For a band founded in 2016, the New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal outfit, TYRANTTI, has already achieved quite a lot. Their namesake debut, released in 2019, and the sophomore outing, “Orjaplaneetta,” (2021), were received with enthusiasm and critical acclaim. Then, considering the band was founded over a pint of beer, it was kind of befitting that, in 2018, they launched their own beer brand in collaboration with CoolHead Brewing. What makes all this even more impressive is the fact that TYRANTTI‘s music is not exactly of the most trending sort in the Finnish music scene – high-octane heavy metal that nods rather deeply toward the early pioneers of NWOBHM, such as JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN. The band members have dubbed their signature style “nahkahevi” or “viiksihevi,” in Finnish, which terms would roughly translate as “leather heavy metal” and “mustache heavy metal.” The latest full-length installment in the band’s sublime catalog, “Ihmispyramidi,” was released on November 22nd, 2024, via Playground Music Finland, and, after a few spins, it becomes quite clear that the music is distilled from the entire corpus of the early-1980s heavy metal. Still, even though the music creates a kind of timewarp into the pastel-shaded 1980s, these mustached, leather-clad heavy-metal rogues come off sincere in their conduct and appear to be operating in true artistic freedom rather than merely through some conditioned reflex responses to the age-old conventions of the genre. Sure, TYRANTTI cleverly avoids stepping on the holy toes of those early ancestors but, to give credit where it’s due, the band is not a mere carbon copy either.
The game is afoot with the hyper-energetic title track, “Ihmispyramidi.” A disclaimer might be in order, here – even though I’m supposed to be aware of pretty much everything that happens in the metal scene in Finland, what with me being a journo and all, this band had somehow slipped through my radar until now. So, I guess the entry point could not have been better! The opener is truly a high-octane heavy-metal riffer that proves beyond reasonable doubt that this band will be a real gut-punch on stage. The falsettos sound particularly impressive – Rob Halford would approve! For some reason, my initial impression was something akin to STAMINA with the progressive flourishes turned down a notch. Then again, the title resonates with a somewhat similar air to many a STAMINA banger. Another thing these two bands have in common is the ultra-tight execution. So, I reckon these metal bandits are not novices in their craft even though the band has not garnered that much mileage yet.
Released as a single ahead of the album, “Lihaa mattoon” is another high-octane banger. It seems the band does not cut much slack. Further into the album, I notice that there really are no power ballads in this selection. Nice! That’s an extra point for the band. The no-ballads approach, paired with the relatively short song lengths, factors substantially in the album’s “straight to the point and no bullshit” aura. The longest track, “Viimeinen portti,” closes the album and clocks “only” 6 minutes. In my books, that’s relatively short – and it sure helps that TYRANTTI makes every second count.
Of course, because the band hails from Finland, there has to be at least one song about consuming malt beverages. “Miestä vahvempaa” is not necessarily celebrating the joys of drinking beer, more like a social commentary on the feelings you get the next morning. As it happens, you can get the namesake beer at the CoolHead Taproom restaurant in Helsinki, brought to you by TYRANTTI in collaboration with CoolHead Brewing. The band is about to kick off a tour in celebration of the new album – and I would reckon it literally kicks off with a series of David-Lee-Rothesque jump kicks. The rumor has it that you could get the band’s signature beer at the designated venues. So, if enjoying vintage-ish heavy metal with a few cold ones speaks to you, you’d better check out the tour info on the band’s Facebook profile.
The rest of the album does not bring surprises; the band’s signature brand of leather-scented heavy metal should go down rather well for anyone with an affinity for the vintage sound of the 1980s. Of course, the production resonates with a tad more modern varnish but the songcraft is deliciously vintage – strong melodies, tight riffs, soaring guitar solos, sublime falsettos, and a general no-nonsense approach. “Ihmispyramidi” is a worthy addition to the gene pool of Finnish heavy metal, new wave or not.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Ihmispyramidi
- Lihaa mattoon!
- Uusi musta
- Uusikuu
- Miestä vahvempaa
- Rikotaan kaikki
- Yö syö minua
- Viimeinen portti
Lineup
Nahka-Sami – vocals, bass
Paha-Tapio – drums
Henkka – guitars
Label
Playground Music Finland
