TYRANT'S REIGN Year Of The Tyrants EP + Press Photo 1987 METAL Private Press

$

386

TYRANT'S REIGN
Year Of The Tyrants EP 
 
GRADE: vinyl EX (has some minimal, barely noticeable hairlines), jacket is in open shrink with a light corner dings) .  Includes lyric insert, plus a promotional black & white photo!

 Pressed in 1987 on the band's Cynical Records label. Chicago area thrash!

 Rarely offered for sale! Don't miss your chance to purchase this one!

 Review from Encyclopaedia Metallum:

Tyrant's Reign are one of those bands who put out a really good EP or single but unfortunately did not survive long enough to release a full length or two. It's a shame they broke up, as the music on here is top notch, and a damn good example of how to make some kickass speed/thrash. Pretty much every song on here is brutal yet remains melodic, which is an excellent formula which works perfectly when done right.

The first track, 'Tyrant's Reign', starts off with a spoken intro before Randy Barron unleashes an awesome falsetto scream, after which a fast, brutal riff takes over. The vocal lines on here are extremely catchy, especially in the verses. At 2:10 there's a thrash break with some damn nice soloing over the top, after which the song finishes with the chorus. The next song, 'Jack the Ripper', is insanely catchy with falsettos abundant throughout. When it gets to the chorus with it's awesome melody line you can't help but bang your head. Although it drops a bit with a spoken bit after the second chorus it quickly redeems itself with more excellent soloing. The bass lines play a more prominent role in this song, with them occasionally acting as a lead instrument in between the breaks of soloing. 'Untamed' is up next, and starts off with a simple acoustic intro before exploding into more thrash goodness. The drums in this track are awesome, with the drummer providing some fast double bass beats and excellent rolls. Barron really shows off his vocal capacities here, as he is screaming for pretty much the whole way through. 'Deadly Eyes' starts off with another unassuming intro, until a midpaced thrash riff comes in with soloing over the top. When this speeds up this track fucking owns. Although it sounds similar to 'Jack the Ripper' it still remains a great thrash song. 'Reign of Terror' is even faster than the previous tracks, which just adds to the greatness of it. Although it slows a bit in some parts it suits the song completely, and in no way sounds out of place. Add more excellent soloing and it's yet another winner. 'Fadeaway' starts off with a two minute acoustic intro with quiet singing, before a mid paced thrash riff takes over. Although the riffs are probably the weakest on this particular song, the soloing is better than any seen on previous tracks. Right at the end it speeds up into a fast riff, after which it finishes with a falsetto scream.

The production on the album is a little muffled, but it's not really a problem as you can still make out all the riffs perfectly. As you may have gathered by now, the vocalist is damn good. Preferring to stick to his higher range, he can pull off some f*cking awesome falsettos when he wants to (which happens to be nearly all of the time). He's no slouch when singing normally either, as every note he hits is perfectly sung. The guitarist is highly skilled, and pulls of each note of the solos with great precision. Drumming is also pretty nice, with some pretty fast double bass and drum rolls featuring throughout, while the bass compliments the guitar lines instead of following them, sometimes even taking over as a lead instrument.

'Year of the Tyrants' is one of the greatest thrash EPs I have ever heard, and I'm not exaggerating at all here. Had they gone further they probably would've gone on to become one of the greatest thrash bands of all time, but unfortunately this is not the case. Highly recommended to all fans of Heavy Metal in general.
 

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