{"id":30988,"date":"2015-04-20T00:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T00:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=30988"},"modified":"2015-06-11T12:36:21","modified_gmt":"2015-06-11T12:36:21","slug":"album-review-tysondog-cry-havoc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-tysondog-cry-havoc\/","title":{"rendered":"TYSONDOG – Cry Havoc (2015) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

TYSONDOG
Cry Havoc<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nRocksector (2015)<\/span>
Rating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I was first introduced to Geordie metallers Tysondog way back in 1988 when a friend recorded onto cassette for me (don\u2019t tell the police!) their 1986 opus Crimes Of Insanity<\/em>. I was instantly hooked by the excellent combination of thrashing metal and that New Wave Of British Heavy Metal groove, but in spite of my interest in the band, I was dismayed to learn that Crimes Of Insanity was to be their last album and that the band had already split in 1987. <\/p>\n

And so it comes with some joy to announce that Tysondog has returned, and Cry Havoc<\/em> is the result; a 12-track menu of hard, metallic and muscular anthems once again mixing thrash nuances with traditional metal gallops.<\/p>\n

Thank goodness bands of this ilk and my generation are returning to put the kids into their place, and even more joyous that the new line-up features three original members; vocalist Clutch Carruthers, guitarist Paul Burdis and bassist Kevin Wynn. These hungry veterans are now joined by drummer Phil Brewis and second axeman Steve Morrison. <\/p>\n

Of course, Cry Havoc<\/em> isn\u2019t the first sign of life since their resurrection. In 2012, Tysondog decided to re-record four of their classics under the title of Hammerhead 2012<\/em>, although in my opinion those original gems should always remain untouched and captured in that moment. Nevertheless, let\u2019s concentrate on the now and Cry Havoc<\/em>; a storming return if ever there was one.<\/p>\n

The combo are unleashed once again to the racing strains of the title track, which begins with a soundtrack of swirling police car sirens and then a plundering bass before the outfit sets off like a greyhound out of the traps and after the rabbit. The guitar, bass and drum gallop in classy metal fashion, but also boast a somewhat streetwise edge. Why this reminds me of cult Kentucky metallers Kinghorse I\u2019ll never know. Maybe it\u2019s the bruising, gritty edge to the vocals or the steely riffage, but either way, it\u2019s a fantastic way to announce your return to the fray. <\/p>\n

Thankfully, the band doesn\u2019t relent; the metallic foraging continues with superb injections of melody, cool lyrics and a passion that today\u2019s bands of youth could never match. As Carruthers belches out \u201cWar!\u201d<\/em> and a solo comes blistering into the ears, we\u2019re transported back to the hazy 80s. Maybe that\u2019s the production, which some could argue lets the album down, but for me it puts that raw edge onto proceedings as the combo hurls itself into the trudging \u2018The Needle\u2019 with its mid-tempo juggernaut riff and damaging bass trundle. Indeed, the band lives up to its moniker, swinging in hostile fashion like heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson at his peak and yet with all the knowing of a bloodthirsty hound about to rip out the throat of its prey. \u2018The Needle\u2019 brings bigger melody than \u2018Cry Havoc\u2019, however, at times flirting with AC\/DC and, say, Accept, but with a bigger dose of menace than both combined. <\/p>\n

\u2018Parasite\u2019 hits hard immediately with its slamming percussion and buzzing riff, while \u2018Nemesis\u2019 simmers into action, hinting at an almost typical, earthy brand of 80s thrash with a strong, sleazy rock edge given all the more credibility by Carruther\u2019s vocal slant. <\/p>\n

Indeed, you could be forgiven that Tysondog has just grabbed a bunch of its unreleased tracks from the 1980s and marched them straight onto vinyl without any reworking, but in this respect it works very much in their favour as \u2018Nemesis\u2019 prowls in sinister fashion, while \u2018Shadow Of The Beast\u2019 comes speeding with such a ferocious and gnawing nature that when Carruthers barks \u201cBlack clouds amassing overhead\u201d<\/em> and \u201cDark angels sent to raise the dead\u201d<\/em>, one can only become part of his world which is backed up by that trickling bass-line. <\/p>\n

Like every track on offer here though, once it builds, it is clear as to why Tysondog impressed me so much upon first listen back in 1988. Pick any track on this record and you\u2019ll be rewarded with a sound that, while dredging the depths of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene, still holds its own in other waters too, whether it be darker-laced doomier metal or thrashier nuances. The likes of \u2018Into The Void\u2019, \u2018Relentless\u2019, \u2018Broken\u2019 \u2013 with its excellent atmospheric introduction \u2013 and \u2018Crash And Burn\u2019 are timely reminders as to why we should never forget bands of this ilk; while they may have been ignored and pushed out at the time by serious competition, there is clearly room for them in today\u2019s climate to shine. Cry Havoc<\/em> is a natural progression for Tysondog and I hope it\u2019s not just me excited by such a cacophony.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TYSONDOGCry Havoc Rocksector (2015)Rating: 8.5\/10 I was first introduced to Geordie metallers Tysondog way back in 1988 when a friend recorded onto cassette for me (don\u2019t tell the police!) their 1986 opus Crimes Of Insanity. I was instantly hooked by the excellent combination of thrashing metal and that New Wave Of British Heavy Metal groove, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tysondog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30988"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31013,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30988\/revisions\/31013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}