Tyranex - Reasons for the Slaughter

Angry Metal Guy 70

What is a successful retro-thrash record? Why would anyone even attempt one? If you lean too much on the old masters, you’re just gonna come off as tired and derivative. Try and diversify, and you lose what makes it retro-thrash. I like the occasional thrash just fine, but when I saw fate had bestowed upon me Tyranex,¹ I breathed a weary sigh and rolled my eyes. Rarely does a promo sheet take this much pride in being retro-thrash, stuffing the short blurb with old school and 80’s and speed metal to the point where it felt like managing expectations rather than hyping up the album. But I stuffed my bias in my back pocket and opened my mind to the best of my abilities. Does Reasons for the Slaughter give me reason for a slaughter?

After the world’s most ill-fitting baroque string intro baffles me with its inclusion, Tyranex unleashes a barrage that conclusively states to be doing the slaughtering, thank you very much. Musically, the band’s closest ancestor is the melodic never-enough-bpm style of Agent Steel, including the occasional forays into NWoBHM. Blistering speed is the modus operandi on the opening combo of “Where Light Ceases to Exist” and “Rise from the Dead,” the glass on the speedometer cracking at the first riff. The hooks are plentiful and fun as fuck, displaying indomitable energy and enthusiasm. Only “Megalomania” slows things down significantly, feeling somewhat like an homage to “South of Heaven” with a supervillain theme, but afterward, the title track puts a cinder block on the gas and doesn’t remove it until the last note of “Wipe Out” has finished.

The hooks and reckless speed would be satisfactory on their own, but Tyranex have a secret weapon. Linnea Landstedt, besides handling guitars, gives a maniacal and exhilarating performance on vocals. She croaks, snarls and spits in the lower registers, lays on the growls to an almost blackened effect, and swerves effortlessly into high-pitched wails. When “Rise from the Dead” drops to dead silence for a second simply to spotlight the insane range on her ‘RIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!’ it puts a huge goofy grin on my face without fail. What’s more, she mixes these styles freely, punctuating rapid-fire snarls with split-second falsettos, and she uses that flexibility to ham it up like the antagonist of a self-aware low-budget horror movie, single-handedly saving the otherwise underwhelming “Megalomania” with her bottomless glee. Reasons for the Slaughter simply wouldn’t be so goddamn fun with a different vocalist.

This being retro-thrash, there’s not much here that can really be called new or original, but the palpable love for the genre and infectious enthusiasm mitigate any ‘been there done that’ feelings that may arise. A few tracks don’t fire on all cylinders; closer “Wipe Out” doesn’t know where to put its hooks, and “Full Circle” has a hard time balancing the speedy thrash with its NOWBHM influences. I am also not a big fan of the awkward gang vocals that are sprinkled across “Pyromaniac,” and I have to mention that utterly alien intro again. The production is not terrible, but doesn’t do much to surpass ‘industry standard.’ The vocals are mixed a bit high, but I can’t blame the band for focusing on their strongest asset.

All in all, these are just nits, picked from a highly entertaining album. Reasons for the Slaughter is a fun, tightly written romp that won’t disappoint or bore any fans of thrash, new or old. Apparently, a successful retro-thrash record is still possible. You just need to be passionate as hell about it, write great hooks and execute them with skill, and have something that sets you apart like an extraordinary vocalist. Not many bands can deliver on all these fronts, but Tyranex nails it effortlessly and has a great damn time to boot.



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: GMR Music Group
Websites: tyranex.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/tyranex
Releases Worldwide: September 22nd, 2023

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