Oath of Excellence - A Review of Tyran's Tyran's Oath

Tyran, formerly known as Martyr, is an energetic young heavy metal quintet hailing from Germany. Tyran's Oath is the band's debut album. It features nine excellent songs with an appropriate total running time of forty-one minutes.

Stylistically, this band goes back to the late seventies and early eighties. The group offers traditional heavy metal with energetic additional elements of dynamism, grit and pace that successfully transport this genre deep into the twenty-first century. The band stands out with gritty riffs that even flirt with speed and thrash metal aesthetics at times without losing the galloping rhythm and melodic depth of its original genre. The bass guitar play pumps a healthy dose of vibrant energy into the band sound. The drum play is fast, fluid and technically appealing. The most outstanding element might be the high-pitched vocals that might need a few songs to get used to but ultimately manage to make the band sound rather unique. The positively traditional, timeless and organic production suits perfectly on this output.

For references, Tyran recalls genre veterans such as King Diamond and Judas Priest which showcases at times gloomy atmospheric passages and versatile fluid songwriting skills. The band also reminds of similar contemporary heavy metal acts such as Enforcer and Night Demon that deserve much recognition and respect as well.

If you are intrigued enough to listen to a few songs before giving the entire record a chance, I would point out atmospheric opener "Protectors of Metal", aggressive stomper "Bomber", energetic hidden gem "Thrill of the Chase", gloomy grower "Strike of the Whip" and epic closer and title track "Tyran's Oath".

To keep it short and simple, Tyran's debut record Tyran's Oath is a wonderful discovery for any fan of the so-called new wave of heavy metal as well as seasoned veterans with a preference for underground legends such as Evil from Denmark.

Final Rating: 85%