KARMA

I am so grateful for Kev Rowland's post of his review of this album as I've always had an overwhelming respect and appreciation for Myrath as one of my "gateway" progressive metal bands and Karma was an album from last year that I had been aware of but had completely forgotten to review. The band is still blessed with a core of founding members in stellar bassist Anis Jouini and guitar shredder Malek Ben Arbia, but more, it has the employ of an incredible drummer in the form of Frenchman Morgan Berthet (Shob, Klone, Kadinja)--a man who Malek Ben Arbia had known since his days at the MAI (Music Academy International in Nancy, France) but who didn't join the band until the period leading up to the recording of their wonderful 2016 release, Legacy. But, more, the band retains the amazing services of front man and lead vocalist Zaher Zorgati, who's been with them since joining them for the recording of their second album, 2010's Desert Call. Like Israeli artists ORPHANED LAND and YOSSI SASI, something in the incorporation of melodies and instruments (as well as lyrical themes) from their native Tunisian culture has always given me an affinity for their high energy, hard rockin' metal music. Zaher's vocals are always flawless--delivered with the apparent confidence and ease to make him seem as if as if he were metal's Steve Perry, and Morgan's drumming is nothing short of spell-binding. Though Malek's guitar sounds and chord play some times feel dated or an impediment to the band's supersonic success, his solos are always top notch, powerful, exciting, and highly creative. And Anis' is like a bass juggernaut, thundering the bottom end of the sound palette beneath Morgan's drums, beneath the desert elephants' thunderous feet.

1. "To the Stars" (3:58) opening with something that sounds a bit different--like American hard rock--the music does eventually morph into heavier though the constant presence of sustained keyboard strings chords in the background does tame it down a bit. Thankfully there are amny instances of individual contributions to amp this song up, like drummer Morgan Berthet's off-beat play in those between-verses bridges, some of Malek Ben Arbia's lead guitar flourishes, and singer Zaher Zorgati's vocal nuances. Still, this is quite a surprisingly "smooth" metal song--perhaps a little too dominated by Kévin Codfert's keyboard play. (8.875/10)

2. "Into the Light" (4:55) a standard power metal song and sound palette has the band chugging along with Kévin's very active keyboard play of Arabian chords and riffs constantly infusing the music with those delightful Tunisian melodies. Zaher's vocal performance is quite impassioned, though more in the verses than the choruses, but, heck! The guy is so rock solid--so amazingly consistent and dialed in. And then a keyboard (electronic piano) solo! Though I love Kévin's masterful keyboard orchestrations, wouldn't Myrath's music be amazing with true strings playing Kévin's parts?! (8.875/10)

3. "Candles Cry" (4:07) a perfect prog metal song; a template. (10/10)

4. "Let It Go" (4:25) the metal version of Frozen's big hit. (j/k) Incredible work between Kévin Codfert's keyboards and Morgan Berthet's drumming. (9/10)

5. "Words Are Failing" (4:45) I don't know why keyboardist Kévin Codfert is not included in the "fold" of full band members in the album's credits (as he has been on previous albums) cuz his contributions are not only key to the expansion of this band's fullest sound but often essential for the band to be able to achieve it's own unique sound and identity. I hear so much of Jem Godfrey's FROST* in this power and sound palette of this song. Incredible shift into deep djent at 3:13. A top three song for me. (9.5/10) 6. "The Wheel of Time" (4:19) I like the band exploring new styles and sound palettes as they do here. Great drumming, bass playing, Ozzie-like vocals, and keyboard accents. (8.875/10)

7. "Temple Walls" (3:32) one of the album's weaker tunes despite its base in Kévin Codfert's keyboard's Arabian melody lines. The chorus is a step up musically but the lyrics and power are just lacking something (despite another steallar performance from Zaher). I guess to put it best, I'd say this song suffers from feeling "old"--as if it was resuscitated from some 1980s demo. There is a little nice lead guitar fills and chugging djenting in the second half. (9/10)

8. Child of Prophecy" (4:27) opens with a slow, ballad-like intro before the band jumps into some great metal (guitars) and Arabian (keys) riffing over which Zaher gives another flawlessly powerful performance. I love the staccato djentinesss coming from Malek and Anis. The use of a traditional Tunisian acoustic guitar (possibly and oud) is wonderful! (9.25/10)

9. The Empire" (4:29) great opening guitar and "choir" vocalese to suck the listener in as the band creates a kind of NIGHTWISH sound, but then things thin out leaving Anis' awesome chunky bass, some of Morgan's more sedate metal drumming (so perfect, though!) and Malek's awesome soft-chugging guitar play for Zaher to sing over. Kévin's contributions are a little more background and support on this one, though those background vocal effects are an incredibly asset to the overall feel and effectiveness of the song. Heart-wrenching melodies swooning in the choruses. Great 'tron-supported lead guitar solo in the second half of the fourth minute. Another winner--big time! (9.33333/10)

10. Heroes" (4:12) I don't know, this one feels a bit like ktichen sink filler that was thrown together quickly as an extra chunk to bring the album up over 45 minutes. It's just a little too formulaic, stereotypic, and straightforward rock compared to the rest of the band's compositions. Still, there are highlights: especially in the guitar and drum interplay in the instrumental passage in the third and fourth minutes. (8.666667/10)

11. Carry On" (4:28) here is an opening that feels like a pop vocal performance and melody reigned in to feed and create a metal song. There is more than a little EINAR SOLBERG (LEPROUS) in this vocal performance. Only at the end of the second minute does music ever rise to that same Leprous level, but then it slides back into the more mundane for the next chorus despite Kévin's (or because of his) dextrous keyboard contributions. (8.875/10)

Total Time 47:37

This album is a little more dynamically diverse than the Legacy that I last reviewed--not always so frenetic and --there's some space and pacing that make me think of mature metal bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and modern day Metallica--and yet those Arabian "orchestral" strains provided by keyboard genius Kévin Codfert continue to mesmerize me like a snake rising out of a wicker basket.

Like Legacy, there are no bad or poor parts of this album (though I understand and commiserate with Kev Rowland's lament of the album's "American perfectionist" sound and production), but there are definitely highlights--and none more than "Candles Cry" (which is matched with a powerful video on YouTube): I would call this song a quintessential prog metal masterpiece; it has everything that a perfect prog metal song should have: incredibly solid and expressive vocals (sung in perfectly enunciated English--for which I am always forever grateful) accompanied by some rock solid metal music coming from a top notch rhythm section, embellished with some excellently nuanced keyboard support, all working in perfect unison and spirit to deliver a very powerful anti-war message in as direct and concise a fashion as possible. Flawless!

People, I think Prog World and Metal World very lucky to have this band to reference. I feel even more fortunate to have this opportunity to shout from the rooftops my appreciation for the extraordinary talents and gifts of singer Zaher Zorgati and drummer Morgan Berthet as well as the wonderful music offered us by this very tight, very focus band.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of prog metal highly prized and recommended for its unique inflection of Arabian sounds and melodies.