apanthropy

Tyrannus
Mournhold
True Cult Records
To Be Released: May 15th, 2026

Rating: 8.5/10

“‘Mournhold’ vastly expands the sound Tyrannus has created up to this point, focusing less on the compact thrashier elements of previous releases, and moving into a more progressive and broadly expanded execution. Still thrashy, at times reaching intensity that could be considered death metal in character, and laden with a deep modern and post-black metal sensibility.”

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1 – Violent Inheritance
2 – Orbus Non Sufficit
3 – Seize the Stars
4 – Flesh Eternal
5 – Reignfall
6 – Mournhold
7 – Back to Grey
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The modern extreme metal palette is massive, broad, and loose in definition. Genres freely intermix, the tonal choices span half a dozen decades in selection, and so long as it’s heavy, it can take whatever form it chooses, execute whatever composing it chooses, and form into any structure, conceivable and inconceivable. The choices and creative pathways a band can take are uncountable, to a point where, for some bands, it can become problematic. Bands that freely intermix the whole breadth of extreme music and marry it to a fully dynamic and fully developed modern tonal palette and production are playing with a power that is sometimes difficult to focus into something meaningful and impacting. Sometimes, it takes a few releases before a band settles into a sound that is truly distinctive, evolved, and refined. It takes time for a band to find its trajectory and direction.

But when a band does find their sound, everybody wins. Every listener gains another option that excels above the countless others released on a daily basis.

Tyrannus, on their newest effort, indicate a band that has truly found their sound. Mournhold, due out May 15th through True Cult Records, is the sophomore effort of this Scottish monstrosity. With the recording lineup consisting of five members, there are a lot of riff ideas at work, a lot of interesting composing decisions made, and well-developed tone and texture. It is modern, vibrant, and defined, old ideas brought into the current-day interpretation. Mournhold vastly expands the sound Tyrannus has created up to this point, focusing less on the compact thrashier elements of previous releases, and moving into a more progressive and broadly expanded execution. Still thrashy, at times reaching intensity that could be considered death metal in character, and laden with a deep modern and post-black metal sensibility. At times, maniacally aggressive, at other times, deeply atmospheric, yet these emotional extremes are tightly bound together to one another through a matrix of perfectly flowing riffs, stacked sonic textures, and pure crystalline production properties.

‘Violent Inheritance’ merges blasting black metal with thrashier inner workings. The song breathes well, a great flow from phrase to phrase, slowing things down briefly at times to contrast the near constant aggression. There is a section of clean guitar, provoking a change in atmosphere, briefly pulling the track out of its aggressive fit and moving it into a closing phrase filled with melodic riffing and screaming lead work. What stands out is the progressiveness of the track. It doesn’t feel ‘planned,’ it feels organic and fluid. The use of contrast is masterful, the progressions vary from basic patterns of power chords to more complicated voicings that create complex melodies, the shift in guitar tone is impactful, and the use of negative space in the music to an advantageous manner shows a high level of thought in the realm of composing.

‘Violent Inheritance,’ while loaded with thrash influence, was largely a more black metal dominant track. Working further into the record, the listener runs into ‘Seize the Stars,’ a true inversion of the previous tracks, moving more into pure black thrash territory and less of straight blasting black metal. Moving towards the middle of the track sees a battery of riffs and complimentary lead work, braced by passages of ghostly clean guitar. Screaming divebombs and more solo work lead into the final third of the track, riding over top basic chugging palm-muted chords and driving rhythm.

Easily one of the most atmospheric and airy tracks is ‘Flesh Eternal,’ laden with clean guitar and clean vocal segments, there is a great emphasis placed on the dreary melodic layering that fills the song. The vocals aren’t going all the time, and the drums are relatively stripped back in terms of rhythm patterns, it is a guitar forward and riff forward track, and that’s where and how it excels. There doesn’t need to be constant screaming or persistent blasting, sometimes, just let the riffs carry the listener.

The title track returns to the confrontational black metal approach. Dense riffing, intense percussion, and blistering solo work add detail to the tornado of sound. For a title track, this is genuinely fitting, morbidly triumphant, possessing a sense of sweeping ‘epicness,’ giving immense character to the deepest part of the record.

‘Back to Grey’ is the closer, the longest track on the record. It is a full-on assault on the senses, the crowning of black glory. It is always refreshing to know that in 2026, bands are still writing material that can make you feel electrified. It snakes and whips furiously from thrash metal constructs to pure post-black metal power. Every guitar player will appreciate this track as it’s a torrent of riffs, stacked harmonies, accents, and gorgeous tone. Some of the solo work, even in a brief burst, feels almost cinematic in writing quality and fit.

Mournhold is Tyrannus ascending into a position that demands the band be noticed. Production, composing, and execution are amongst some of the best from their region and some of the strongest across the globe. It is modern, it sounds and plays modern, even if you’re generally an analog/lo-fi/more raw style of production-oriented, give Mournhold an honest spin. While each individual instrument plays a vital role, their interactions with one another show a level of understanding in terms of composing that ranks as some of the best.

Mournhold strikes as an almost modernized version of records such as Nemesis Divina-era Satyricon or Frost-era Enslaved. It possesses the same feral energy, the same frenzied panicked pacing, and the constant emphasis on flow and motion, but it possesses a modern touch, a current-era sound profile, and a more established concept of music theory. Mournhold is expansive, but not foreign or unintelligible. It is a grounded record, well-constructed, well-produced, and sonically meaningful.

Label: True Cult Records
Band: Tyrannus

AJK