Many people may not be aware of the influence the Tunisian people have had on the world for millennia: from the country’s involvement in the Punic Wars and World War II to the Tunisian Revolution, this tiny North African country knows how to stand up and make their mark in the history books. Now, a band of five men is making history in their own way. Tunisia’s own progressive metal act, Myrath, is releasing “Live in Carthage” as a CD+DVD Digipak and Digital on April 17th, through earMUSIC.
The epic show, which was performed at the ancient Roman Theater of Carthage, features some of the band’s greatest hits from their nineteen-year career. For those who are unfamiliar with Myrath, they do an excellent job mixing progressive and power metal with traditional North African and Arabic rhythms. Holding true to their heritage, they also add the use of traditional instruments such as the bendir and darbouka.
The show starts with the haunting call of “Asl” and transitions into the thundering of “Born to Survive,” both of which are off of their 2019 release, “Shehili.” As the thousands of fans within the theater continue to connect with the energy of the band, they proceed to play “Storm of Lies” and “Dance.” As you can witness on the DVD, these opening songs, along with most others during the live show, also feature traditional belly dances of Georgian dancer, Elen Oriental.
Although the esthetic of the stage props, lights, and live dancing is spectacular, they are just the enhancement surrounding the legends themselves. Guitarist Malek Ben Arbia, the only original member of the band, drives every song with his monumental riffs and his incredible solos stand out on hits such as “Merciless Times,” “Nobody Lives,” and “Tales of the Sands.”
Added focal points include the talented slap bass technique of Anis Jouini and the anthemic keyboards and backing vocals of Elyes Bouchoucha. Adagio keyboardist Kevin Codfert makes an appearance accompanying Bouchoucha on keys during “Wide Shut.” French drummer Morgan Berthet sends a barrage of thunder from behind the kit and frontman Zaher Zorgati forces listeners to lust for more of his vocals song after song. His tone and range are incredible!
The production quality of this live recording stands out from most. The DVD/CD package of this magical concert is one metal fans should not pass up! As an added bonus, the CD of “Live in Carthage” features a special recording of “Believer” featuring Deep Purple’s Don Airey.
Myrath is the Arabic word for “legendary” and this epic recording from Carthage proves the band is living up to their name.
1 Trackback / Pingback
Comments are closed.