''Slaves for Life'' is the debut album by

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band Amaseffer, released on 6 June 2008 in

and 24 June 2008 worldwide, by

InsideOut Music Inside Out Music is a German independent record label originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles. In 2009, it formed a partnership with Century Med ...

. The album is the first in a trilogy of albums, telling the Old Testament's story of

the Exodus The Exodus (Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, ''Yeẓi’at Miẓrayim'': ) is the founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four books of the Torah (or Pentateuch, corresponding to the first five books of the Bible), namely E ...

, from the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

slavery period in ancient Egypt, through the years in the desert, and up to the entrance of the

twelve tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( he, שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל, translit=Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl, lit=Tribes of Israel) are, according to Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, thro ...

to the

promised land The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

(later

). The first in the trilogy, the album tells the story of the events starting with the Hebrews slavery, through the birth of Moses and ends with the ten plagues of Egypt. In the time of the recording, the band just parted ways with their vocalist

Andy Kuntz Andy Kuntz (born 20 November 1962) is a German progressive metal singer best known for his work with the band Vanden Plas. He has also participated in a production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Background Kuntz was born in Kaiserslautern ...

, and lead vocals on the album were recorded by Mats Leven ( Krux, ex- Therion, ex-

At Vance At Vance is a neoclassical/power metal band formed in Germany. They were formed by vocalist Oliver Hartmann (ex-Centers) and guitarist Olaf Lenk (ex-Velvet Viper) in 1998. Biography With the combined credentials of vocalist Oliver Hartmann a ...

Yngwie Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...

). Additional vocals were recorded by

Kobi Farhi Kobi Farhi (Hebrew: קובי פרחי) (Born September 8, 1975) is an Israeli musician, lead singer and founder of Oriental metal band Orphaned Land. Life and career Farhi was born in Jaffa, the oldest part of Tel Aviv, Israel. At a young age, ...

Orphaned Land Orphaned Land is an Israeli heavy metal band, formed in 1991 under the name Resurrection (changing their name in 1992 to the current name), that combines Israeli Jewish, Mizrahi, and other West Asian influences. They are considered the pioneer ...

Angela Gossow Angela Nathalie Gossow (born 5 November 1974) is a German vocalist, best known as the former lead singer for the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. Her other previous bands include Asmodina and Mistress. Early life Angela Gossow was ...

Arch Enemy Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, The Agonist, Nevermore, and Eucharis ...

and Yotam Avni of Prey for Nothing. Although the album's sound mostly considered

, it also contains a mixture of symphonic metal, world music and Middle Eastern touches. The band's drummer and main songwriter Erez Yohanan has produced the album, and is also providing vocals as the narrator of the story. The album was mixed and mastered by Markus Teske.

Track listing

Personnel

* Mats Leven - lead & backing vocals * Hanan Avramovich - guitars * Yuval Kramer - guitars, bass * Erez Yohanan - drums, percussion, narrating vocals *

- oriental vocals *

- growled vocals on "Midian" * Yotam Avni - growled vocals on "Midian" * Maya Avraham - female vocals on "Zipporah" * Amir Gvirtzman - flute * Yair Yona - bass on "Zipporah" and "Burning Bush" * Yatziv Caspi - tablas on "Slaves for Life" and "Midian"

References

{{Authority control 2008 debut albums Amaseffer albums Inside Out Music albums