Myrath

The band was first formed as a blues rock act called X-Tazy by 13 year-old guitarist Malek Ben Arbia in 2001.[6] Keyboardist/singer Elyes Bouchoucha joined in 2003; he and Arbia remain with the band to the present day. X-Tazy eventually added progressive elements to their songwriting, and released the album Double Face in Tunisia via USB flash drives in 2005.[6] 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.[6] During this period they met French musician Kevin Codfert,[7] who has been their producer ever since.

Their first album under the name Myrath, produced by Codfert, was Hope in 2007.[7] At this time the band included Arbia and Bouchoucha with bassist Anis Jouini, who became a permanent member, plus drummer Saif Louhibi.[6] 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,[6] while the band's lyrics began to focus on Tunisian folklore.[8]

The album Desert Call was released in 2010; this album's sound was compared favorably to that of Orphaned Land.[9] Tales of the Sands followed in 2011.[10] Drummer Morgan Berthet joined the band in 2012, and its lineup has remained consistent ever since.[6] They began to play European summer festivals regularly, and their first American appearance was at the ProgPower USA festival in 2013.[11]

Myrath opened for Symphony X during a high-profile tour of England in 2016.[12] The album Legacy, featuring lyrics contributed by Tunisian poets, was released later in 2016.[13] Myrath then toured around the world consistently for more than two years.[6] During this period they signed an international deal with EarMusic.[14]

In 2017, Myrath performed in their native Tunisia for the first time in three years with a concert at the historic Theatre of Carthage.[15] The show was filmed and released in 2020 as their first live album and DVD, Live in Carthage.[2] 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.[16]

In a 2019 interview, when asked if he believed Myrath was a political band, Zorgati replied:[4]

In our home country Tunisia, yes. We have our own ideology and we also express it. Before the revolution we had a metal scene in our country, which unfortunately is no longer the case. Now we have a radical Islamist party in our government that demonizes our music and portrays it as satanic. [...] In fact, increasing independence and freedom of speech was the only good thing the revolution brought with it. Because it also ensured the rise of the radical Islamist party, although a large part of the people in the country is actually against it.

• Myrath Website