“By placing their Middle Eastern influences at the centre of their compositions, Nawather triumph with this record.”
Since their formation in 2013, Tunisia’s Nawather have spent over a decade proving that the qanun, a traditional Arabic string instrument, and blast beats are meant to work together. Kenz Illusion is the boldest statement of that thesis so far.
While their debut release, Wasted Years, sketched the outline of Nawather’s progressive metal with Middle Eastern folk influences, this sophomore release adds more flesh to this structure, filling it in with denser compositions, tighter interplay between strings and riffs, and crisp production by Fredrik Nordström that gives the qanun room to breathe and cut through the density of the mix rather than sit buried in it.
On Kenz Illusion, Chaima Bida’s qanun functions as a second lead instrument, trading solos with Yazid Bouafif’s guitar rather than merely complementing or embellishing it. This is demonstrated on tracks such as “Khatwa” and “Yamira”, which begin with beautiful qanun solos.
On this record, the compositions are fuller through the incorporation of more instruments, such as violins and percussion, which thicken the maqamat bedrock, while Ryma Nakkach and Wajdi Manai split the vocals between clean Arabic-language melodies and death growls. It is a delicate dance that is beautifully arranged throughout the record, with each vocal texture allowed to weave in and out without forcing a handover.
Although a couple of tracks on this record lean more heavily into the riffage, at times allowing it to crowd out the Arabic inflection, Nawather make an effort to put together a fragrant and distinct musical output.
Ultimately, what stands out on Kenz Illusion is the qanun. Chaima Bida spars with Bouafif’s guitar throughout the record, and Nordström’s mix ensures that each blow lands cleanly, setting the stage for the clean vocals to soar and the harsh vocals to rage aggressively.
By placing their Middle Eastern influences at the centre of their compositions, Nawather triumph with this record.
