Longtime post-punk vets from Madison WI laying down long-form slabs of bleak dynamics and left-wing outrage. Tyranny is Tyranny draws inspiration from the post-rock/post-metal hybrids of bands like Neurosis and Fall of Efrafa (or as one punter quipped: “like Explosions In The Sky… but metal!”) but can’t escape their background in the grinding Midwestern noiserock birthed by Amphetamine Reptile. As hinted at by the titular homage to historian Howard Zinn, the lyrical themes are an excoriation of capitalism. Slather yourself in despair. Russell Emerson Hall: guitar, vocals M. Guy Ficcioto: bass, trumpet, vocals Jonathan Brown: drums “Tyranny Is Tyranny have been moving away from the stormy, metal-edged post-rock of their 2013 debut. The songs on the new album, move at once toward more sparse post-punk influences and toward more open-ended, harmonically daring territory. Here, the heaviness scales back a bit, and space opens up, making way for slowly building melodies, unnerving group-vocal shouts, and some foreboding, mournful trumpet. There’s still a heavy underpinning to the band on the new album, but with an increasing emphasis on subtlety and dynamics, finding different ways to carve out an atmosphere rather than simply build up big emotional releases. While familiar Tyranny elements like dynamically deliberate guitars and excoriating vocals remain, this material has something a lot more spacious and unsettling built into it.” — TONE Madison Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.