Sunday, September 27th, 2026, offered a chance to witness the live energy of Middle Eastern metal titans MYRATH as their Wilderness of Mirrors Tour stopped by Helsinki at On the Rocks. Their new album of the same name is one of this year’s absolute highlights, with its immersive, cinematic grandeur. There are progressively tinged metal albums that flirt with oriental and Middle Eastern flourishes, and then there are albums that speak with an accent of great authority and certitude in this respect, and MYRATH‘s new outing is a prime specimen of the latter. So, once I heard about the band coming to town, I simply couldn’t pass up this wonderful opportunity to have my mind totally melted. So, yeah, I had rather high expectations for this evening – and the band not only made good on every promise lifted by their last couple of studio albums, but they actually went one (or two) louder. A few years ago, while checking out the haunting When Paths Meet-titled live concert by Sami Yusuf on YouTube, I couldn’t help but think about how some of those Middle Eastern riffages almost resonated with the air of progressive metal – y’know, OPETH and the like. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, Yusuf is an acclaimed British artist whose music is a haunting mixture of Middle Eastern world music and more traditional orchestral stuff. Now, witnessing MYRATH‘s otherworldly live performance, I could not avoid realizing that their unique sound was quite like the metal version of Yusuf‘s trademark style: lots of ethnic, Middle Eastern flavors mixed with contemporary Western sound and phenomenal vocals on top. While their music is not overly progressive, y’know, not necessarily in the vein of KING CRIMSON and the like, it did resonate rather nicely with the air of Kevin Moore-era DREAM THEATER – their live keyboardist even turned out to be a namesake, Kevin Codfert. Then, as the cherry on top, the sound engineer of the evening deserves an honorary mention: the live sound was nothing short of pristine! Sure, On the Rocks has a reputation for good-sounding live shows, but MYRATH‘s live sound was from another level entirely. I mean, they sounded every bit as good as PORCUPINE TREE at the Helsinki Icehall venue in 2009, which concert remains the absolute best live experience, soundwise, that I’ve ever seen. But let’s not get ahead of things… because the support act, ROSES OF THIEVES, a band that I’d never heard of, turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises, in terms of live shows of 2026. I guess it was a good omen that I noticed how the venue’s DJ played a nice run of SOEN, DREAM THEATER, and the epic title track from IRON MAIDEN‘s progressive peak album “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son” in a row before the first band took the stage. This set exactly the right mood for the evening.
Hailing from Budapest, Hungary, ROSES OF THIEVES is an up-and-coming folk-metal six-piece with two studio albums under their belt. I had no idea whatsoever about what I was going to witness, but I reckon a folk-metal blast was not on the menu of what I had expected. I was pleasantly surprised right off the bat as the band got onto the stage: I noticed that their lineup featured an accordionist and a violinist! Yeah, I reckon these are standard instruments in folk metal these days, but for me things like this are always a nice bonus since I’m not so well-versed in this particular metal niche. I soon got the hang of the band’s style, nonetheless: in my ears, they sounded like a cross between ELUVEITIE‘s folksy power-metal antics and the Finnish “rillumarei” folk metal bands, such as KORPIKLAANI – and then this sonic concoction was deep-fried in Middle-Eastern/Balkan spice mix. I’m not thoroughly familiar with the sound of Hungarian folk music, but if THY CATAFALQUE‘s folkish endeavors are anything to go by, I think I would love it. Then, of course, the set of twenty-one dance tunes based on Hungarian themes, released as “Hungarian Dances” by Johannes Brahms, has that exotic, ethnic vibe that resonates with something essentially Hungarian. You could spot something very similar in the melodies of ROSES OF THIEVES‘ songs. Speaking of which, what made the band’s uptempo bangers slap especially hard were indeed those fast, ethnic riffs and melodies played in unison by the accordion and violin. I bet this band could make a killing by crafting a folk-metal rendition of, say, Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No.5!” Then, on top of the band’s general awesomeness, their vocalist Ivett Dudás turned out to be simply amazing, in terms of both range and emotion. Plus, the band really seemed to enjoy playing, which is always especially nice to see, and hence, as far as I could discern, the whole crowd at On the Rocks fell in love with the band. Oh, yes, the concert was sold out well in advance, and the venue was almost packed to the full already when ROSES OF THIEVES kicked off. Then, as if the band had not won the audience already, they showed us how we need not take things too seriously by playing a cover rendition of Sabrina‘s vintage hit “Boys – Summertime Love” from the dark dungeons of the 1980s. I guess it has become a live trope of sorts that metal bands play these silly covers from time to time – and why the hell not?! It sure makes everybody smile! It sure helped, in this case, that the band was not half-assing with the song; they played it every bit as tightly as if it were one of their own! The metal riffs in the breakdown parts sounded particularly delicious – 12 points pour la Hongrie! So, all things considered, ROSES OF THIEVES sure made a good first impression, and later, after the headliner’s performance, I bought their 2025 album “Demons Ascend,” and also did something that I very rarely do: I had it autographed by all the band members. I’ve only done this once before: when SOEN played in Helsinki in 2025. So, after copying the music onto my laptop, I shall place this album right next to the signed copy of “Tellurian” on the honorary mantlepiece upon my CD rack. What a great show by a great band!
After a brief break, it was time for the main dish of the evening. The set kicked off with “The Funeral” off the new album, and I must admit that I was immediately enraptured by the band’s pristine live sound, the song’s enigmatic atmosphere, and Zaher Zorgati‘s phenomenal vocal performance. The rest of the set leaned into the new album quite prominently, with nine more songs, but there were a few older bangers as a treat for their longtime fans as well. After the show, I overheard some of the band’s longtime fans complaining a little about the complete lack of songs from their 2024 album “Karma,” but I reckon this was not so much of an issue for us Johnny-come-latelys in the band’s ever-growing fanbase. I’m not even sure when the band popped onto my musical radar, but it was not until the technical knockout of “Wilderness of Mirrors” that I started to follow the band with a keen eye. Their live show was mesmerizing from start to finish, and for me, the songs with the most prominent Middle Eastern flourishes and belly-dancing rhythms were the absolute cherry on the cake. There is something utterly enchanting in the Middle Eastern sound in and of itself, but when it’s paired with metal riffs, it’s guaranteed to knock your socks off.
That said, a couple of songs did stand out by virtue of being particularly haunting: on “Until the End,” Ivett Dudás joined the band onstage, performing Elize Ryd‘s parts of the song; then, I think it was during the intro of the first song of the encore, “Les Enfants du Soleil,” when Zorgati jumped off the stage, parted the crowd as Moses did with the Red Sea, and then walked right up to the mixing booth and back, singing the whole time. These guys sure seem to know how to make the night unforgettable for you! I guess it speaks volumes that the venue was sold out. Next time, this band needs a bigger venue, that’s for sure. After the show, I overheard someone by the cloakroom mention how he’d come across the band as they were warming up for KAMELOT the last time they were in Finland some time ago: the guy had gone to the venue as a KAMELOT fan and after the show left home as a MYRATH fan. I fully understand. I’ve seen a hilarious number of bands on stage this year, but these rogues went straight to my Top-5 live experiences of 2026. This Sunday evening marked the first headliner show in Helsinki for the band, and they conquered the city with the force of a hurricane. If Zorgati proved to be a world-class vocalist – his hard-rock belting would put those legendary performances by some of the old guard to shame, believe me! – the band’s guitarist, Malek Ben Arbia, turned out to be one hell of an axe-slinger with his instrument, too! On the same note, bassist Anis Jouini and drummer Morgan Berthet weren’t left to play second fiddle either, not to mention Codfert on the keyboards. It’s quite surreal to think, actually, that I just witnessed a band of THIS caliber playing at On the Rocks, which is a relatively small venue, after all. Perhaps this was yet another once-in-a-lifetime experience, because if this evening were anything to judge by, this band ain’t gonna play in a small rock club the next time they come to visit Helsinki. Then again, even judging by the music alone, this evening was one of those “You shoulda been there, man!” gigs. The evening was brought to a close by the band’s live staple and fan-favorite, “Believer,” during which Zorgati made the audience sing along, with a new twist: he made half of the audience do the chanting part of the chorus while the other half sang the lyrics, “Believe and carry on.” Maybe it had something to do with the relatively small size of the venue, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Finnish metal audience sing so damn loud. It was simply mesmerizing – a great closure for a great evening! Judging by the number of MYRATH T-shirts that I saw in the audience, the band seems to have quite a good fanbase in Finland. So, with any luck, we’ll be seeing the band again on stage in Helsinki sooner rather than later. I’m really looking forward to it, because these boys rock hard!
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Photos by Laureline Tilkin
