Tyrannos are at their core, a three piece death metal unit who are built upon a foundation of arcane secrets, lore and mysteries with exotic and haunting compositions bringing forth some intensely atmospheric and immersive death metal. Thematically, you can see that the mighty Nile are one of their major influences but with the technicality on display in the music, you can hear the likes of Mithras in there too and even some Pestilence and Morbid Angel are in there, courtesy of the guest drummer for the EP (Scott Fuller). So, let’s get on with it then.
“Beneath the pharaonic necropolis” opens strong. A big dramatic intro with an exotic Middle Eastern flair to the melodic aspects shifts into the surging paced death metal attack. Sustained melodies lead into buzzing licks, heavy doses of double kick and a thundering low end. Vocally it’s big, powerful roars give a commanding performance and you can tell where the influence and comparisons to Nile can be heard in a thematic sense and musical sense. The bass rings through clearly, helping give a pounding edge to the low end and it even chimes in on some of the melodic sections too, peaking just out over the heavily restrained distorted guitars which sound huge but are locked in so tight it has a sterile edge to it. It’s a very precise musical approach and when it is done right it sounds solid, which Tyrannos do.
“Cycle Of Idols” ups the pace a little with its buzzing lead melodic intro which shifts to a surging paced galloping riff before it descends into a heavy swamp of pounding bass and drums, tight guitar lines and ringing out leads which have a piercing quality to them. Still retaining that exotic flair, it has a solid overall base musically and Tyrannos use this to their advantage. Little whammy bar dive bombs and squeals punctuate chugging riffs and the bass tone is huge, rumbling away with that low end thunder which just makes the whole thing heavier. There’s some pretty sinister sounding riffs which work well with the roaring vocals and the way the bass accents the notes just adds that extra edge to the whole thing. Again, it’s so tightly controlled you have to admire the quality of the musicianship.
“The Tyrant’s Bane” ups the ante significantly. Its huge presence has a massive impact as it incorporates stringed instruments to give a dramatic opening. The haunting atmosphere this generates is blown wide open and expanded upon when the band comes in with its screaming guitars and thundering war drums. The main riffs have that distinct exotic flair to them and the way the guitar and bass share the burden of carrying the melody in these sections is brilliant, giving it a fantastic dynamic. Again, the heavy rhythm section and tight guitar work provides a solid death metal foundation which allows the ferocious vocal roars to dominate when they surface but the main attraction on this release always has been the musical elements which arise from the composition. The exotic flair is there, again conjuring mental images of Mesopotamia and the Bronze Age civilisations, sprawling sands, lavish oasis and palaces and mythological occurrences which seem to come to life. You can see why this track was one of the ones highlighted in the press blurb for this EP: it’s a fantastic demonstration of just what Tyrannos are capable of.
Closing things is the 7 minute “Sun Disc Cataclysm”. It has similar sonic qualities to the previous tracks, the intensity and atmosphere is powerful, the drums are phenomenal and the tight control of the guitars helps with the immense delivery. From the soaring exotic leads to the crushing charges of riffs over rolling bursts of double kick, the heaviness doesn’t let up even in the jarring slow down section with the ringing ‘clean’ sound, it still packs a punch thanks to the bass picking up, building the atmosphere before it slams back in with a cacophony of blasts and bellowing vocal roars. The track drags a little bit on the whole it closes the record much like it began, keeping the consistency and intensity there for all.
On the quality of this EP, I can safely say I eagerly await the full-length album. A great blend of atmospheric and immersive death metal which blends technique and composition with a nod to the old school.
(7/10 Fraggle)
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