EPIC TEUTONIC HEAVY METAL OF STEEL!

Founded in the midst of a global pandemic, TYRAN set out to bring glorious steel to the headbangers of the world. After releasing their first two demos “Highway Warriors“ and “Fists Of Iron“ in 2020 and playing their first highly-praised live shows in 2023, they are now back to unleash the Heavy Metal Fury of their full-length debut “Tyran’s Oath“. 9 tracks of unrelenting, Teutonic Heavy Metal, forged in Heavy Metal Fire to convert you to join the cult of Heavy Metal Outlaws. After their victorious campaign across German Festivals in 2024, they will engage in the process of writing and recording their follow-up to their critically-acclaimed debut, as well as spreading the Tyran’s Oath at their upcoming live shows in 2025. Come and join the circle, take your oath at the altar of stone.

COME AND SWEAR THE TYRAN’S OATH!

Originally released in 2024 on Iron Shield Records, TYRAN’s debut is being reissued by Listenable Records on 31 January, 2025 with a few added bonus tracks.

TYRAN is:
Nicolas Peter (Vocals)
Sergej Dukart (Guitar)
Christian Kirr (Guitar)
Thomas Resch (Bass)
Simon Dömling (Drums)

Review

“Protectors of Metal” opened the album with a nice METALLICA like crusher of a riff that gave way to something that was practically thrash. The falsetto vocals of Nicolas Peter took me out at first, but I warmed up to them before the end of the track. In some ways, this reminded me a bit of earlier PORTRAIT, specifically from their Crimen Laesae era. An absolute barn-burner of a solo that would make EVH proud marked the halfway point and then some, all the while the locomotive rhythm was kept thundering along. Huge props to the drum, rhythm guitar, and bass for that, it really brought the song together.

“Bomber” had a stellar drumroll to kick it off that made me recall an airplane engine firing, though that could just be me remembering the album cover for Bomber from MOTORHEAD. Really loved the tone of the guitar solo in this one, had a nice bit of emotion thrown into song. This was an easy song to headbang to, the groove of the track practically begs for it. The little bridge section near the 2:40 mark before the second guitar solo was magical.

“Fists of Iron” continued the 80s thrash influence by beginning with a riff similar to Master of Puppets or OVERKILL’s Elimination, which is always a killer riff to hear. What surprised me was how different this track sounded when compared to the previous two. The falsettos were all but gone, largely replaced by standard melodic vocals with the occasional high note, it reminded me of early FATES WARNING or maybe ANGEL DUST. It was an easy standout track, in part because the other bands it reminded me of are among my favorites, and its uniqueness thus far that made it its own.

“Assault” saw the return of the falsettos, but kept the harder instrumentation of the previous track, making it a sort of best of both worlds. As a band, despite having only one album under their belt, all of TYRAN’s pieces are giving it 100%, especially those in charge of rhythm. Though for me, I do think this was the weakest of the four tracks so far, it never really felt like it went to that next level. Despite that, it was still solid.

“Thrill of the Chase” had a gnarly riff to open up, one that came eerily close to the grungier sounds of the early 90s. Which came in stark contrast to the overall melody and feel of the song, which I felt was closer to glam in terms of its delivery. There was an infectiousness with this one, something that gave it that earwormy quality. Another solid standout for sure, one I could play on repeat for years to come.

“Highway Warriors” opened with another slick drumroll, very Where Eagles Dare. This one reminded me of someone, but I wasn’t able to land on exactly who it was. That being said, this another quicker track that wasted no time and pulled no punches. Like the last track, there was an infectious quality about this one, though I don’t think it was as strong as the previous song.

“Strike of the Whip” began the second half of the reissue, with another great riff to start off. This was another song that had a unique feel to it, something to be commended within a subgenre that is effectively a newer take on an older style. Though my favorite part of this one was definitely the solo, and of course the always stellar rhythm battalion (seriously, there are some crunchy bass riffs in this one).

“Riot in the Streets” began with a near perfect fade-in from the last song, just before a real smooth riff kicked it off. I’ve sang home about the rhythm section of TYRAN during this review, and I’m not shutting up about it now, this is peak stuff. I couldn’t help but bob my head along as the song soldiered on. Throw in an earworm of a chorus and you’ve got a certified banger on your hands. One of my favorite tracks of the album for certain!

“Tyran’s Oath” was the final track on the initial release, and our last today before the three bonus tracks. A slick set of sustains started it off, and I quickly lost myself in the music. Ooh, the groove of the chorus is simply perfection. The eerieness in the vocals mixes nicely with the overall feel, and then that eclectic solo afterward was just the cherry on top. This was another favorite of mine, and was a great way to bookend the original album.

“Lightning Strikes” was our first bonus track, and was released as a single back in March of 2024, as well as being one of the band’s cassette demos when they were known as MARTYR. While it does feel a touch older than the rest of the songs, it’s by no means raw or unpolished. It’s just a rip-roaring heavy/speed metal song that did what it needed to. Not a groundbreaking track, but a great bonus for people who are eyeing this upcoming reissue.

“Heavy Metal Outlaws”, another track from their early MARTYR days, is presented as a live track from Trveheim 2024. This track, along with the final one, will not factor negatively into the final NWOTHM Score and can only improve it. Unrelated to the songs, but it’ll always amaze me how peoples accents practically vanish when they sing versus when they talk. In terms of a live recording, this is great, and TYRAN sound near identical to how they do on the album itself.

A live rendition of “Strike of the Whip” was our final track on the reissue, and this one was from Keep It True Rising 2024. While I didn’t find the recording to be quite as clean as the last song, it was still really solid. Have to give serious credit to Nicolas Peter’s vocals again, for sounding so close to how they do on the studio recording.

Conclusion

After listening to this album for the first time since its release, I found myself wondering why it didn’t quite connect with me before. It missed on my Top 15 list for the site and my personal Top 100 list of all metal for 2024, yet if I could redo those lists today, it would easily be present on both. Tyran’s debut record is not one to be missed, and I’ll be happy to add it to my collection once the reissue drops. While the two live tracks aren’t essential, they are a welcome bonus, especially since this reissue is the only way to obtain Heavy Metal Outlaws on CD.

TheNwothm Score: 9/10

Links

Bandcamp: https://tyranheavymetal.bandcamp.com/music

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TyranHeavyMetal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyran_heavy_metal

Label: https://www.listenable.eu/