Myrath are a Progressive Metal band from Tunisia, which is obviously quite rare. I was recommended their previous album "Desert Call", and while it was good I felt the songwriting overall was a bit lacking. There were three amazing songs, but two of those were right at the end of the album, so getting to that point was a bit frustrating. Thankfully, with "Tales of the Sands" the band has tightened up their songwriting and focused on more shorter songs, which grab your attention immediately.

They apparently sounded a lot like Symphony X on their debut, but they created their own sound on the follow up, and while they still have a little bit of their original influence in here, it's clear that they've now figured out how to distinguish themselves from any other band in the genre. Along with the typical riffs and excellent keyboard work you'd expect, the band adds their own flavor to it, with tons of different Arabic Folk sounds that the band carefully blends into the music so it fits in perfectly, and also some tribal percussion at points. These elements are even more dominant now then on the previous album, and there are tons of instrumental sections with no Metal instruments at all. But that's not to say anything is lacking here, because everything sounds perfect.

Vocalist "Zaher Zorgati" also has a very distinct sound. Obviously, due to his nationality there is a strong accent that you normally wouldn't hear in this genre, but it's very pleasant and his voice is equally nice. He sings in a low key a lot of the time, and he fits in very well with the overall Middle Eastern feel to the sound.