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Coming three weeks into a European headlining tour that sees the band navigating 12 countries in two months, Tunisian outfit Myrath are purring like a finely tuned Rolls-Royce engine as they cross the Channel for a run of five shows on UK soil. Shows that, judging by the reception from tonight’s audience, have been long overdue. Has it honestly been 10 years since Myrath were last in the UK, opening for Symphony X? Make that longggggg overdue. Having to cancel an appearance at Bloodstock Festival in 2016 because of delays in receiving international visa paperwork must have been a hefty kick in the nuts to take, but showing great resilience, the North African purveyors of “Blazing. Desert. Metal.” are finally back, and what a night it was.
Special guests on this lengthy tour, Hungarian EDM-tinged folk-metallers Roses of Thieves, help get the night off to a boisterous start with their accordion-filled good-time music that goes down a treat. Having performed previously with Alestorm, the likeable act are well-versed in how to warm up a crowd for the headliner, and even have the chops to throw in a cover of the 1987 cheese-tastic “Boys (Summertime Love)” from Italian songstress Sabrina; most in the crowd look like they are old enough to remember the original, or at least the video that accompanied it. Great fun; it’s a well-received set that sees a queue at the merch desk once the last notes fade away. Check out the new single “Now You’re On”, total banger.
Having just released arguably their strongest album to date, the stunning Wilderness of Mirrors, Myrath are in the form of their lives, some 25 years into their career. And as expected, the new album features heavily in the set, with “Echoes of the Fallen” the only omission from Wilderness of Mirrors.
From lashings of Survivor during the changeover to a song called “The Funeral”, talk about extremes. Sadly, there are lengthy sound issues during the first few songs that leave vocalist Zaher Zorgati frustrated, and the sound guy is running back and forth between the sound desk and the stage. Finally, it settles, and Zorgati shrugs his shoulders and offers a polite ‘Shit Happens’ by way of an apology. It’s live music, it’s not AI-created; shit happens.
During the aptly titled “Dance” (fantastic sweeping intro), the issues resurface, and the sound guy is off again. 10 minutes later, you will find both the sound guy and his colleague on lights, behind the desk, headbanging away to “The Clown” – one of the standout tracks on the new album. Gotta love it when the crew are getting into it.
Roses of Thieves vocalist Ivett Dudás joins the band to recreate the role of Elize Ryd on another new one: “Until the End”, and she does a stellar job in going toe-to-toe with Zorgati, who is in imperious form the entire evening. “Through the Seasons” is introduced by the vocalist as ‘one of my favourite songs…’ and with the sheer scale of it, it is easy to see why.
An older track, “Tales of the Sands”, highlights an often-held thought that Zorgati packs a bit of a Dio-sized punch with his vocal range, and there are moments during this one when it’s almost as if Zorgati is going to segue into something like “Egypt (The Chains Are On)” or even “The Last in Line”, but with North African flavours rather than the Middle Eastern-influenced Dio classics. A similar feel in the pacing. The balls-heavy drums from the masked and hooded Morgan Berthet on this one must have influenced that strapline of “Blazing. Desert. Metal.”
Guitarist and founding member Malek Ben Arbia is an unassuming figure; nothing flashy about him at all; instead, he elects to let his playing do the talking for him. No trademark rock guitarist 101 poses, just keeping it simple, with stunning effect. Along with uber-talented bassist Anis Jouini (his playing on “Merciless Times” is jaw-dropping at times), keys Kevin Codfert, and the aforementioned powerhouse drummer Morgan Berthet, it makes for quite an evening of exceptional playing. But unlike a lot of fellow players in the ‘progressive metal’ bracket, Myrath could never be accused of self-indulgence. The songs are key here, and Myrath have some incredible material: “Still the Dawn Will Come” followed by “Edge of the Night” makes for a special ten minutes, and slowing it down with a heartfelt rendition of “Soul of My Soul” Myrath highlight that they can play it low-key without losing any power. What about “Breathing Near the Roar” though? Described by Zaher as a ‘special song’, it is euphoric! It makes you walk out of the venue feeling 10 feet tall.
A special evening from a special band, in way too small a venue for a band of this calibre.
Catch Myrath on one of the remaining dates:
Oct 16 – Bordeaux, Le Rocher de Palmer, France
Oct 17 – Riom, La Puce à l’Orielle, France
Oct 18 – Toulouse, Metronum, France
Oct 20 – Pamplona (Villava), Totem, Spain
Oct 21 – Madrid, Revi Live, Spain
Oct 22 – Lisbon, Republica da Musica, Portugal
Oct 23 – Seville, Custom, Spain
Oct 24 – Valencia, Rock City, Spain
Oct 25 – Barcelona, Wolf, Spain
Oct 27 – Montpellier, Rockstore, France
Oct 28 – Villeurbanne (Lyon), La Rayonne, France
More information HERE.
