Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Myrath - Karma (2024)
As much as I enjoy how talented the members of Myrath are, one of them that I think stood out well amongst them is keyboardist Elyes Bouchoucha. His keys and strings help give the band's sound that magic Middle Eastern folk touch. He also sang in their debut Hope, having that Russell Allen-esque edge. Bummer that he left in 2020, though we didn't know until a couple years later because of the pandemic. Taking his place is longtime contributor and Adagio keyboardist Kevin Codfert!
This small change in lineup helped the band continue to step forward. That and the amount of time the band ended up having for this album compared to Shehili, also due to the pandemic, helped give the band a little more strength in writing. As a result, Karma is another amazing album, almost reaching the glory of Tales of the Sands.
Starting the album is "To the Stars" which has a kick-A groove boosted by the incredible drumming skills of Morgan Berthet, and of course the soaring vocals of Zaher Zorgati. Kevin Codfert's keys crank up the orchestral value, which explains the band sounding more symphonic and Western than ever, and he also does some wicked soloing. "Into the Light" is another excellent track to get you pumped up. This one's more melodic and mid-tempo with a catchy chorus. This shall get the live crowd moving. Their earlier Middle Eastern vibes are still present in "Candles Cry", specifically in the strings. The catchy chorus has different layers in the vocals and instrumentation and help make any listener anywhere welcome. The keys in "Let It Go" make that song a little too much like 80s rock, but that's OK. Still far better than that song from Frozen.
"Words are Failing" is another one of my favorite tracks in the album, getting you hooked in the strings and vocals. More of those keyboard string melodies shine before ending greatly with the powerful guitar soloing and final chorus. The anthemic "The Wheel of Time" has some funky bass. The chorus encourages you to be yourself, and the bridge explodes into some heavy power. The keys ended up drowning out most of the instrumentation in "Temple Walls", though that's really my only complaint for this entire album. "Child of Prophecy" starts off soft and chill in the keys and vocals, then guitarist Malek Ben Arbia unleashes some savage riffing, leading to another inspiring chorus.
"The Empire" adds in a bit of mid-paced power metal similarly to Almah and Serenity. And even more in "Heroes", the way German bands like Helloween and Masterplan would do it. Closing track "Carry On" has heavy darkness that was almost entirely absent in the album up to that point. Nonetheless, it has the theme of perseverance as the hero narrated by Zorgati declares that he will carry on, be the one, and find a way.
Myrath has made an album that comes to the perfection of Tales of the Sands, at probably the higher part of the 4.5-star tier. They continue to show how well different sounds from across the globe fit well together. United by metal!
Favorites: "To the Stars", "Into the Light", "Words are Failing", "The Wheel of Time", "Child of Prophecy", "Carry On"