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It's not fun anymore to say "holy fuck, look at this obscure prog/power band that came out of Tunisia from all places! They're awesome," because well, Myrath is now a well-known act and have a shiny new deal with earMUSIC, so everyone at least heard of them by now. For those who haven't, think of Orphaned Land-meets-Circus Maximus with a Northern African folk vibe, and you'll know exactly what to expect from the band and Shehili, their fifth full-length album.

This time around, though, the Ez-Zahra natives try to blend even more of their native colors, sounds and atmosphere into the prog-oriented power metal already characteristic to them—approach that was already very prominent on the good Legacy album (2016). Similarly, the band takes the poppy, cheesy vibe seen in their last entry to a whole new level, making me doubt more times than not while listening to this if my music player had changed from the good ol' metal to a Eurovision best-of Azerbaijan video. Nevertheless, the product here is an interesting one. These popish, TV show moments are—and forgive me Odin, Quorthon, Mark Shelton and all the metal gods—actually what makes this album so catchy and...oh god, fun (Chuck Schuldiner slaps me in the face for my heresy).

It seems to me that Myrath is at its strongest moment regarding songwriting and instrumentality. Shehili is smooth, well produced and well written, besides being a ton of fun to listen to. It's a step back when compared to Legacy, and definitely different than what pleases me as a prog/power act—which are their first three albums—but all in all, if you like your metal driven, majestic and catchy, this will definitely fits your taste, as Myrath does this better than most out there.