Myrath
Karma

Perhaps it was the album I was most looking forward to. Whether because I often listened to Myrath during a period of my life, because of their unique mix, or because I was curious to know how their artistic journey would continue after the excessive and premature lightening in their last two albums. In my review of "Shehili," I indeed reproached the Tunisian band for having destroyed that beautiful Arabic metal they had created too soon, especially by reducing the metal component to the bare bones in favor of an increasingly ethnic sound.

What happens in "Karma"? Well, in my opinion, there is a partial recovery of the metal component, although many would argue otherwise. When I listen to the album, I recognize that a solid metal foundation permeates the tracks; the typical "riffing" of the genre, with its hammering blows to the strings, is definitely present; in the first part of the album, it admittedly takes on an almost hard rock or hard'n'heavy connotation, biting a bit more in the second half. The only track where this foundation seems absent is "Words Are Failing," which would have fit well in both "Legacy" and "Shehili," as it seems to be a remnant from those albums. And so, the beautiful mix with which the band stood out appears to have partially returned, with the sensation of once again facing a successful oriental metal. However, it is absolutely necessary to warn those approaching the album not to expect something like "Desert Call" (that would be asking too much) and probably not even like "Tales of the Sands," as they risk being somewhat disappointed. Let's be honest and objective; they are not yet the true Myrath, the authentic ones, at least 50% (we can make it 55-60 if we round up); the approach is still relatively light, that metal I speak of is still quite rarefied, timid, awkward, not yet able to satisfy the long wild headbanging tresses, it peeks out onto the sonic balcony but doesn't really want to become the protagonist as it once was, its presence is definitely felt but does not shift the balance.

Because melody still reigns supreme, the first thing to notice is always the melodic openings, which appear even more enhanced than ever, particularly the symphonic parts have been significantly invigorated, with bursts of strings and brass never heard before; and all of this predominates over the guitars. It was thought that the departure of the historic keyboardist Elyes Bouchoucha and the final integration of the long-time collaborator Kevin Codfert would lead to a drop in melodic inspiration, but instead, we find an album that almost seems overproduced.

Some have highlighted the thinning of the Arabic imprint, speaking of an overall Westernized music; well, this statement is entirely debatable. The traditional scales, of string arrangements but also of guitars, are well present throughout the album; honestly, I find it hard to talk about a departure from their roots when I hear tracks like "Candles Cry," "Temple Walls," and especially "Child of Prophecy." However, it is also true that the desert-like percussive parts, for example, survive only in "The Wheel of Time," while Zaher Zorgati's singing almost no longer has that characteristic inflection. In general, the impression is that the sound's framework is much more international this time, supported by universal melodies within which Middle Eastern solutions are regularly inserted. In any case, there are tracks where the North African influence is greatly reduced, like "Into the Light" and "Let It Go" (which could recall some more recent and more symphonic productions by Royal Hunt), or even absent like "Heroes" (with its melodic power vaguely reminiscent of Evergrey); but it is not an absolute novelty, delving into Myrath's past production, one occasionally encounters tracks that are not very Arabic; consider "Ironic Destiny," "Shockwave," "Time to Grow," and let's also remember that the band's first historic album didn't yet sound like a Tunisian band's record.

The fundamental characteristic that emerges above all is another: the album, despite the recovery of a certain aggressiveness, is very catchy and easily accessible, and it is even more so than the less metallic two previous albums, which is quite paradoxical. The general attitude is even that of a pop band, and it's not such an exaggerated statement because if the pop prerogative is to create vibrant, impactful melodies while putting everything else in the background, what they have done here is exactly that, albeit maintaining a high quality of arrangements; to exaggerate, we might even say these tracks wouldn't be out of place in a Bollywood musical or a Disney movie; the already mentioned "Let It Go" could indeed immediately remind one of the song of the same name from "Frozen"; if we instead want to stay in a hard rock/metal context, we could associate this work with AOR, as the brilliant choruses typical of this subgenre abound.

However, there are signs of artistic maturity evident in a greater variety of solutions and also improvements in the technical aspect. The versatile style of bassist Anis Jouini emerges more than ever, handling the strings with no qualms, delivering lively and varied slaps and bold funk inflections; we knew he was a monster, after all, he constantly fills his Instagram profile with demonstration videos, but he hadn't exposed himself too much until now; now, instead, he brings out his virtuosity, perhaps positioning himself as one of the best bassists around. Showcase also for drummer Morgan Berthet, on his third work with the band, offering a performance full of surprises that reveal a previously quite hidden virtuosic side.

The result is, however, the consequence of a whole series of circumstances that have revolved around the band over the years. Myrath was fundamentally a niche band, but thanks to the extreme lightness of the last two albums, they were able to significantly expand their audience, reaching the stages of more or less established festivals; it was practically inevitable that they would produce something to keep them on this track. The band does not deny having taken a somewhat commercial turn, of being now a "mainstream" band (though not truly so). It's hard to think this surge hasn't influenced the writing; once you're accustomed to having significant success, there's inevitably a voice in your head suggesting you maintain it. Probably, the band members asked themselves questions: they first might have said, "but haven't we veered a bit too far from metal roots?" striving to recover a slightly tighter overall sound, but then they might have asked themselves, "but if we become too metal again, won't we become a bit too demanding?" And this pushed them not to raise the bar too much, not to overemphasize the big guitar riffs; also, the idea of being too explicitly Arabic was starting to feel a little constrained, perhaps conveying an overly parochial air that didn't match well with an increasingly international project, leading to the choice of smoothing and diluting the more traditional melodies.

Mine are, as always, hypotheses, not very serious analyses of the unconscious of those who compose, but the result visible to us all is that of a band with the handbrake on; it doesn't seem like a spontaneous album in which the band puts all of itself, it seems like an album conditioned by circumstances, where Myrath retain their coordinates but do not wield them with maximum power as before, resembling a discount and economical version of themselves, very good but you realize it's not the original. The genuinely complete and convincing track is certainly "Child of Prophecy," the only one where Myrath truly aren't afraid to show who they are, aren't afraid to be metal or to be Arabic; it's a track that could have easily belonged on "Tales of the Sands," when you listen to it you bite your nails thinking about what else they could have achieved if they had wanted to.

So, is the album recommended or not? Of course, it is. Granted, it's not the first album I would recommend to someone wanting to get into Myrath; if you want to taste the true essence of Myrath or if you are picky, better stick to "Desert Call" and "Tales of the Sands," but if we put aside all mental gymnastics and all related observations, the album still sounds great, is moderately varied in solutions, has incredibly strong melodies and is well-constructed, has some nice technical elements, flows wonderfully, and despite everything, it has a great chance of ending up among the albums of the year.