Jim Matus would win one for this album! 

Fans of Paranoise, and those whose interest is piqued by the above descriptions, should buy Black Flies immediately. 

The essential elements of Paranoise are intact here: the fearless disregard for musical borders, the serpentine guitar solos, the general blend of virtuosity and edge. The mood leans more toward the contemplative rather than the confrontational, but the overall intensity is not diminished. 

In my opinion, this is a more holistic work than the previous Paranoise albums, much as I like them. The vocals are more tasteful, more seamlessly integrated...nothing threatens the flow. 

Highly recommended!
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Well, comparisons to both CDs from Paranoise that happily can be found here on CDbaby  are inevitable. (And therefore 4 stars might be enough.) The first results of that comparison are: more of the same (more or less), but(!)also more of the same quality! Perhaps a little more rock-song oriented. And the integrated world/folk-samples sound even more like really having been played by "brigades of folk/world(?!)-musicians" while recording the takes for 'Black Flies'. Perhaps not quite that adventurous anymore. But then everything sounds so routined (in the best sense; yet), ... masters at work, showing  how to play this(!) style ... Then, fretless-bass-ikon Percy Jones, yes it's really him ... as if he always had played in this context, fabulous (but not dominant!). Now, read Tamara's review below (better skip Joseph's) and listen to the samples. If you like them: exspect the complete takes on the CD to be better. But, music on Paranoise's "Ishq" is even a little better than that. So, take 'em both ...
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Mawwal:Black Flies
I have been following this band for 20 years.
Every new release is a great new experience.
This is by far their past.
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From tracks bordering on dark progressive rock, almost nodding to King Crimson to fully fleshed-out world pop in the vein of Peter Gabriel to guitar-rich Afropop-informed sonic worlds like that of Youssou N’Dour, to pieces crafted around pre-recorded vocals of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mawwal blends epic world rock from multiple traditions, honoring the both the separate and collective identities of them all. Taking songs and styles from Libya, Pakistan, Syria, Uzbekistan, West Africa, Yemen and Bulgaria, their sound is thick and abundant, often stormy and always impassioned and intense. Black Flies is truly a hearty feast for the ears, and instrumentally, about as generous as one can get. Including full chorus, tabla, guitars, bass, marimba, lauoto, ethnic percussion as well as drum set, bansuri flute, violin, and endless combinations and textures of all of these, Mawwal embodies the epitome of world fusion while still winning the hearts of any purist with their treatment of culture and tradition from East to West.
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