Review: TYFON’S DOOM – Emperor’s Path

TYFON’S DOOM Emperor’s Path
Gates Of Hell Records

Tyfon’s Doom is listed as a heavy metal band hailing from Tampere, Finland on Metallum:The Metal Archives. Since my introduction to metal and the multiplicity of its genres, I can say with 100% certainty that I have rarely ever been disappointed by any Finish metal act; from world renowned Nightwish (minus Endless Forms Most Beautiful) to obscure underground occultist Archgoat (whom have risen to a substantial degree of recognition) have always be consistent in the quality of music put forth for the masses to consume. That being said Tyfon’s Doom 2017 release, Emperor’s Path keeps this long run of quality music from Finland close at heart. The best way to describe the music existing on the album would be a modern blend of traditional heavy metal, folk metal and power metal. This unique mix is not what I was expecting; however, given the proficiency to which the instrumentation and compositions are handled I have nothing but good words to bestow upon Emperor’s Path.

Folk metal isn’t usually high on my list of metal to go seeking, and though I love traditional heavy metal, as of the last few years it has become one of the more stagnating genres to breed bands at a rapid pace. Bands that are both good and shitty, competent and incompetent, intriguing and bland, have all surfaced on the scene thus making it almost impossible to locate the acts worth 45 minutes of your time and $20 of your money. Tyfon’s Doom fall into the category that deems the performance worthy of admiration and even credible example of how to create great music. Every offering on Emperor’s Path differentiates from the other thus giving the listener a memorable experience in the joy of being able to recall each song and specific highlights of that particular entry on the record. The folk elements can be heard clearly in the vocals that sound very sailor-esque, they don’t overlap into the comedic territory of what one may find on an Ensiferum album, nor do they sound cheerfully cheesy. The vocal output resonates with more raspy and organic elements of enunciation that adds a significant degree of seriousness and relativity of Emperor’s Path . There are various tones that emerge whilst engaging in the listening of the record; “Tyrant’s Sceptre” and “The Hidden Hand” showcase Tyfon’s Doom ability to write catchy choruses that flow well with the rhythm of the guitars. “Sea of Life” offers a gratifying guitar solo that ushers in the band’s ability to neatly arrange the instrumentation occurring whilst simultaneously building the atmosphere to the point which the artwork and the music match. It’s a welcome treat to the ears when any band maintains the feeling from the inception of the first song on the album to the last track.

The guitar playing is tender when it needs to be; such as on the track “Endless War”, that brings to light a softer side of the installments featured on Emperor’s Path. It is also within this aspect one can discern the power metal influences being brought forth. You can hear the soaring soloing that resembles the style of some early power metal bands the likes of Lost Horizon (Sweden), etc. Though some aspects are reminiscent to other kinds of metal bands, every song has a unique touch, a sense of identity and individual personality present; therefore when engraved, leaves the listener with a feeling of originality. Depending on the genre, when songs readily mirror each other note-wise or structurally, the listener may easily fall into boredom, thus plummeting the album into an irreversible state of repetition and eventually failure. Glad that’s not the matter on Emperor’s Path due to the diverse range of motion, technique and structure established early on and satisfactorily kept throughout the record’s playtime. All this could not be possible had the production faltered or was substandard. The clean mixing of the drums, guitars and vocals played a major role in the success of this 2017 gem that many supporters of the genre failed to give attention to. It molded the audibility of the musicianship with a magical aura whilst distributing varying degrees of melody thus enforcing a strong possibility of musical memorability.

It’s hard to believe Emperor’s Path was released in 2017; for a modern traditional heavy metal album it has the distinguishing elements of power metal and folk metal cohesively mixed and sounds worthy of the the early 90’s. Tommi Varsala deserves more recognition for the work put into the composing of Emperor’s Path, he has exhibited musical competence thus creating a sparkling jewel for the genre to behold.

Favorite tracks:
“Tyrant’s Sceptre”
“The Hidden Hand”
“Sea of Life”
“The Rider from Abandoned Town”
“Rising Earth”