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.
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