The UK extreme metal underground has been producing some genuinely exceptional work in recent years, and Tyrannus are very much part of that conversation. Not only does Mournhold carry their previous work forward, but it substantially expands it.

A BAR SET HIGH

Mournhold begins with Violent Inheritance, itself a genuine statement. The track builds from an initial sonic swell before the band snap into focus with an assault that immediately tells you what kind of record this is going to be. The dramatic range of the piece is what impresses most — tempo and intensity shift in sudden, decisive ways, punishing thrash riffing giving way to cold melodic passages and then a punk-driven mid-section that hits like a slap. When the lead work arrives, it is absolutely blistering, and Cant’s vocals carry a controlled ferocity throughout. For an album opener, it sets the bar deliberately high, and what follows clears it.

Orbus Non Sufficit — which translates from the Latin as “the world is not enough” — takes a slightly different approach, leaning into classic black metal atmosphere while maintaining the sharpness and aggression of the opener. The riff work here is genuinely menacing, sitting beneath tremolo passages that build with real purpose into something eerie and powerful. The track does not rush to any conclusion; it earns its intensity methodically, and the payoff is substantial. If Violent Inheritance announces Tyrannus, this track demonstrates the depth of their craft.

HARD-DRIVING RHYTHMS

Seizing Stars is Mournhold in its most direct mode, leaning deep into the hard-driving rhythms and sharp riffing of classic thrash in a way that makes it irresistible to move to. It does not need to be complicated, and it is not. It just needs to hit hard and keep moving, and it does both exceptionally well.

Flesh Eternal arrives and shifts the whole mood of the record in the most welcome way. Harley’s bass opens the track with a melodic groove that sets an entirely different kind of scene before the band pulls things into post-punk and deathrock territory — a genuinely unexpected direction that works completely. The way the track then pivots back into full black metal intensity is brilliantly handled, the transition earning its impact precisely because of how far the song had moved away from it. Lyrically, this one deals in the territory of the body as something alien and threatening, weaving themes of horror and fixation that give the track an unsettling quality that lingers.

FULL THROTTLE

Reignfall was chosen as the first single, and it is not hard to see why. This is Tyrannus with the throttle fully open, a direct and unrelenting thrash assault built on riffs that cut with real intent, Cant’s vocals delivering each line with focused force. The guitar soloing in the second half is something quite special, possessing an almost otherworldly quality that lifts the track well above the already high waterline it had established. The music video premiere at Invisible Oranges was a well-chosen platform for a song this strong, and if this was the first thing you heard from Mournhold, it would have been more than enough to bring you back for the full record.

Mournhold plants itself firmly in death metal territory, Cant’s vocal delivery adding to an instrumental section that is dense and driving from the outset. What develops is a track with a momentum that genuinely takes hold, building into a close that is completely unrelenting and leaves very little room to breathe delivering pure controlled aggression at the moment the album needs it most.

A BROAD SONIC PALETTE

Back to Grey is the longest piece on the record at around seven and a half minutes, and it absolutely earns its runtime. It opens on a patient, melodic passage that takes its time establishing a genuinely haunting atmosphere before the rest of the band steps in and the track accelerates into something much heavier and more urgent. The interplay between the atmospheric and aggressive elements across these seven minutes is where Tyrannus show the full range of their abilities as a band — Codling and Cant’s guitar work is particularly impressive here, layering textures that give the track a real sense of scale. It ends as it opened, giving the album a cyclical quality that feels deliberate and considered. A brilliant closer.

Tyrannus have broadened their sonic palette significantly here without losing any of the identity that made Unslayable worth paying attention to in the first place. The death-thrashing black metal core remains the foundation, but the post-punk textures, the deathrock inflexions, the synth presence, and the compositional ambition all add layers that make this a richer and more rewarding listen than their debut. The performances are exceptional across the board — Dunn’s drumwork provides a rock-solid foundation that handles the dynamic shifts with real authority, and the collective backing vocals that run throughout the record add a depth that rewards careful listening.

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