Myrath (Arabic: ميراث mīrāth, "Legacy") is a Tunisian progressive metal band formed in 2001 by guitarist Malek Ben Arbia and currently based in France.[1] The band has been noted for its mix of Arabic and Middle Eastern instrumentation with power metal and progressive rock[2] and is considered an important band in oriental metal.[3] They call their own sound "blazing desert metal".[4][5] They are the first band from Tunisia to be signed to a record label outside the country.[6]
Myrath | |
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![]() Myrath performing in Madrid, Spain (L-R: Malek Ben Arbia, Morgan Berthet, Zaher Zorgati, Anis Jouini, Elyes Bouchoucha) | |
Background information | |
Also known as | X-Tazy (2001–2005) |
Origin | Tunisia |
Genres |
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Years active | 2001–present |
Labels | EarMusic, VeryCords, Nightmare Records, King Records, Groove Master |
Members | Malek Ben Arbia Morgan Berthet Anis Jouini Zaher Zorgati |
Past members | Walid Issaoui Fahmi Chakroun Saif Louhibi Zaher Hamoudia Tarek Idouani Piwee Desfray Elyes Bouchoucha |
Website | www.myrath.com |
Guitarist Malek Ben Arbia, then age 13, formed the band, first named X-Tazy, in 2001 with some childhood friends.[7] The band played covers of blues, heavy metal, and death metal songs. Amongst numerous lineup changes, keyboardist/singer Elyes Bouchoucha joined in 2003 and became a permanent member. They eventually moved toward a progressive metal and oriental metal sound. In 2005 they released the EP Double Face via USB flash drives in Tunisia.[7] The album gained some notice in Europe, leading to a contract with France's Bremmis Music. Now known as Myrath, the band became the first Tunisian act to sign with a European label.[7] During this period they met French musician Kevin Codfert,[8] who has been their producer ever since.
Their first album under the name Myrath, produced by Codfert, was Hope in 2007.[8] At this time the band included Arbia and Bouchoucha with bassist Anis Jouini, who became a permanent member, plus drummer Saif Louhibi.[7] Shortly after the release of Hope, singer Zaher Zorgati joined the band and took over lead vocals from Bouchoucha. Zorgati's ability to combine Islamic chants with heavy metal wailing became a key component of Myrath's sound,[7] while the band's lyrics began to focus on Tunisian folklore.[9]
The album Desert Call was released in 2010; this album's sound was compared favorably to that of Orphaned Land.[10] Tales of the Sands followed in 2011.[11] Drummer Morgan Berthet joined the band in 2012, forming a stable lineup for the next several years.[7] They began to play European summer festivals regularly, and their first American appearance was at the ProgPower USA festival in 2013.[12]
Myrath opened for Symphony X during a high-profile tour of England in 2016.[13] The album Legacy, featuring lyrics contributed by Tunisian poets, was released later in 2016.[14] Also that year, Zorgati made a guest appearance on the album The Source by Ayreon.[15] Myrath then toured around the world consistently for more than two years and appeared at several international music festivals.[16] During this period they signed an international deal with EarMusic.[17]
In 2017, Myrath performed in their native Tunisia for the first time in three years with a concert at the historic Theatre of Carthage.[18] This performance was recorded for the live album Live in Carthage, released in 2019. Their fifth studio album Shehili was also released in 2019.[19] They appeared at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2019 as a last-minute replacement for Behemoth; and have been invited to return for future versions of the festival.[20] They also toured with the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica in 2019.[21] In 2021, Zorgati provided guest vocals on the track "Code of Life" on the Epica album Omega.[22]
In July 2022 the band announced via their social media that it separated from Elyes Bouchoucha back in 2020.[23]
Album | Release date | Length | Labels | Personnel |
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Hope | 9 September 2007[24] | 51:50 |
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Desert Call | 25 January 2010[25] | 65:05 |
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Tales of the Sands | 27 September 2011[26] | 45:09 |
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Legacy | 19 February 2016[27] | 60:10 |
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Shehili | 5 March 2019 | 47:26 |
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National libraries | |
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