Bruce Dickinson is a person I share a lot of respect and admiration for. A multitalented genius that has meant a big difference to the Metal world through the mighty
Iron Maiden and his solo band.
One of the most important things about this man is his lyrical ability, you all know the Maiden classics he wrote and I'm still left in wonder trying to grasp his last grand and epic effort The Chemical Wedding.
The clever and philosophical writings continue on Tyranny Of Souls, spanning many interesting, life confirming and gloomy themes.
This time around things are kept a bit more down to earth, Tyranny Of Souls can be described as a fine mix of some of the stuff he has done in the past. Classic Metal, Hard Rock, symphonic experimentations, progressive details.well it's all here placed in a rather compact record of nine regular songs ranging from around 3-5 minutes.
After a great mystical intro
Abduction sets in with a massive kick coming from a thick wall of heavy guitars and intense drum machinery.
Roy's masterful guitar guidance gives the album that extra level of quality and technicality; his playful guitar lick and shredding solo in this song is just pure magic.
Soul Intruders win points by a wise bass performance and some cool rhythm changes, with that said the chorus never really caught my attention and I would characterise this as a quite good song.
One of the most interesting songs Bruce has done is the varied
Kill Devil Hill. The bright and catchy chorus contains a cool elevating force nicely suiting the songs theme. The progressive closure filled with a harmonious piano passage and soft guitar jamming is an excellent addition to a cool track.
Navigate The Seas Of The Sun pushes the boundaries of this band even further, being experimental, epic and possessing a wonderful warm atmosphere.
Ingenious keys and melodic acoustic guitar tunes play an important role supporting Bruce's divine and comforting voice.
River Of No Return took a long time before it slowly began to open up, now it runs fluidly and has ended up as another great song. A groovy and mid-tempo structure added variable twist and cool ideas, the use of soft acoustic guitar harmonies towards the end is a brilliant call.
Taking the album back on the more direct path we find
Power Of The Sun, being a fast and uncomplicated track with a heavy foundation, not over excitable but solid.
Interestingly
Devil On A Hog is a great Hard Rock song, slowly and firmly rocking tight. The memorable chorus is partly sung in a cool high tone and overall this is really a breath of fresh air.
Some of the dark shrouded mysteria found on The Chemical Wedding presents itself in the very inventive composition called
Believel. Distorted guitars and strange programming respectively opens and closes the song. In the middle a nucleus of sombre energies float around: Creative bass lines, raw riffs and vigorous drumming. The evil laughs at the end sound immensely cool and put a suiting final mark on a dark tale.
Tyranny Of Souls features a great tense mid-section accompanied by an insanely and technical solo by Roy, on the other hand the chorus is a bit dull.
At the end I'm missing just a bit more texture and deep innovations, but hey this is still a very good and extremely diverse recording.
Overall the performances are great, Roy really shines and Bruce sings as the master he is. The drumming hides a lot of smart details and the bass now and then steps out of the very groovy role to throw in some inventive passages.
The production is reminiscent of Judas Priest's last effort
Angel Of Retribution, logical when considering that Roy produced both albums. Tyranny Of Souls sounds rich and at times sophisticated without losing touch with what could be called raw power.
This is not his best effort but some of these songs are truly fascinating.
Written by
Tommy Saturday, May 7, 2005
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