ROX

Today we'll be checking out a fairly new German prog band from Berlin called Mihrax on their second album, titled Rox. The band was founded in 2016 by keyboardist/guitarist/songwriter Tobias Graef, who refers to himself as 'a musical alien of my generation,' as he is into prog rock over the modern pop sounds preferred by the masses these days (I feel ya, Tobias!). In that year Tobias wrote the songs for what was to be the first Mihrax album, recorded with Tobias' father Thomas Graef on bass and drummer/vocalist Frank Zibner. The band's name comes from a fictional drug name used in the story that the album is based on. The self-titled album was released in 2019 and has a very high 4.5 out of 5 star rating on Prog Archives, albeit only based on 2 ratings (one 5 and one 4).

In the interim, Frank Zibner exited the band and three other musicians joined: Thorsten Schl'ter on guitar, Andreas Wittwer on drums and vocalist Boris Elfert. This quintet recorded the album we are checking out today, just released on March 7, 2025. This review was requested by the band's promotion team at BadDog productions via Anne-Claire. I received no compensation for this review, and as always, 'I call it like I hear it.' As usual, this is a cold listen and my first impressions.

Track 1 - Black Star

We begin with an 11 minute + epic. Which shares a name with an early Yngwie Malmsteen track. A mid-tempo 4-4 drum beat starts us off and then a very 80s analog synth joins in. The bass provides a riff as well. The opening lyrics are spoken with an echo as the beat pauses, and is backed with guitar harmonics. The beat then resumes and a guitar riff leads to the first proper verse. Boris is singing in a narrative about a character known as Black Star, who is a rock star. I believe this may be a bit of a rock opera happening. The chorus is very catchy and the keyboard flourishes are well done. At around 3 minutes in, the guitar riffs take back over before the vocals resume. Boris sings with a slightly raspy baritone that fits the music well. At around 4:30 we begin a different section in an odd meter. I thought it was going to be an instrumental break, but we'll call it a bridge, as the vocals resumed. The guitar interludes in the song are quite nice. After 6 minutes, I do believe this is an instrumental feature. Nice keyboard riffs at 7 minutes. Then the beat pauses and the guitar plays unaccompanied. The vocals resume at around 8 minutes. The bass and drums in the rhythm section have been spot-on! Very cool odd-meter guitar break around 9:30. I like the drum pattern around 10:50. Excellent opening track!

Track 2 - Intoxication

A slightly shorter track (but hardly short) at 7 minutes. This begins with a hard-edged guitar riff with the rhythm section and keys supporting. The next section is very dramatic. Then the keys come front-and center briefly at a slower tempo, before the verse begins, back at the original tempo. There is a call and response style here between solo and harmonies. On the second verse, the groove stops on the response part of each phrase couplet. Just prior to the 3 minute mark, the bass takes center stage with a sinister riff. The keys then lead us into a new section with distant spoken dialog. The tone is very mysterious, and the ride cymbal keeps subtle time. The sounds include what sounds like announcements in a train station or some such thing. Then at around 4 minutes in the band kicks back into full gear for an instrumental break. The mysterious section returns at 5 minutes, before a chunky guitar part takes over. A guitar solo joins in and the way it builds is very engaging. The chorus returns following the solo, with some nice clean drum fills. I believe I hear mellotron as the song nears completion. Excellent track! I really enjoyed that!

Track 3 - What You Gonna Do?

Another longer track at 9:47. This begins with a foreboding synth drone. An odd meter drumbeat leads the bass and keys in, followed by the guitar at around 1 minute in. The vocals join in and the music gets a bit jazzy sounding, harmonically. The chorus is in a sinister rock style. Excellent wordless harmonies at around 2:30. A cool sudden guitar fill at 3:00 leads in the next verse. The next section has a heavy (but not-too-heavy) guitar riff, and it leads us to the well-played guitar solo. Andreas plays a sort of tribal beat in the next segment while the other instruments resume the riff from before the solo. The vocal harmonies then return, before the beat pauses and the keyboards lead in the next verse. Boris' voice is less raspy and cleaner on this one. I like the triplet rhythm at the end of the next harmony vocal section on the lyrics 'I'm your lover, your butterfly.' Cool keyboard tones blend with guitars next. Then we have another heavy guitar riff section with the rhythm section slamming the beat; kinda funky. The earlier riffs return, before a different section enters. The segments change faster than I can type them out, but trust me it all works. I like the Brian-May-style guitar layering from Thorsten as the song comes to a close. That was a very eventful ride!

Track 4 - Unknown Yet

This is the shortest track at 4:30. This begins with clean electric guitar, soon joined by the rhythm section and a shimmering acoustic. The vocals come in next. Nice harmonies, very clean and ringing in-tune. This is a bit of an introspective ballad. Slightly prior to 3 minutes a dreamy keyboard part, then (what sounds like) fretless bass take us to the guitar solo with a lot of 'right hand tapping'. Another chorus follows with a bit of lightly-distorted electric rhythm guitar. This track is a well-executed change of pace for the album.

Track 5 - Stench

One of the relatively shorter tracks at 5:24. This one starts off rockin'! Boris' raspy quality returns on this one. I like the keyboard part that comes in during the verse. There is a brief solo piano part before the chorus begins. Another verse and chorus cycles through, then we have an instrumental break led by organ and joined by guitar that leads to a short guitar solo. Another chorus follows. Unaccompanied piano happens around 3:45, then at 4 minutes a flute-like sound takes over on the keys. A nice bass line makes a counter-melody then some glorious mellotron enters. The rock returns with about 30 seconds to go. It's a good track, but I would have liked them to have extended the instrumental section some more. Again, it's a solid track, but maybe not quite as good as the rest so far.

Track 6 - Hang It Up!

A bit longer at 6:45. Whoo! A prog-tastic riff right from the get-go! I love it. Great odd-meter rhythm. At 15 seconds the keys take over unaccompanied, then the riff returns. This reminds me of the intro to 'Changes' by Yes on 90125. By around 50 seconds they begin a new tune. Then the music briefly calms down before the prog riff resumes. By 1:55, I believe we are building towards a new part. Yeah, around 2:25, the odd meters continue, but it's different. Not 100% sure, but this seems to be shaping up into a full instrumental, and a good one at that! Cool pulsing synth takes over at around 4 minutes and Thorsten plays melodic guitar over the top. The beat resumes around 4:40 and he takes a guitar solo, followed by a keyboard solo. The band-members are navigating time changes with ease as any good prog band should. They saved the best riff for last it seems at around 6:15. What a great prog instrumental! (My suspicions were confirmed.) Nothing against Boris' vocals as they have been great, but this one got my prog-fan blood pumping, and, and may be my favorite on the album so far. But, there are two tracks to go!

Track 7 - Stuck in a Maze

This is the second longest track at 10:20. It begins with a big rock riff from the full band. It's just a bit sinister. Boris begins singing with only keys and bass accompanying. At around 1:44, heavy guitar begins accenting then the band kicks back in at around 2 minutes. A chorus follows. I love the riff at 2:45. Another quiet verse follows. It builds in a similar manner to the first one. Boris is using the raspy tone again. Super cool riffs at 5:10. There is a mellow section at around 5:45. There are dissonant chords on the keys, jazzy guitar leads and a spoken part with effects on it. By 6:15 the full band resumes. Initially there is a short guitar solo, then the keys take over. There are some very unique keyboard tones here. The guitar returns next. A unison guitar and keyboard riff follows. The vocals return by 7:40. An ascending pattern takes over at around 8:30, then another chorus happens. Thorsten takes another solo as the song nears conclusion, followed by another keyboard solo. I love the big complex ending! Great prog!

Track 8 - If the Music Dies

The final track is relatively short at 5:30. This starts right out with vocals accompanied with clean guitar in an odd meter. Harmonies join in, giving me Gentle Giant vibes. Mellotron joins the soundscape at 1:00. Another verse resumes. I believe we are in 5 here. At around 2:40, the keys play a tune that I would call 'The Snake Charmer Tune' but made to fit in 5-4 time. The vocal arrangement gets even better at around 3:20, sounding like a men's choir. The bass & drums are taking a break on this song, but they aren't needed here. This is a truly unique and very engaging track! Well-done!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

I had no idea what to expect when I began this review. But I am very impressed by Mihrax! I can't compare it to their first album, as I haven't heard it; but only the father and son team remain from that effort, making this is nearly a new band. Tobias is a talented young musician and writer, and it seems that he is surrounded by more seasoned musicians in the band. The playing is solid all around! Thomas and Andreas make a tight rhythm section, while Tobias and Thorston are terrific soloists. Boris is a strong and engaging lead vocalist. I loved all of the tracks with the exception of 'Stench,' but I still liked it, just not quite as much. For me, the star track of the album was 'Hang it Up!' as it was a phenomenal instrumental. Also, 'If the Music Dies,' was a very unique track that really got my attention. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the cover artwork is fantastic! I hope that Mihrax keeps putting out music of this quality and builds a strong following. A solid 4.25 out of 5 stars! Definitely worth checking out! Fans of Neo-prog with a little bit of heavy rock guitar such as IQ and Marillion, as well as Spock's Beard will likely enjoy this.

Clicked 4 , but really slightly better than that at 4.25

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