Shadow Gallery - Tyranny - review
Shadow Gallery - Tyranny - review
Tracklist
01. Stiletto In The Sand (Jihad)02. War For Sale (January)
03. Out Of Nowhere (February)
04. Mystery
05. Hope For Us? (July)
06. Victims
07. Broken
08. I Believe (September) [feat. James LaBrie]
09. Roads Of Thunder
10. Spoken Words
11. New World Order [feat. DC Cooper]
12. Chased
13. Ghost Of A Chance (November)
14. Christmas Day
A review by
Dream Taster February 22, 2014
The album kicks things off in style with the intro "Stiletto in the Sand" leading right into "War for Sale", a duo of tracks very much written to put a stamp on their sound as prog power. Yet there is an inherent radio rock vibe to most of the songs that may divide listeners. If you are old enough to remember this time when progressive metal was starting to be a thing, well, Tyranny already has a special place in your heart.
The album features the classic lineup of Mike Baker (R.I.P.) on vocals, Gary Wehrkamp and Brendt Allman on guitars, Carl Cadden-James on bass guitar, Joe Nevolo on drums and Chris Ingles on keyboards. The result is indeed one of those genre-defining albums. Tyranny is an endless source of inspiration for generations of bands still to come. The musicianship is impressive, execution is flawless and all songs are intriguing. Did I mention Mike Baker was also one of the finest vocalists to grace music?
Overall, the magic of this album is encapsulated by songs with the power to move you like "Victims", "Broken", "I Believe" and "Spoken Words". A couple of featured appearances add another dimension to the album; James LaBrie (Dream Theater) pitches in on "I Believe" while DC Cooper (Royal Hunt) rocks the more traditional heavy metal track called "New World Order".
Shadow Gallery with their classic lineup deliver quite a performance. For most critics, Tyranny remains to this day their best effort to date. So many songs are exemplary by their structure and intrinsic beauty.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 22.02.2014 by
Written on 22.02.2014 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as:"A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?"
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Comments
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Yes, this album is grand 
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Great review... thanks. I think I am one of *very few* who actually preferred their follow-up, Legacy, which is way underrated, but I bought Tyranny back in 98 when it was released, when PM fans didn't have too many options, and it was like a breath of fresh air...
---- First gig was Manowar (loincloths 'n' all), Bristol Colston Hall in March 1983, on the 'Hail to England' tour. Tickets were £3.75, 300 in the audience, Mercyful Fate never showed, but my hearing still got seriously trashed..
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