Bible Black Tyrant - Encased In Iron (Album Review)

Release date: February 28th 2020. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Encased In Iron - Tracklisting

1.A Snowflake of Death's Denial 05:48

2.Valorous 04:11

3.Panic Inducer 06:57

4.Infinite Stages of Grief 03:01

5.Sickening Thrum 05:50

Members

Aaron D.C. Edge: Guitar / Bass / Cello / Midi / Vocals

Tyler Smith: Drum Kit

Review

Encased In Iron is the 2^nd release from Doom/Sludge Metal Duo – Bible Black Tyrant. A band which features members from bands such as LUMBAR and EAGLE TWIN. So that should tell you the calibre of musicians and bleak heavy grooves on what to expect on this album. Aaron D.C. Edge and Tyler Smith make up this bleak sounding unit and this is a much stronger follow-up than their 2018 debut album which I’m a huge fan of.

The band soon find their mission and rhythm on the excellent opening song – A Snowflake Of Death’s Denial – and it’s a gloomy nightmarish sound that allows Bible Black Tyrant to unleash their blend of Progressive Doom/Sludge/Blackened Post-Metal sounds that do sound eerie familiar to their other bands but with a dangerous vibe to them. Aaron’s vocals are “hellish” in tone and nature with the riffs striking the right balance of bleak sounds with elements of Post-Doom sounds appearing here and there.

Second song – Valorous – takes a more caustic approach to their music whilst retaining the bleak heavy atmosphere heard on the opening song but the band start adding some groovier aspects to their music which sounds quite unsettling at times but also offers a few moments of modern sounding Psychedelic Stoner Metal that also appeared on their debut album. The song adds church bells to mix which I didn’t expect and it was quite unsettling to hear especially in the overall context of the song.

Encased In Iron carry on their bleak and hard-hitting narrative on the rest of the album with pitch-black vocals and grooves leading the way and showcasing why Aaron and Tyler are quite highly thought of within the Doom/Sludge Metal community.

The other standout songs on the album are: Panic Inducer and Sickening Thrum which perhaps bring the most fearful and brutally sounding riffs on the album.

If you’re a fan of Eagle Twin and LUMBAR then Bible Black Tyrant is the place where you need to be and perhaps this album. As it’s a more focused record compared to their debut album with a lot more daring ideas despite it’s 26 minute short running time.

Encased In Iron is a fearless statement of intent from Bible Black Tyrant and takes no prisoners with it’s uncompromising blend of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal.

Awesome stuff….

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR for the promo. Encased In Iron is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records now.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Bible Black Tyrant - Regret Beyond Death (Album Review)

Release date: February 16th 2018. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD

Regret Beyond Death – Tracklisting

Instead of...

The Irony

New Verse Inferno

Regret Beyond Death

Wilderness of Steel and Stone

The Standard

A Terror to the Adversary

Members

Aaron D.C. Edge: Guitar / Bass / Vocals

Tyler Smith: Percussion

David S. Fylstra: Additional Guitar / Vocals / Soundscapes

Review

Bible Black Tyrant is the new group featuring members from Eagle Twin and Lumbar. Two bands who are well known for creating heavy doom/sludge riffs of their own. Though with this band, the mood is more psychedelic and progressive with a few flashes of Stoner Metal grooves being played to maximum effect. Their debut album Regret Beyond Death is a sludgy monolithic blast of Psychedelic Doom Metal and Progressive Metal sounds.

Opening track – Instead Of... - opens with a distant ambient/post-rock style of vocals before a simple sludgy doom riff appears before the intense vocals make their appearance known. The vocals are firmly within the Doom/Hardcore/Sludge Metal realm but you can still understand what they are singing about. This is always a good sign. The music is heavy and progressive whilst having a cool sounding post-rock/post-metal influence. When the band play a more psychedelic blend of music, the album suddenly becomes more hopeful with the gloomy atmospherics keeping the whole flow of the album quite melodic at times.

Second track - The Irony - is eight minutes of intense sounding progressive grooves with the band adding a cool build-up of sonic experimentation. The music does take influence from Neurosis at times but the song soon settles down into its own rhythm and that's perhaps down to the complex Stoner Metal parts that appear within the song. The vocals yet again are very exciting and quite precise in parts. The music soon moves into post-sludge/post-metallic territory. The lyrics are perhaps more depressing than they should be but this perhaps reflects the overall mood of the album and I admire the band's drive and vision for the overall theme of the album.

The following two tracks New Verse Inferno and Regret Beyond Death sees the band continue with their heavy progressive psychedelic dark sound. Both of these songs move between Doom and Sludge Metal, as the whole flow of the album continues with violent authority. The instrumental work is the standout part of the entire album. As Bible Black Tyrant are relentless in playing their blend of high voltage Doom/Sludge Metal.

The final three songs on the album Wilderness Of Steel And Stone, The Standard and A Terror To The Adversary offer the heaviest moments on the album with a more drone based atmosphere starting to appear on certain parts. Bible Black Tyrant still retain their brutal Doom/Sludge Metal identity but it's good to see that there is more to this band than the genre's standard sound.

The production of the album is superbly realised. As the whole sound of the album contains a threatening presence that's very hard to ignore and resist. You have to give the band credit from sounding very different to their more famous bands. I'm not calling Bible Black Tyrant a supergroup as I kinda hate that term. This is a band that stands on their own merits and convictions by creating a wonderful sounding and complex album. Bible Black Tyrant is a band you need to listen to.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Barbara at NeeCee Agency for the promo. Regret Beyond Death will be available to buy on CD/DD via Argonauta Records from February 16^th 2018.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp