TYRANT – Hereafter

TYRANT – Hereafter
Label(s):
Shadow Kingdom Records
Released Year:
2020
Type:
Full-length
Tracklist:
1. Tyrant's Revelation2. Dancing on Graves3. The Darkness Comes4. Fire Burns5. Hereafter6. Pieces of Mine7. Until the Day8. When the Sky Falls9. Bucolic10. Beacon the Light11. From the Tower

Sometimes words are not enough to describe the greatness of a since piece of art. However I do believe that “Hereafter” is an album that deserves to be heard by as many people as possible so, I will try to give you a sincere opinion about it.

TYRANT are best known for their 80s ultra-cult albums “Legions of the Dead” and “Too Late to Pray” and also for their 90s triumphant return with “King of Kings”. Each one of those albums is packed with songs that float around the Heavy Metal waters while the notorious occult atmosphere streams with each spin.

Robert Lowe is a living legend. He is the voice behind the legendary SOLITUDE AETURNUS and among his other feats is the collaboration with CANDLEMASS a decade ago and the voice behind the LAST CHAPTER’s debut. And forgive me for misbehaving but I feel obliged to add that if you do not have LAST CHAPTER’s, get it asap, its sold for pennies in discogs and you will find one of the most soul-devastating doom metal treasures of the 90s. Anyways, as I said earlier Lowe is a living legend who had is share of personal demons during the last years. Yet his collaboration with TYRANT seems to imbue new life in his veins. And from this new life sprung TYRANT’s new album called “Hereafter”.

Those who are familiar with traditional Doom Metal, should not stand apathetic before this album. From the cover art, a painting of Thomas Cole (a 19th century painter whose works have been used by bands like Candlemass, Lunar Shadow, Exxplorer) to the song titles TYRANT cast no doubt of their motives: the songs are mid-tempo, introvert with a melancholic feeling and a vast sadness binding them. Listen the title track, as well as the “When the Sky Falls” tune or my favorite -and IMO the highlight of the album- “Fire burns” track, all of them epic, slow and doomy with direct references to early CANDLEMASS.

However, TYRANT are not oblivious of their early days: songs like “From the Tower”, “Tyrant’s Revelation ΙV” and “Beacon the Light” are direct references to the band’s first albums under a more classic metal approach.

What I should mention is that both songwriting and performing are flawless. And let me be clear here, whence I mention Doom Metal, I speak only for the  Dio / Martin era Black Sabbath stuff which means epic, dreamy and grandiose. Robert Lowe provides a stellar performance and frankly I couldn’t think of anyone else in this position. There are some discreet keyboards mostly for filling the rhythmic parts and Bill Metoyer’s production makes the sound more powerful than ever.

TYRANT is remnant of a generation that established the foundations for the underground metal. Hearing this album was a revelation: bands that have been around for such decades rarely have the clarity and the inspiration for such masterpieces. I firmly believe that together with the debut of GOTHIC STONE, “Hereafter” is a modern masterpiece of Heavy / Epic / Doom Metal. Do not let it pass you by.


Join the album’s discussion in our forum pages.

Check one more track from the album in our radio show:

Previous article TRAVELER – Termination Shock
Next article WOLF – Feeding the Machine
While he struggles between trash and elaborate culture, Zippo, finds himself dwelling into the deepest and most notorious Heavy Metal paths. Or at least that is what he thinks…
Forgotten Scroll Fanzing Issue #6

Issue #6 Out Now

76 pages, 10 interviews. DAMASCUS (US) SANCTUM (US) HORIZON'S END (GR) LORD OF LIGHT (SWE) ETERNAL CHAMPION (US) GOTHIC STONE (IT) LEVIATHAN (US) NEAR INFINITY (US) ANGEL EDGE (US) OBLIVION KNIGHT (US) plus LEGIONED MARCHER (US)...

Follow Us

1,346FansLike
21FollowersFollow

NOVA SKELLIS – Life Amongst The Damned (Vinyl Reissue 2024)

What we deal with in NOVA SKELLIS’ case, is the chance of exploring the transcontinental fusion of almost any kind of heavy/power metal blend;...

MUTINY BAY – Mutiny Bay

WARLORD: The legend of William J Tsamis lives – Interview and...

To tell you the truth I was a little bit skeptical when I first learned about the Warlord tribute project set by drummer and founding member Mark Zonder and singer Giles Lavery to honor the music and memory of founder guitarist William J Tsamis who unfortunately passed away back in 2021. I was looking at the facts very closely, reading announcements about forthcoming live shows, new line up and a new album. The response from the fans was massive including both positive and negative (or very negative) comments about the above facts. "How can Warlord exist without Bill Tsamis?", they were asking. One afternoon I got a call from Giles Lavery himself asking me if I wanted to do an advance review of the forthcoming Warlord album. I replied positively still being in this skeptical mood. It all went away after the first listen... William J Tsamis was there. His music, his legend, his compositions, evolved into complete songs. In total excitement I texted Giles a single message "Bill is alive". The very next evening found Mark, Giles and I talking about the album, about Bill, about the music and the legacy. It was late at night when we ended the call. I asked them if I can publish our conversation and they got no problem. So here it is again: Me talking with Warlord. The usual stuff I am doing the last 25 years for various reasons. But this time I would not call this conversation an interview. To my eyes this is a big ethical, artistic and soulful statement, by some people who want to keep the Dream, alive.