Karma

Hailing originally from Tunisia, prog metal act Myrath have gradually grown in an international ensemble enlisting in their ranks French drummer Morgan Berthet since 2011, and keyboard player / orchestrator Kévin Codfert (from Adagio), first as guest musician and then, on this new album Karma, as full band member. This process of internationalization has coincided with a gradual shedding of the Middle Eastern folk influences that have been at the heart of Myrath’s sound since their inception. At the same time, new influences have found place in the band’s musical palette, ranging from melodic hard rock to modern progressive metal aesthetics.

The major strength of the new album Karma lies precisely in the careful balancing of these different sonic facets. What I find particularly remarkable is that, individually, each of these styles would normally feel tedious and overbearing to me. The slickness of modern metal, the intense yearning of melodic hard rock, the alluring ornateness of Middle Eastern scales – they all tend to become a bit too much for me when used monothematically in the context of the same album. On Karma, Myrath manage to escape this pitfall by conjuring up a masterful equilibrium between the core sources of their sound, both within and between songs. This helps enormously to keep things interesting, as listeners are kept on their toes, not quite sure how the song and album may develop. Take “Words Are Failing”, for example. The song begins with striking Middle Eastern strings arrangements, but then quickly transitions to a verse that is laden with modern, pop-infused vocal lines, before taking yet another turn into progressive territories with a short instrumental section that blends dissonant orchestration and technical guitar soloing. Although this is not one of my favourite songs from the album, it is hard not to marvel at the skillful songwriting and arrangements.

The richness of the arrangements is another major strength here. Myrath use a vast array of instruments throughout the album, often in the context of the same song. Traditional Middle Eastern strings are weaved in with brass (trumpet / sax / trombone) and “occidental strings” arrangements, creating a thick, but extremely varied, sonic landscape. The same variety exists in the rhythmic department, where the drums are often accompanied by subtle electronic programming, traditional folk music percussions (the North African instrument karkabou played by Kévin Codfert), as well as a prominent use of slapping by bassist Anis Jouini. On the other hand, the guitars are often relegated to chug somewhere in the background, as strings and brass frequently carry the songs’ main riffs. This is slightly underwhelming, as the lack of a strong guitar presence results in a lighter overall sound that somewhat reduces the songs’ impact– especially in the long stretch between “Candles Cry” and “Child of Prophecy”, which contain the mellower and more pop-tinged material of the album.

Zaher Zorgati’s vocals add another highlight to the album, blending emotive singing with a gravelly delivery that reminds me of a cross between Jorn Lande and Kamelot’s Tommy Karevik. The other band members’ performances are excellent too, with Kévin Codfert’s piano/keyboard playing coming across as particularly engaging.

Overall, I enjoyed listening to Karma much more than what I would have predicted based on the core ingredient of its sound. This is testament to Myrath’s ability in juggling their different influences without letting any overshadow the others or become overbearing. The richness of facets should ensure the album will appeal to fans of a broad range of metal subgenres, including hard rock (Jorn Lande, Masterplan), modern prog metal (Kamelot, Seventh Wonder, Pyramaze), symphonic metal (Adagio) and of course Middle-Eastern prog metal (Orphaned Land). On a less positive note, the reliance on familiar tropes may also be seen as the album’s main limitation, since it is dubious whether Karma will stand the test of time or leave a lasting impression on listeners well-versed with the genres mentioned earlier.