Tyrannosaurus Nebulous – Tyrant Lizard King

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Since their formation in 2012, TYRANNOSAURUS NEBULOUS have gone from strength to strength. They released their debut EP “Deal with My Evil” in the summer of 2016. Six years later and two singles are revealed called “Deal With My Evil” and “Magnetar”, which are set to appear on their highly anticipated first album. The British hard rock four piece unveiled “Tyrant Lizard King” on March 25^th, 2022, via Echoed Past Records.

The first track on the release is “Get Some”, which starts off well with the introduction of a classic rock style riff. Matt Derby’s vocals on this single are truly fantastic, really showing off his vocal ability to the fullest. The chorus is catchy and memorable to say the least, with the riffs really making this track complete. “Underdog” begins with an electrifying guitar riff – certainly head bop worthy! As the track evolves, the riffs get more and more progressive in nature. “Lead Foot” begins with an AIRBOURNE style guitar riff, which is sure to get you moving in no time! When Matt Derby’s vocals kick in, he immediately sounds like METALLICA’s lead vocalist JAMES HETFIELD. This is most definitely one of the highlights of the album so far, the addictive riffs and outstanding vocals just make this song one to remember!

“Hate You” begins on a slightly different note with a BLACK STONE CHERRY style riff taking the lead. This song has a very old school feel about it, which most certainly isn’t a bad thing! It almost has a BLACK SABBATH vibe – it’s great to hear TYRANNOSAURUS NEBULOUS experiment with a range of different styles in this album. “Deal With My Evil” has a METALLICA feel about it, with the introduction sounding exactly like “Nothing Else Matters”. This is another fantastic track, which is worth a listen! “Raw Deal” contains a thumping riff at the beginning, which is sure to be another crowd pleaser live. This is another track that emulates BLACK SABBATH in parts, with Matt Derby sounding very similar to OZZY OSBOURNE.

“Auto Pilot” is on the same realm, with the riffs most certainly being the highlight of this record! I really like how Matt Derby’s vocals seem to be different on the majority of the singles on this release – it’s great to hear him sing in a variety of styles and change things up. “Magnetar” takes me back to the classic rock genre again. Even though this was one of the standalone singles released leading up to the album, this could be a little better. I feel like this track lacks memorability, whereas others are catchy and infectious. Next up is “TLK I: Extinction”, where the vocals instantly sound like DISTURBED’s DAVID DREIMAN. The spoken vocals and synths near the end also add a touch of individuality. This is the first of a three-part musical series within the album and it most certainly delivers!

“TLK II: Retaliation” is a clear follow-up to the last. This song is clearly based around an astronomical catastrophe. The news report style spoken interlude at the end really makes the track complete, adding a dramatic nature. The instrumentals within “TLK III: Redemption” are fantastic throughout, really highlighting the musical talent of guitarist Paul Derby. It really feels as though the last three tracks tell a clear story, therefore progressing naturally as a result. The final track on the album is “Never Gonna Be”, which begins with an emotional riff – just as memorable as all the others! This is a remarkable ending to the release, as you can really hear Matt Derby pouring out his emotions.

Overall, this is a great hard rock effort from TYRANNOSAURUS NEBULOUS. You can really tell that the band have been together for a good amount of time, as the work is just so polished. I would highly recommend this body of work to anyone that has not heard of TYRANNOUSAURUS NEBULOUS before now and would like to give them a try. The album embodies influences from iconic artists we all know and love such as METALLICA, but in their own unique way. “Tyrant Lizard King” is varied and has memorability, that’s for sure. A definite winner in my book!



Songwriting: 7
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 7
Production: 8