In their rip-roaring debut,
Tyrannus present a
spirited take on the increasingly saturated subgenre of blackened death, by
using the shared thrash history of both subgenres as a basis for their fusion.
After an ambient track and a bass-focused intro, the second track enters with a speed and violence
which evokes
The Big Thrash Four at their most aggressive: the first half of the
record is gone in a blink, delectably atmospheric solos and some satisfying
bass heft capturing and maintaining the listener’s attention. Across the album, Tyrannus are very
capable when it comes to gear shifts, rhythmic and timbral — atmospheric synths
and stripped-back tension builders lead to riffing of a
Hath-like deliberation, empowering the triumphant finale of “Break the Will of Evil” and maintaining momentum.
Spewed by project mastermind Callum John Cant, the lyrics are also a savvy
genre-fusion. The punky origins of thrash, best displayed in the vitriolic barks of “It Taketh”, are filtered through modern metal’s Lovecraftian themes
(a la
Sulphur Aeon), creating an anti-capitalist narrative about
resistance to a leviathan oppressor. All these seemingly disparate philosophies
of metal canon, both musical and lyrical, are the unified tentacles of an
intelligent, but brutal beast that doesn't let go.
