Band:	Myrah
Album:	Death & Despair
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	February 2008

01. The Other Side
02. Torn Within
03. Before I Go
04. Falling
05. There's Nothing Left To Say

Let's see what we have here... Myrah - five young musicians hailing from the north of Sweden and playing a very romantic type of gothic metal. Formed in the year 2005, this is their second MCD.

How do Myrah sound? Actually this CD really isn't very easy to describe, the reason being that their music focuses less on fancy riffs, mind-boggling solos, or even catchy refrains. I'll tell you what this is about; atmosphere. Over the whole of these five songs hovers an atmosphere which seems to be raw, but also delicate, thin, romantic, a shade sad and yes, perhaps even beautiful, all at the same time.

To be frank, from a technical aspect there really isn't much at all to the music: the riffs are pretty simple, as are the synths and the song structures as a whole too. But there is more to good music than technicality and these Swedes are here to prove it. The songs are in-between slow and midtempo throughout the whole MCD, but that doesn't matter extremely much because it's twenty-nine and a half minutes long, a bit und half an hour, and I daresay that's a length for which it's tolerable to not have that much diversity. Atmosphere aside the second to best thing about Myrah are the deep, gentle vocals. They stay pretty much monotone throughout the music, forming a marvellous contrast to the dreamy soundscape. From time to time there are some growls as well, but they are quite seldom really. The only song that really stands out for me is the fourth track 'Falling', reason being that it's a bit darker and heavier than the rest; however it's also the one I like least. Not because it's a bad song, but more because Myrah are excellent at what they do and this track is a (slight) diversion from it.

After I listen to this MCD, to be completely honest, there is very little of it that still sticks in my mind. The songs just aren't catchy enough for that; however, every time I have the lingering expression that I just finished listening to something very good. I think that is exactly what Myrah is about. This isn't music that you can just completely analyze and "figure out". I'll tell you what to do instead, put on this CD, read a book, or surf the internet or whatever you want to do that leaves you a free ear and enjoy the aesthetic and romantic atmosphere. And a little personal tip of mine - this is an excellent choice when considering music to listen to during sex.