Burned in Effigy – Tyrannus Aeternum Review
By ClarkKent
On their debut, Rex Mortem, the king was dead, but on Burned in Effigy’s sophomore effort, Tyrannus Aeternum, the king is now eternal. Their brand of neo-classical melodeath impressed Holdeneye three years ago—he hailed the debut as a mix of “brutal and beautiful.” However, he showed a rare moment of restraint in scoring Rex Mortem just shy of the vaunted 4.0, and plenty of commenters felt it should have earned that extra notch. Melodeath acts are a dime a dozen, and they don’t always successfully elevate themselves above the generic. So when Burned in Effigy infused their songs with virtuoso-level guitar melodies that emulated classical compositions, they quickly rose above the pack. At just a tidy 32 minutes, fans wanted moar, and now they seek to deliver—moar songs, moar length—on Tyrannus Aeternum.
Be careful what you wish for—moar is not always better. While there are certainly more songs, this album of neo-classical melodeath is notably shy of the neo-classical riffs that made the debut so electric. Tyrannus Aeternum hews a little too close to Burned in Effigy’s main source of inspiration, The Black Dahlia Murder, and some tracks, like “Masquerade,” sound like they could have come straight off of Abysmal or Nighbringers. This isn’t to say there’s nothing to enjoy. The front half has good energy and concise song lengths, even if most of the songs don’t hit quite as hard as anything on the debut. Plus, the record sounds great. The dual guitar approach remains impressive—there’s still plenty of noodly stuff and some melodic riffs that will remind you of the debut. As usual, Smedy’s vocal attack provides a lot of character, as he alternates between Strnad-like rasps and throaty growls. The kit work by Eddie Dec is a particular standout. His speedy, muscular blast beats steal the show on “Sacrificial Seance” and “Monstrosity Reborn.”
One of Rex Mortem’s strengths was its conciseness, and on Tyrannus Aeternum, Burned in Effigy introduce some bloat. It’s not that 45 minutes is necessarily too long, but where songs on the debut hit the 3-4 minute sweet spot, here they often drag on too long. This gets worse on the back half, where most tracks top five minutes. This final stretch becomes wearying, except for the fantastic “The Racking.” The back half also shifts away from the energetic melodeath and more into death-doom territory. These songs still have plenty of good moments, but the lack of hooks makes some of them, frankly, boring. The final two tracks represent the worst stretch on the record. It would have been better to end on the high note of “The Racking” rather than make us wade through an extra ten minutes of forgettable tunes.
Burned in Effigy show signs of their former selves on the two standout tracks, but it takes until song number five, “Wage of Exile,” to get there. The song opens with a neo-classical melodic lead—finally!—and doesn’t let up the energy until ending on the thematically appropriate, “Long live the king!” As good as this is, it’s “The Racking” that steals the show. It sounds fresh and lively, employing a wide variety of guitar techniques—melodic leads, tremolos, and even a neo-classical bass line—as well as some classical strings to keep it sounding fresh and energetic. Tyrannus Aeternum also has a couple of one-minute interludes where Burned in Effigy are at their most experimental musically. “Procession” takes a brief break with some upbeat Spanish guitar, while “Gallows Hymn” is more whimsical and cinematic, sounding like it could find a home on the score for Wednesday. Since these interludes precede the two best tunes on Tyrannus Aeternum, one could argue they should have included more of them.
Sadly, this is probably the biggest disappointment of the year for me. There’s a part of me that wonders if I’m more down on this just because it doesn’t live up to its predecessor. Yet, if this were the debut instead, I don’t think Burned in Effigy would have garnered as much attention. Nonetheless, there’s plenty to enjoy on Tyrannus Aeternum, and plenty to show that Rex Mortem wasn’t a fluke. This feels like a band still trying to shore up its own identity, and hopefully, by the next go-around, they’ll have a better grasp on who they are and return to their exciting roots.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025
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