Review: Tyraels Ascension

Tyraels Ascension
Hell Walker
(Rottweiler Records)
Hell Walker just might be an anomaly among metalcore records. It’s metalcore through and through—shouted/screamed vocals, heavy breakdowns and chaotic chugga riffs. And yet, there’s a very—dare I say—metallic side to this band. For my own part, I get worn down by hardcore and metalcore bands calling themselves generically “metal.” It’s not that one genre is better than another, as if some kind of snobbish gatekeeping makes you cooler than someone else. But it is helpful when a band at least knows what kind of music they play.

The challenge with Tyraels Ascension is just how well they blur those lines. There is a decidedly and surprisingly metallic edge to their metalcore. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still metalcore. It’s just that I’m not used to hear lengthy acoustic interludes, like on “Descent,” a song about trying to be a functional adult while recovering from a dysfunctional childhood, all the while trying to comfort the parent who also had to endure the other’s rage:
I know I tried my best to be to be
the perfect son
tore me to pieces
now I am bitter
you don’t know
how much it consumed me
I’ll always hide this
cause you couldn’t take it

I’m also not used to hearing metallic leads borrowed from late 80s thrash or power metal, like those on “The Dead Lights.” Underneath the metallic riffs lie those crunchy metalcore guitars we might otherwise expect, with plenty of gang vocals to accompany. While the song is deeply personal it hints at another relationship where the narrator calls for someone to go deeper, to take charge of their own life rather than being a passenger in it:
The problem lies
In the confines
Of a man who’d rather
Stay inside than alive
The iron bars
Are the canvas

The question for the listener, or at least for this writer, is whether the iron bars are literal (someone in jail or prison), or figuratively represent someone in a prison of their own choosing, refusing to come out of their shell of protection into something more vulnerable and authentic.

“Prelude to War” offers another acoustic passage, this time in the form of full track interlude, which sets up “The Art of War” which again features lots of traditional heavy metal guitar noodling. I dare to suggest that my ears hear a tiny bit of Eddie Van Halen somewhere in the leads, and yet it’s not overstated or cheesy in any way.
“When the Hero Dies” quite literally addresses the death of a close friend, with the implication being of suicide:
The pain of knowing
You are gone
Cuts so deep
What could be so wrong
To walk out outside
With such intent
Never to see them again
I know that you were hurting
Quietly under the surface
Too young and vibrant
Someone stop the silence

The pain in the track is tangible, and yet hope is offered, however dim it may seem:
Although I will not blame you
There is something I will say
So many people loved you
Help was a call away

It’s really difficult to attempt a song about such a somber subject, and yet this one is tastefully done.

“Holy Fire” deals with decision-making and setting goals on one’s trajectory:
Surround yourself
With those who
Would not leave your side
At the most troubling times
…
Reflections
You hold the shards
Of shattered mirrors
From past wanderers
It’s for you to decide

While in many ways, the track is one of the most straight-forward in the metalcore genre, it still has a quasi-melodic guitar approach in the riffing. “Cutting Ties” follows a similar pace and riffing style, which is also then taken up by “Twin Angels.” Lyrically and thematically these songs continue along the common threads of personal decisions, negotiating past trauma and dysfunctional relationships while taking responsibility for one’s own actions:
I can’t stop running
It came and went
The days that shaped me
Are never coming back
Stuck in the past
Lost in the present
The future frightens
The door is open

The final two tracks find the band slowing down the pace and becoming even more reflective . . . well sort of. “Inferno” begins with a moody and lengthy guitar intro before ripping into a fast-paced riff, with . . . you guessed it—lots of metallic influence. The song is over 8 minutes long and features a lengthy clean guitar outro, which fits the introspective mood perfectly. The final track is an instrumental piece that rounds things
out nicely.

The more I listen to Hell Walker and comb through the lyrics, it hits me almost like a concept album, and becomes clear that the title—hell walker—is less about demons,
devils, or dragons or any such thing, and more about the trauma and deep anguish our narrator (presumably a band member/songwriter) has endured and the choices they’ve had to make to become a healthy, whole human being. Both the concept and the music itself set Tyraels Ascension ahead of the metalcore pack. There are no gimmicks here, just highly reflective lyrics and uncharacteristically strong musicianship from a band whose heavy metal roots are deep, and who are not afraid to show them.
Rating: 4/5

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