The album opens with the instrumental Asl, which helps set the North African feel of the album with the Arabic chanting and rhythmic percussion that is such a big part of that musical culture. It is a fairly understated intro compared to the sweeping orchestral pieces that often open melodic metal albums, but it works perfectly to establish the album's overall sound. It transitions perfectly into the strident mid-paced riff of Born to Survive too, which is the album's first true song. Rather than rushing out of the gate with a burst of speed and excess, Born to Survive establishes a strong groove from the off with guitarist Malek Ben Arbia and bassist Anis Jouini joining forces for a pulsing riff that drives the whole song, while Bouchoucha's keyboards add swirling atmospherics. Myrath are a true band unit, with everyone pulling their weight, but it is perhaps frontman Zaher Zorgati that stands out the most. His slightly-accented voice really helps drive the album's tone forward, and his soaring delivery here during the simple choruses provide the first earworm section on the album. After the groove and precision of the previous number, You've Lost Yourself opens with a heavier, faster riff that certainly shows the influence that bands like Symphony X have had on Myrath over the years. Ben Arbia is a great guitarist, and throughout this album he has conjured up a host of excellent riffs which recall the best acts of the progressive and power metal genres. He dominates this song too, with crunchy rhythms backing the verses and the occasional burst of uninhibited shredding. Many of the songs here rely on the atmospherics to set the tone, but this song is very much one of the heavier offerings here, and makes the best use of Ben Arbia's strengths. It helps that it comes with a very memorable chorus too, which sees the pace slowed somewhat to better focus on Zorgati's smooth vocal melodies. Dance was the album's lead single, and opens with some Arabic strings before a crunchy riff kicks in and the song takes off. The guitars take a bit more of a back seat here however, with Bouchoucha's keyboards dominating along with the strings from the intro. It is clear why the song was chosen as a single, as it is packed full of tight melodies that stick in the brain after only a single listen. The chorus is extremely catchy, and the melodic hook played by the keyboards and string section is one to rival the best examples of the genre. While the guitars are a little less prominent here, that does not stop Ben Arbia launching into a fast-paced solo part way through the piece. Most of his solos here are more deliberately phrased, but I like the pure burst of speed approach taken here. It is a moment of excess in a song that otherwise focuses on melody, and the contrast is a fun one.
Wicked Dice is more of a mid-paced piece, and the North African feeling is much less present here which gives the song more of a traditional Western progressive metal sound. The strings and percussion that dominate elsewhere are much less prevalent here, with Bouchoucha's keyboards using more traditional sounds, including that of a piano at times, to create something a little more gothic. This fits in with the much weightier guitar riffing that is employed here, and Ben Arbia really is the star of the show with some driving, technical rhythms and two excellent guitar solos. While this song sounds less like traditional Myrath, the foray into a more Western sound works well. I think it lacks a little of their unique identity, but as an attempt to sound a little like modern Dream Theater it succeeds. Monster in My Closet gets back to the band's core sound however with tribal percussion and cutting string melodies dominating from the off - but the way the song drops out during the verses also showcases another side of the band. The guitars are mostly absent from the verses, which allows the excellent bass playing of Jouini to shine. He is a great player but sadly, as is often the case with this type of music, his bass is often somewhat buried in the mix. The verses here show what a busy and complex player he is, and I am glad that he got a chance to show off a little here. He has forged a great relationship with drummer Morgan Berthet over the years, and the two team up to provide the perfect verse backing for Zorgati's smooth crooning. In fact, smooth is a good word to describe the song as a whole - as even when things ramp up somewhat during the choruses the song still has a soaring, relaxing quality. Lili Twil is a cover of a song by Moroccan singer Younes Migri, and is partially sung in Arabic. The band have used bits of Arabic in their songs previously, but from memory this is the first time that large portions of a song have been sung in their native language. The verses here are sung in Arabic, with acoustic guitars and sweeping atmospherics forming the backing, before transitioning to English for the slightly heavier choruses. I am not familiar with the original song, but I understand it is quite famous in the North African region so I imagine the fans in the band's homeland will immediately latch on to this version. Considering the song is a cover, it does not sound too much different from the band's core sound - meaning they have done a great job of arranging it to fit well within the context of the album. No Holding Back opens with dramatic strings and a pulsing rhythm, but soon drops back into a more sparse arrangement - something which seems to be common throughout the album. Many of the songs here have quite low-key verses, which then allow the song to explode into a melodic chorus. The verses here have a bit more of a progressive feel however, with off-kilter drumming from Berthet and the occasional burst of jagged heavy guitar. The mix works well however, but it is the song's chorus that is the real winning moment. The strings from the intro resurface, and this allows Zorgati to really let rip with some soaring vocal melodies.
Stardust opens with rolling piano lines from Bouchoucha which sounds unlike anything else on the album. It is not common for piano sounds to dominate the band's sound, but it works well and allows the song to open on a sombre note. Zorgati sings atop this piano backing in a mournful way, but really opens up when the song transitions into a more explosive chorus that feels quite different from the sparse opening section. Overall however the song has a very progressive feel, with lots of moods coming together to create something quite different from the rest of the album. The chorus feels like classic Myrath, but the rest of the song has an overall more experimental feel. While I feel that the song is a little disjointed, I like the fact that the band have clearly tried something new here. The approach does work well despite the disjointed feeling, and I would like to see the band perfect this sort of experimentation going forward. Mersal features more Arabic lyrics, and a guest vocal spot from Lofti Bouchnak - a famous tenor singer from Tunisia. He sings the Arabic sections, giving these sections a certain richness that helps to permeate the rest of the song. It is a dramatic piece that features the band really firing on all cylinders, with a big chorus that dominates melodically, and a grand overall feeling that comes from the mid-paced groove established early on and Bouchoucha's keyboards. Lots of Myrath's songs have a certain majesty, but this one seems to go further than usual, and I think the guest vocals from Bouchnak help to set this grand tone right from the off. Darkness Arise ups the heaviness somewhat, with Ben Arbia leading from the off with a driving guitar riff. Despite the heavier feeling, the song is still packed with excellent melodies and shows the band at their most potent. Ben Arbia's riffing is a big part of this toughness, but the band still ensure to fill the piece with soaring melodies by once again including a powerful chorus. The band are becoming quite the masters at strong choruses now, and there are plenty on this album that really showcase their ear for melody. Zorgati's voice is perfect for that kind of soaring excess too, and it is unsurprising that the band make use of his talents so often. I also love the progressive instrumental section part way through the piece that even includes a lengthy keyboard solo from Bouchoucha. I cannot remember a keyboard solo appearing in a Myrath song previously, so it certainly helps the piece to stand out. The album's title track is the last number here, and after the riffing of the previous number the band really emphasis the North African elements here, with instrumental sections that showcase traditional instruments, jaunty acoustics, and wordless vocals - all wrapped up in the band's soaring, atmospheric sound. It is certainly not the most interesting song from a melody perspective, but from an atmospheric one it works very well. It really helps to reaffirm the band's core sound one last time before the album comes to a close, and leaves the lasting impression as things fade to a close. Overall, Shehili is another very strong album from Myrath and one that sees them continuing on the good work established on other recent albums. The band's core sound sounds as good as ever, and the little moments of experimentation thrown in here and there help to reinforce the band's progressive tendencies and show a willingness to expand their sound.
The album was released on 3rd May 2019 via earMusic. Below is the band's promotional video for Dance.
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