Myrath
Shehili

Myrath, one of the bands I've listened to the most over the past year. I'm not sure why they have captivated me so much; perhaps it's their sound that can infuse a warm and positive energy more than many other bands. As a music aesthete who falls in love with details, it's clear the mix they offer makes a difference; the Tunisian band has indeed managed to establish itself among progressive metal audiences for their unusual mix that combines prog-metal and power metal sounds derived from Symphony X with the distinct sounds of their homeland, North African, and Middle Eastern folk, sounds that one would never imagine united together. Their music is certainly not something you hear every day; on the other hand, Arab sounds are rather difficult to make appealing to Western audiences, and credit must be given to them for making it appreciated elsewhere, albeit in a more metallic guise.

Last year saw the release of their fifth album, “Shehili,” but before delving into that, it's worth recounting a brief history of Myrath's still young career. The Tunisians debuted in 2007 with “Hope,” an album not yet very original, recorded without a proper vocalist, where the keyboardist Elyes Bouchoucha sang, an incredible prog-power metal album, written and arranged in the best possible way with a perfect balance between elements, but still somewhat a sterile copy of Symphony X, with guitars and vocals blatantly imitating the styles of Romeo and Allen, with few and imperceptible Arabic influences. If someone described it as <<the best Symphony X album post “The Odyssey”>>, there would be nothing to argue. In 2010 “Desert Call” was released, finally with vocalist Zaher Zorgati, probably the perfect album where Symphony X style prog-power metal and the now evident Arabic sonorities intersect perfectly. Immediately in 2011 comes “Tales of the Sands,” decidedly more immediate, less progressive and perhaps also a bit less power, with traditional string arrangements becoming increasingly prominent, but the mix is still lively and original, an Arabic metal once again not capable of leaving anyone indifferent. Then a longer break, a change of drummer, and in 2016 comes “Legacy,” where this time the attempt to lighten is clear, increasingly Arabic and orchestral but decidedly less metal, with guitars almost serving as a backdrop, a very brilliant album in melodies but lacking that particular mix that had been created.

And then “Shehili.” Those expecting a return to a certain power will be certainly disappointed; the recovery of a certain hard sound is only partial, mostly concentrated in the first half and not at the levels of the past, the style of most of the tracks remains very soft, in line with the previous “Legacy,” as if the band wished to ease into it profiting from its far too easy appeal. Truth be told, the album starts with some more or less heavy episodes, “Born to Survive” and “You've Lost Yourself” have a nice punch, at least approaching the sound of “Tales of the Sands,” the first experimenting with almost tribal sounds that nonetheless show a band willing to find new solutions, as if from the sands the band moves into the jungle still keeping its heart in the desert; an interesting mix of metal and tribal percussion is also found in the energetic and catchy “Wicked Dice” and in “Monster in My Closet,” albeit not with the same power, the latter is more cutting, the former is particularly light. Moderated aggression also in “Darkness Arise,” which mixes metal and Mediterranean folk arpeggios, enriched by an unusual organ solo.

So, we have a good handful of slightly heavy tracks but for the rest, the album follows the line of “Legacy,” emphasizing typical North African atmospheres and orchestral arrangements with a characteristic sound, relegating the distorted guitars to a finishing role, much to the chagrin of metalheads and anyone who fell in love with that particular mix. Already when the fourth track “Dance” starts, one can tell the direction the band wants to take, the sounds are those of belly dancing, not surprisingly Myrath use dancers on stage to accompany the songs during live performances, those few sharp riffs should not be misleading, they only serve to give a greater sonic impact, certainly not to create a mix as one would like to make believe, it is simply a more strengthened copy of “Believer.” However, the most deceptive track is undeniably the concluding title track, which misleads the more metal listener with some heavy riff at the beginning but leaves a bitter taste in the mouth when realizing that dominating are the more traditional and never so deep and sanguine folk arrangements, at most it slightly appeases those who prefer darker sounds with some gothic choruses that appear later but without ever fully satisfying them. The remaining tracks confirm an already quite clear orientation. “No Holding Back” is an energetic track with a vibrant melody, it's practically a kind of very orchestral Arabic AOR, essentially more than any other track resumes the formula of the previous album. In “Mersal,” the singing is the most characteristic and Arabic they've ever proposed, a vibrant and sharp voice accompanied by robust synth effects and once again alternated with lush orchestral arrangements. “Stardust” is the track that breaks the tempo and is based on a lively yet nocturnal and reflective piano. To further emphasize the increasingly traditional nature of the album, there's a cover of “Lili Twil” by the 1970s Moroccan group Les Frères Mégri, a piece that Myrath just makes a bit edgier and ultimately fails to redesign as they want.

Now, let's get to the various observations that can be made. The album is certainly dignified and has its good dose of positive energy, a charge that the group continues to convey very well. This might suffice for those without particular expectations, but there's something Myrath can be reproached for, and that is having lightened their sound too radically and too soon, the band partially destroyed the perfect mix they had created to immediately propose something very light and accessible from the very next day. When re-listening to “Desert Call” and considering what they turned into shortly after, you bite your fingers and think <<damn, how is it possible that this perfect alchemy lasted so briefly, why wasn't this successful formula carried forward for much longer (with appropriate variations)?>>... There was still “Tales of the Sands” which enjoyed a nice mix and was all in all the right album, with perfect alchemy, but indeed even there, perhaps due to the less progressive approach and less pronounced power, one could foresee the future. In these last two albums, instead, they've reduced the metal component to the bone, eliminating precisely that mix that made them interesting; the latest Myrath seems really like a sort of neo-melodic Arab music with just some distorted guitars in the background to give some energy, not really the oriental metal they would like us to believe, they are convinced, but we listeners, even those not too attentive, have unmasked them immediately. Beautiful music nonetheless but still belly dancing music, bonfire on the beach music, even kebab shop music; I am convinced that if we played most of the tracks from “Legacy” or “Shehili” at full volume in a kebab shop, the average customer would say it's simply “music from their countries,” they wouldn't even realize it's a metal band playing, same if those tracks were used in a year-end belly dance performance; someone on Truemetal once wrote that they wouldn't be surprised if suddenly one day Shakira appeared with one of her pelvic dances, while someone defined the band as the light side of oriental metal and stated that Orphaned Land are from another planet (I still have to discover and delve into this band). But the band does not seem to be convinced of this at all; rather, they are truly convinced that they have achieved the perfect mix of metal and North African folk, greeting the audience in Instagram videos saying “stay metal” even though today they have very little metal, and this is concerning, because if this is their concept of metal, then I'm afraid we should forever make peace with the fact that we will never have an album like “Desert Call” again (there might be some hope at least for an album like “Tales of the Sands”).

Personally, I believe that when you have embarked on an interesting journey, you must carry it forward, and “Desert Call” was a path to be carried forward for a good handful of albums; the formula of these last two works appeals to me, I also like hearing bands in a lighter version, but I think it should have been done perhaps later and in any case, I would have preferred a different and more original turn, for example towards progressive rock, perhaps a mix of classic prog and Arabic sounds, or even an Arabic hard rock, it would have been a certainly more sensible, interesting, and credible turn. In any case, I would like them to return to something heavier with the next album.