD Review: Arallu – Middle Eastern Battlefield (2016)

Described as Mesopotamian Black /Trash Metal & hailing from Jerusalem. Arallu have carved out an expansive career & built a huge following both in & outside of Israel.

Middle Eastern Battlefield is their third live DVD, a double disc offering two live sets & 6 videos from the last album, Geniewar. As an entry point into Arallu this DVD couldn’t be more perfect as the band play through some of their biggest hits while also showing just where the future lies with them.

The band’s live shows combine Arabic Middle Eastern instruments such as the saz, oud, kanoon and many other traditional instruments. This gives it a much more potent sound, marking it out as clearly different to many other blackened thrash bands out there.

This isn’t Guns N’ Roses style footage, it’s raw, almost seeing it from a fans perspective. I love that. As someone who regularly attends live metal shows, you can’t beat that feeling & watching Arallu pulverise a very willing crowd made me wish I was there.

The sound quality is excellent, brutally heavy. The band are having a great time on stage bringing out friend after friend from other bands to perform in the next song. This gives it a real ‘family’ feel, something that comes pouring out of the screen. Arallu care about this music, they care about each other & the scene, they care about the fans & they care about their country something that really hits home when an ISIS flag is pulled out & slashed to pieces by the band.

An incredibly powerful moment.

This DVD was my entry point into Arallu & they’ve made me fan instantly. As if the live footage wasn’t enough they’ve also thrown in 6 videos taken from their last album, Geniewar. If the live footage doesn’t do it for you, these certainly will. Arallu’s brand of extreme black/thrash metal with Arabic influences is so well done, so rhythmically challenging yet accessible. Coronation, Metal Troops 666 & Bloodshed Around are three absolute amazing songs, songs that you will be banging your head too within the first few moments.

Check this DVD out or at least check out Arallu, they really are something special. Releases like this make me proud to be a metal fan.

We’d like to thank Arallu for providing us with a copy of the DVD for this review. You can buy the DVD as well as their back catalogue & merchandise from their bandcamp page here. Make sure you give them a like over on Facebook, check them out on MySpace & on YouTube.