It's hard to ignore instinct when it comes calling. The howl echoes through the darkened woods of your psyche until it reaches the juicy nuclei of the amygdala and triggers a response - which is when you either flee or bare your teeth. When facing the unknown one can only rely on instinct, and if you're reading this, then perhaps you've followed the right one - whichever one it might have been - for it brought you face to face with Metal.

Heavy Metal is an undeniable force - and one to be reckoned with. At its simplest form it carries itself like a troubled beast amongst feeble creatures of the herd - a lone alpha with no care for a pack which roams through the distorted fields like a transcendental nomad looking to shock and inspire with its leathery grittiness. TYFON'S DOOM is certainly one such ragged pureblood, yet whilst "Yeth Hound's" howls may have been heard back in the days of Metal yore, they will most likely be ignored today.

Release the hounds! My apologies; I simply could not resist. Nevertheless, this EP does have a bit of bite to it - one that is unfortunately stifled by the lacklustre production values; but more on that later. As the title track break the chains we are treated to some grainy albeit elegant IRON MAIDEN-inspired compositional grandeur. The guitar licks are excitingly venomous and sting at blitzing velocities whilst being thrust forward by faint yet formidable rhythmic backing. Beyond the aforementioned MAIDEN-esque NWOBHM axe wielding - which includes a fitting solo - you can also note a Thrash-like urgency in the underlying riffing that is quite reminiscent of "Kill 'Em All" era METALLICA.

The spirit of recalcitrance is certainly strong on this one and the Heavy Metal edge soon gets sharpened on the wet stone of Hardcore Punk as "Still Here" and "Rockers" indulge the listener with a tasteful blend of the two genre whilst maintaining integrity in both. "Gate to New Reality" then gallops back into the aforementioned NWOBHM territory with exiting guitar phrasing that gets to shine above all in the extended, inspired instrumental jam sections before racing off into the distance with another Metal standard that is "Galactic Flash/Last Ray of Light".

Now...this record is indeed solid. "Yeth Hound" is full of Metal virtue and heritage, and it plants its feet confidently in the footprints of the masters, alas, that is all it does. "Yeth Hound" is an apt homage to the greats and a cool underground piece of nostalgia that carries that evocative musty scent of an old vinyl sleeve. It is cool in the moment of discovery but is a chore to listen to after a few minutes. The instrumental talents of Tommi Varsala are indeed commendable and perhaps the almost non-existent production values do in-fact make this album resonate like an old 12 inch - the sound is somewhat evocative of W.A.S.P.'s "The Headless Children" - but the abysmal mix sinks this otherwise adequate ode into murky waters.

Overall - this would've probably been a respectable offering (or a well-aged vintage find) were it a product of a different time. Unfortunately, TYFON'S DOOM's "Yeth Hound" doesn't rise beyond the ranks of a passion project and will most be left to roam alone down its road of sentiments.