Location: Saint Étienne
Country: France
Genre: Blackened symphonic death metal
EP: Broken Crown
Format: Digital
Label: Independent
Release date: September 15, 2026
Formed in 2011, Mythark present myths and legends gathered from different cultures from a literary perspective. Presenting their foundations in black and death metal through symphonic arrangements written to sound grandiose, they treat their music as a vehicle for historical and mythological stories, pushing them to a level as grand as their songwriting.
Being a metal band, of course, they make no effort to combine legend with something bright and accessible, no matter the sophistication accompanying it. Given the historical figures and old gods they reinterpret; from Aphrodite to Belzebuth to that old favorite Vlad Tepes, they play music as dense and harsh as it is ambitiously symphonic. Somewhere between “Excalibur” (1981), “Conan The Barbarian” (1982) and “The Omen” (1976).
I re-read Mythark’s short interview from 2024 and Daniel Ryan’s review of their 2019 full length “Unleash the Darkness,’ described as absolutely beautiful to the point of madness, carried by operatics to a point of no return. I gather the band makes an effort to fill a void in music by pushing originality and creativity toward a state of mania.
Their debut EP from 2013, “The Ark of Myths,” is hard to find on any streaming outlets, and Mythark seems to prefer mystery when it comes to including lyrics with their streamed releases. Still, they display an idiosyncrasy bringing their bardic conceptions and instrumental scores to breathing animation. Their scheme goes beyond the majestic complexity and gothic theatricality Emperor and Cradle of Filth introduced to extreme music years earlier.
The songs Mythark wrote about the historical figures and old gods I mentioned are part of their debut full length “Unleash the Darkness” along with songs written about Apophis, the old Egyptian god of chaos, the Catholoc legend of Purgatory and another old favorite of legend, “Dante’s Inferno” from “The Divine Comedy.”
On that album the changeover from symphonious music to excessive black and death metal is as precise and unspoiled as their procedure of joining them mutually. For a band working on their first full length they tackle the task like musicians that have been practiced in metal and classical since the 1990s. Feeling it as deeply as possible, they put their imagery forward in a visual way that was hard to ignore from a new band just starting out in extreme music.
The band was on a roll when they released their debut album in 2019, but for some reason they took a long break until late 2023. The band’s fondness for storytelling was back in full swing when they started working on new material, but the subject matter experienced transformation of a sort. Their EP “Analgésie” (meaning disconnection from physical pain) conceptually held songs together about historical warfare, emotional detachment and existential darkness.
Mythark’s symphonic/technical formula was changed to put those ideas across in a striking, colorful way. Their technique was still present, but it was a stiffer, slightly more electronic sound, with the orchestral parts becoming more defined and the vocals sounding traumatized rather than straightforward and brutal.
Their most recent EP “Broken Crown” explores the ancient Greek myths of Persephone and Orpheus. With the title track these songs form a narrative of overthrown authority, shattered pride and a tragic descent into the underworld. Love and hubris, life and death are exhibited as metaphorical and literal duality.
Mythark wrote and recorded the material with closer leanings to an organic sound. It was still rough edged in some places, but quieter moments and operatic vocal harmonies frequently appeared as breaks in the symphonic heaviness. The band’s similarities to Cradle of Filth and goth metal in general were more subtly arranged during the recording process, adding more depth. The technical songwriting is decorated by occasional flourishes contributing more refinement to the songs.
Mythark doesn’t evolve as much as they mutate from form to form. Indulging in random experimentation gives them an unforeseeable edge. This makes their releases more entertaining as they keep you guessing what they’ll do next. –Dave Wolff
Track list:
1. Broken Crown
2. Persephone
3. Orpheus
