Tyrants Blood – “Into the Kingdom of Graves”

In a perfect world Tyrants Blood would be a world renowned extreme metal force; a band that plays headline tours or has opening slots for better known acts. In a perfect world the band would be getting a lot of publicity and their Into the Kingdom of Graves release would have received a flurry of press. Instead, the band has remained an underground force in the Vancouver metal scene winning over rabid fans when they play the occasional show. It’s a shame because every extreme metal fan I know that has heard the group has instantly fallen into headbanging love with them.

Tyrants Blood, for those of you who don’t know, is (for lack of a better word) an extreme speed metal band that was formed by ex-Blasphemy guitarist Marco Banco in 2005. The band released two full-lengths and an EP, and their last album Crushing Onward Into Oblivion came out in 2009. So, for four years fans have waited for a new offering.

Now, here’s the key question: Was Into the Kingdom of Graves worth the wait? The only answer to this is the affirmative HELL YES! While the band’s previous albums have all been good, Into the Kingdom of Graves is a step above for the band in terms of songs. How? You see while their albums have gotten good responses from those who’ve heard them, the fact is that Tyrants is a completely different beast on stage. Seeing Marco is a madman on guitar, Matt Modder is a beast on the drums, and the vocals tradeoffs between Brian Langley and Vinnie Borden make the group much more engaging than their recorded effort has been. Now, with Into the Kingdom of Graves the guys have finally captured some of that live energy and translated it onto disc.

The record is at times insanely fast which can be a bit jarring as at first there just seems to be too much going on. The riffs come fast and furious and Brian’s growls are the perfect match to the insanity. On the first listen through it can all seem a little overwhelming. However, give the album a few more spins and the insanity turns into genius. While the album doesn’t seem any less extreme after previous listens (with the sole exception of the instrumental track “Within Outer Scars”), one can hear melody in between the chaos. Put the disc on more times and you feel like you are listening to a band on the cusp of greatness. Overall a solid release that should get the underground buzzing!

Track Listing:

01. Spiral Sea
02. Disowned and Defiled
03. Revelations in Damnation
04. Conjure the Watcher
05. Destroyer
06. Fragments Of A Dying World
07. Drowning In An Ocean of Fire
08. Within Outer Scars
09. Decree of the Dead
10. Into the Kingdom of Graves

Run Time: 45:04
Release Date: July 26, 2013

Check out the song “Revelations in Damnation”