Germany, home to some of the prime fathers of Speed and Thrash Metal in the 1980s, still seems to be churning out many new bands who pay homage to the old gods. After the great success of bands such as VULTURE in recent years, MECHANIC TYRANTS from Nuremberg in Bavaria set out in 2021 to conquer the Speed Metal throne once more. “St. Diemen Riots“ is their first full-length album, following the EP “Meanhattan“ (released in 2022) and the two singles ‘Speed Metal Guerrilla’ and ‘Above The Law’, which also came out this year and are featured on the album. According to the band’s Bandcamp website, “St. Diemen Riots is a half-part concept album in the same vein as RUSH‘s “2112”, spinning a dystopian tale set in the chaotic city of “Meanhattan“. This is a tale of rebellion, very appropriately chosen by a band creating music inspired by those who became legends of the Heavy Metal genre. Likening themselves to MEGADETH, JUDAS PRIEST, METALLICA and RUSH, MECHANIC TYRANTS are certainly aiming high. These bands, however influential on MECHANIC TYRANTS they might have been, are not the first ones which came to my mind when I listened to “St. Diemen Riots“. Speed Metal hopefuls such as VULTURE or ENFORCER might be a more apt comparison for most of the song material, with some of the tracks also venturing into other fields. Highlights of the album are ‘Ruins Of The Past’, ‘Sons Of Evil’ and ‘Above The Law’. These three songs sound more like traditional Heavy Metal, with the first having a strong touch of NIGHT DEMON (they have the same idols!), whereas ‘Sons Of Evil’ and ‘Above The Law’ even point towards the mighty IRON MAIDEN – no bad references, eh? The other tracks of the album are faster and less melodic, thus more consistent with the Speed Metal label the band gave themselves. Recommendations for this facet of the band’s sound would be ‘Tower 42’, ‘Murder At The Barricades’ and ‘Bad Seed’, with the melodic instrumental ‘Madrugada’ sticking out a bit. One particular characteristic of MECHANIC TYRANTS’ sound is precision – everything is very much to the point, without lengthy shredding or soloing. Also, the music is very atmospheric, much more than just a quick punch in the face (for example towards the end of ‘Ruins Of The Past’). The sound is rather polished, not raw; it seems very well-produced, not underground-like. Another item pointing towards a more traditional Heavy Metal sound is the singer’s voice, which sounds a bit like Ozzy, especially in ‘Sons Of Evil’; it is not the high-pitched screaming one might expect from a Speed Metal band. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if the band’s sound is more or less Speed Metal. In a time when many of the old heroes have quit already (KISS), with others still going strong (METALLICA, JUDAS PRIEST), it is always worthwhile to check out youngsters who might one day follow in their footsteps. MECHANIC TYRANTS, continue to reach for the sky – the future is yours! More info at: www.facebook.com/mechanictyrants, www.facebook.com/jawbreakerrecords