By DJ Monk
Proving once again that heavy metal is indeed a universal language, Carthagods come to us, as their name would aptly suggest, from the land of the ancient Carthaginian empire, known today as Tunisia. Despite this being only their second album, the quintet was one of the first metal bands to emerge from the sub-Sahara, predating their more prolific and better-known compatriots Myrath by a couple of years.
This second album has not come without its own travails. It was actually recorded a couple of years ago and was originally scheduled for release in the early part of 2019. However, the boss of their then record company did a runner, leaving the Tunisian ‘Gods with a finished album, a video for the title track – hell, they’d even staged a launch gig – and nothing more. No deal. No distribution network. Nothing. But, the history of heavy metal is filled with stories of bands overcoming adversity and so here we are, a little more than a year later, with guitarist Timo Somers and his band of metallians emerging once again into the spotlight…
And, it has to be said, the result has been worth the wait, as ‘The Monster In Me’ is a powerful slice of heavy metal. It’s very much from the old school, with little augmentation or embellishment, apart from the very obvious, and expected, eastern touches to both the riffs and the background orchestrations.
There is a suitable sense of the epic about ‘The Monster In Me’, with only one of its tracks clocking it at less than the five minute mark. It’s grandiose without being overblown, bombastic without being pompous. It is honest and passionate, and doesn’t sound contrived in the way in which it treads the fine line between traditional, honest-to-goodness heavy metal and more modern power/symphonic miens, in the process delivering the maximum impact by virtue of the balance it strikes between simplicity and technicality.
‘The Monster In Me’ is as solid a heavy metal album as you will hear this year. It doesn’t possess a weak link in its armour, from the searing guitar work of Somers through the majestic vocals of Madhi Kehma (who possesses one of those Anderson/Dirkschneider-style punch-you-in-the-lings metal drawls) to the compact arrangements which allow the songs to flow and ebb with a combination of spartan alacrity and ambitious intent.
- ‘The Monster In Me’ is released today (Friday 17 July). You can get your copy HERE.
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