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The band name Tyrant shows up no less than 22 times on Metal-Archives, but this is the one from California that may have been the first, forming in the late '70s. They put out a couple of albums on Metal Blade back in the '80s (which I may or may not have been aware of, they look kind of familiar), one in the '90s then hung up their axes until 2009. They are back in the game with their fourth album, Hereafter, courtesy of Shadow Kingdom.

Given they were active in the '80s, it should come as no surprise the music on Hereafter is classic, traditional heavy metal with a rough, unpolished sound yet tight songwriting and performances. The style is like other US bands that wanted nothing to do with the hair or thrash directions many bands followed in the mid-80s. Tyrant staked their claim with big, thundering riffs graced with epic flair. They often slow the pace, which has the effect of making the songs sound heavy and ominous, almost doom-like and the lyrics sound like spells being read from an ancient, cobweb-covered tome, giving many tracks an arcane vibe. I enjoyed songs like "Dancing on Graves" and "Hereafter" but I must admit the album never really clicked for me despite playing it multiple times. That said, if you are into Cirith Ungol, Omen, Brocas Helm, etc. you should seek this out as you may get significantly more mileage from it as Tyrant are the real deal.