• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Who would have thought it: bloody good Progressive Metal coming from Tunisia?! I can safely say Myrath are the first band I've heard from that country and allegedly the first band from the country to be signed to a label – impressive. Myrath play the kind of prog/power I can really get down with, crossing influence mainly from acts like Symphony X and Dream Theater and drawing comparison to some of the new wave of progressive metal acts like Circus Maximus and Illusion Suite - in particular Circus Maximus, although a touch heavier, and not afraid to add some darker moments which would draw to mind recent Adagio.

The musicianship as you would expect with prog is sublime, fortunately they don't dabble in too much flashy showmanship. Whilst of course there are extended instrumental segments, it's more kick ass riffing and Arabian-styled music than over-indulgent solos and jagged structures. The vocals are top notch, handled by keyboardist Elyes Bouchoucha who takes a more aggressive tone much like that of Russell Allen's work in Symphony X – in fact sounding very much like him. However they do lack a little in the originality department and really they don't boast anything the aforementioned bands don't already boast. However as a big fan of the genre I feel it's a small price to pay when the music is this well handled and will guarantee them the spins alongside previously established bands of their ilk. All in all a real nice debut that both meet and exceed expectations of the average Progressive Metal fan. Recommended.