Video of Orphaned Land in Times Square Monday night courtesy lindersgirl, whomever she is.

The thing about Times Square is, it’s a total dichotomy of a mind fuck. It has absolutely nothing to do with what New York City is really like, but it’s one of the most recognizable and visited areas in NYC; great art is produced there every day, right across the street from cynical garbage cash-grabs; it has some really amazing restaurants, all right down the block from a Forest Gump themed eatery, Applebee’s, and the world’s most obnoxious McDonald’s.

Perhaps no venue better exemplifies this neighborhood’s tension between worthy endeavors and soul-sucking wastes of space than BB King’s. It’s named after one of history’s most revered guitar players, it’s clean, ticket prices tend to be reasonable (all things considered), and they host an abundance of metal shows, when they’re not busy with Beatles Brunch (yes that’s a real thing and yes a cover band in mop-top wigs is involved) or whatever. They also feature the city’s most dickish security staff (no moshing allowed), beer so expensive that even the bartenders will readily admit that the prices are stupid, and an incredible inability to produce decent sound for a place that is allegedly a music venue.

And somehow, it’s fitting that this is where I saw the Israelis in Orphaned Land and the Germans in Suidakra play Monday night.

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I have absolutely no idea how to describe Orphaned Land’s new album, The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR. I almost wanna call it Middle Eastern-flavored power metal, but I don’t want visions of Axxis floating in anyone’s head. The album is considerably more distinctive than that; it really is a unique listening experience. And I’m not sure that calling it “prog” really works, either, although the band wouldn’t feel out of place on a Dream Theater tour. So let’s just call it “good” and leave it at that.

The album comes out February 9 on Century (at least on these shores – Europe gets it next week!), and now the band has announced a too-brief North American tour – only four dates! – where they’ll be acting as direct support for Suidakra. Suidakra put on a really, really fun show… combine that with this rare chance to see Orphaned Land play my hometown and, well, I’m already there.

Get dates after the jump. And above, check out part one of Orphaned Land’s electronic press kit for The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR.

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We’re big fans of pagan metal here at the MS Mansion. BIG fans. Just last night Sammy O’Hagar waltzed in at about 5pm, still drunk and rowdy from the night before (!), dressed in a full get-up of warpaint and animal skins. Obviously there was no other choice at that point but to hand over control of the MS Mansion Mothership to the capable hands of the monkeys, so we put on Turisas’ The Varangian Way and started the party right back up again for the ol’ chap; the freight train kept rolling until at least 4am. Last thing I remember is Kip jumping on top of Axl’s desk and screaming something about “Battle!” and how we need to take vengeance against the other metal websites that constantly rip us off. As I type this, Sammy’s passed out in the bathtub clutching a bottle of Jim Beam while DBR and Satan Rosenbloom are snuggling in my bed; I had to sleep on the couch. Those fucking assholes.

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