St. Louis, Missouri is hardly a hot bed of premier metal like say Texas, Chicago or the East Coast. Heck, even Kansas City has more notable bands. I can count the numbers of excellent extreme metal bands I’ve heard from St Louis than had a larger impact on metal out side of Missouri? You can go all the way back to Anacrusis, but then it’s pretty bare. Harkonin? Lye by Mistake? Eternium? And Eternium might be cheating as Eternium and Tyranny Enthroned shared guitarist Gabe Price- hence the Blast Head Records connection (Eternium  released their solid debut last year on Blast Head). Well with their second effort, Tyranny Enthroned immediately becomes St Louis’ premier death/black metal act, and should make a little noise in the US community and scene.

Following up on the decent, 2012 Debut, Born of Hate, these guys have upped the ante and delivered a very impressive slab of blackened death metal. It perfectly mixes big, burly Behemoth-y riffs and imposing roars with a more shriller , melodic tremolo picked riffs,  percussion and melodies,  and some blackened rasps coming together to form a commanding militant presence not unlike say Forest of Impaled or the UKs Spearhead. There’s a epic air of grimness sprinkled abut the place, even if not quite as upfront as the debut, which had more extended moments of melody and restraint,  (the title track seems to harken to the  debut) whereas this album is slightly more direct, aggressive and pummeling

The perfect mix results in a stirring, rousing, warmongering album with ample parts beefy  war war mongering and razor sharp, frosty precision. And while only 7 songs, the 38 minute sweet spot of 5-7 minute chunks that can actually build, peak and climax with frenzied pacing and deliberate structures. The riffs stay with you and never do the whole stop start or finish too soon thing. Tyranny Enthroned know a good moment they they have it and squeeze it till your neck snaps. Prime examples being “The Incubus”, blistering “Concession” and the albums first single as well as the albums highlight “Interpreter of Dream”, but the other 4 tracks are all fine also, as there really isn’t any filler or a weak song to be found, though the album just lacks that fleeting brilliance to make it a little more special.

The Scott Fuller master (Abysmal Dawn, Scordatura, the upcoming Unique Leader Annihilated release) also strikes the perfect chord between death and black metal with a nice robust tone, that delivers that big, yet crisp, and at times rather imposing, completing the gloss on a damn fine album from the fiery depths of St Louis.

[Visit the band's website]

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