In just four albums, Myrath has built a unique musical universe and album releases are eagerly awaited. Fifth effort of the Franco-Tunisian, "Shehili" does not deviate from the rule and the few excerpts revealed on the video platforms have made our mouth water.
No less than three producers are in charge this year with Kevin Codfert (Adagio's pianist), Jens Borgen (no longer presented) and Eike Freese (Deep Purple) who handled the percussion. His work is immediately noticeable because the drums are so powerful and the traditional percussion is both clear and subtle.
This mix of metal elements and oriental harmonies, a trademark of the group since its beginnings, is now taking on a new dimension with two tracks sung partly in Arabic, 'Lili Twil' and'Mersal'. The first is a traditional Moroccan song by the Mégri Brothers (1971) while the second sees Lofti Bouchnak sharing the song with Zaher Zorgati. A word also on "Asl", a magnificent poem dedicated to the wind Shehili from which the album takes its name.
The other tracks are much heavier and have one remarkable common feature : they are all potential hits. Myrath's ability to produce unstoppable melodies is at its peak today. If the videos "Dance" and "No Holding Back" have already revealed a glimpse of this propensity to distil bursting hits, the others are not to be outdone and all offer immediate melodies supported by these enveloping keyboards that bring this so characteristic oriental touch. These are no less than eight tracks directly from this "science" of writing whose melodies will settle in your brains even long hours after listening.
Technically, the album reaches a level that the Franco-Tunisians had never reached before with an impressive Morgan Berthet behind its barrels, and a Malek Ben Arbia whose twirling and skillfully measured solos blend perfectly into the heart of each of the twelve tracks of this intoxicating "Shehili". Add to that a singer at his top level, arrangements of great finesse, a Moroccan National Orchestra with perfect violins and an impressive production and you get what everyone expected from a Myrath album.
Even if it still contains the sound codes of progressive metal, "Shehili" is much more characterized by an extraordinary melodic power combined with traditional oriental elements that are always better integrated. This clever mix makes the singer Zaher Zorgati say that Myrath's style has evolved into a "Blazing Desert Metal", a name that we can only approve of in the hope that they will be joined by many followers. Even if it is openly more accessible, aimed at a wider audience, "Shehili" is more than the album of maturity for Myrath, it is one of the most beautiful productions of melodic metal in recent years.