History & Biography Arallu - derived from a demon in the Necronomicon - is the band of Butchered who interchanges members at will and plays most instruments in the band.
Butchered formed the band in 1997. The band's first album appearance was comprised of two songs on 1998's compilation Demons Of Jerusalem. Soon a demo called The War On The Wailing Wall followed. A year later the band released a demo called Satanic War in Jerusalem. This lead to a deal with The End Records which, ironically, released The War On The Wailing Wall album.
Soon the band issued the At War Against God mini-album. This was limited to 66 copies only and released by the domestic ACUM label!
The band next signed with Raven/System Shock and issued the Satanic War In Jerusalem album in 2002. The band added drummer Jonathan (a student of former skinsman Nir Nakav) and guitarist Alex Shuster (of Nail Within and formerly of Azazel) to its line-up in the winter of 2003. Arallu’s Desert Battles - Descending To The Sands was out in 2009 through Raven Music. The Israeli band’s album featured a video as a teaser for an upcoming DVD. A 2015 demo was called Geniewar. It was re-issued by a label. Omnius joined in 2019.
The band has always taken a purist approach to black metal calling the commercial so-called black metal bands "virtual warriors."
Butchered has also sessioned live with Melechesh - albeit for only two shows in 1997 and 1998. Arallu was disdained by the more famous act and often accused of being a rip-off.
Reviews ARALLU - THE WAR ON THE WAILING WALL/SATANIC WAR IN JERUSALEM - THE END/RAVEN
Arallu is an underground Israeli band which has released two albums, entitled The War On The Wailing Wall (1999) and Satanic War In Jerusalem (2002), on two labels but is now seeking a new label. As such, the band has taken it upon itself to send in both two albums on one CD for a review to Metallian Towers.
First things first, the band has the absolutely correct attitude towards black metal. It mocks the commercial "virtual warriors" dubbing many of them "vampire-chicks teaser." Take that Cradle Of hype! Less certain is the band's politics. With photographs and imagery depicting Jerusalem and environs, a bio which boasts the band's gun-carrying status and texts riddled with allusions to "terrorists," one has to wonder whether the band (actually one Butchered) has a Zionist bend. If so, they can take their CD from Metallian Towers and never come back. They could go to the White House instead, where resident terrorist George War Bush could serve them - having recognized his masters.
On the musical front the band has all the right ideas - well mostly! This is angry, ravaging and fuming metal played raw to the bone. The distortion gnaws at the brain and the vocalist shrieks to hell and back. The riffs are simplistic and designed with speed and brutality in mind. Once in a while the band falls into the same category as Bloodstorm, while at others the band goes the way of early Sodom and Venom. Good stuff, but the drum machine - used during the speedier parts - has to go. Arallu performs a cover of Slayer's Evil Has No Boundaries, wholly redundant of course, that is remarkable because of the high-pitched screams of singer Butchered. Tom Araya himself has not been able to manage these so well in years! The album(s) end with the song Kill The Traitor! which marks the band's sole usage of a riff reminiscent of Iron Maiden. That song is not representative of Arallu though. As mentioned this act is all about shedding blood and causing destruction. - Ali "The Metallian"
ARALLU - EN OLAM - SATANATH A band from the Middle East and featuring a member playing Saz and Darbuka (stringed and drum like instruments native to various countries of the region respectively). This counts as a foreboding. The opener does incorporate the instruments but only a bit and the music is otherwise speedy and aggressive metal. The second song is the title track and follows the same formula. However the band definitely does want to define themselves by their Middle Eastern sound. Devil's Child can be thought of as a not as heavy version of Melechesh offer. Every song slows down or incorporates something of their chosen style. Screaming, speedy parts like on Guard Of She'ol are good metal to bang the head and the band provide many minutes of it on En Olam too. Vortex Of Emotions is over six minutes long and is a slow then heavy pounding song. Achrit Ha'yamim is an intermission type and speaks of the end of days. Prophet's Path makes more liberal use of the aforementioned instruments but simultaneously keeps the guitars going. Unholy Stone is speedier. Trial By Slaves is the same and does enough to merit being the En Olam highlight with its death thrashy riffs even though it, obviously, takes a break in its middle. Spells ends En Olam with less than two minutes of more controlled tempo.
The band's address at the back of CD booklet reads as Arallu - Mesopotamian Empire 666. Arallu want to be known as a black metal band too. – Anna Tergel
Interviews
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