Review Summary: An oft-overlooked album of fully formed, polished British heavy metal.
Another day, another unheralded gem of a British heavy metal album. It’s a miracle that anyone even managed to hear this, Tytan's first and only full-length album, and one of just two releases in their all-too-short early-1980s career. Recorded in 1982 for Kamaflage Records, the label's folding the next year precipitated the breakup of the band, before the master tapes were miraculously unearthed and released by Metal Masters under the title of "Rough Justice" - a fitting name, if anything. All the more regrettable, too, given that of all the NWOBHM bands which have come and gone over the years, Tytan arguably came the closest to qualifying as a bona-fide supergroup. Bandleader, keyboardist and bassist Kevin Riddles served a tour of duty in the original incarnation of Angel Witch before departing from that outfit when live gigs started drying up - and in a surprise twist of fate, ex-Judas Priest drummer Les Binks was drafted in to replace Dave Dufort (who himself was another Angel Witch refugee). Yes, the very same Les Binks who lent Priest an extra dimension of heaviness and has more chops than a pig farm; things are already looking on the up, aren't they? The real wildcard here, however, is Scottish vocalist Kal Swan. While it is undeniable that his full-throttle voice bears an uncanny resemblance to that of David Coverdale, he also packs more of everything that is good and great. With the lineup filled out by guitarists Steve Gibbs and Steve Mann (along with some parts performed by Dave Harrison), pedigree certainly abounds - but the question is, are the songs any good?
Fear not, for they certainly are. Opening signature-song-and-single all in one "Blind Men and Fools" is easily the album’s top pick; introduced by the grand synthesisers of Riddles before settling into a rock-solid rhythm showing Binks and Riddles working in perfect lock-step, driven by Swan's strident vocal, lyrics condemning the warmongering of the then-current British government, tasty harmonies, a healthy dose of melodicism, and most of all, a riff so good that the band revisits it almost verbatim - albeit filtered through the influence of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" - on the ultra-heavy "Rude Awakening", which also ups the ante in the lead guitar department and closes side one with commendable ferocity. Between those two cuts, however, Tytan manages to sound rather similar to their contemporaries, namely the Tygers of Pan Tang (see "Ballad of Edward Case" and "Cold Bitch"), although that itself is hardly an indictment of their songwriting abilities. On the other hand, "Money for Love" is a competent, if commercial synthesiser-driven number, and "Women on the Frontline" marries this contemporary sound to their influences - namely, the riff which is strongly reminiscent of Thin Lizzy's "Angel from the Coast" - and as with the opening track, a socially conscious lyric which earned them approval (and backing vocals) from Jody Turner of Rock Goddess fame.
Side two doesn't hold up as well, but nevertheless makes a valiant effort with "The Watcher", which again is driven by Swan's vocal, could never be accused of lacking in the riff department, and features a tasteful keyboard break courtesy of Riddles. Better yet, three minutes in, it shifts into top gear for an ass-kicking display of galloped riffing and a second solo, while the whole track is a jaw-dropping masterclass of Binks' drumming, particularly his excellent double-bass technique. "Far Cry", while an otherwise competent number, has the unfortunate fate of being saddled between the excellent previous track, and the even better "Sadman", which begins with clean-picked guitar, more Riddles bass/keyboard backing, and a delicate Swan falsetto before suddenly erupting into a completely devastating Sabbath-esque riff plucked straight from "Children of the Sea", which also sees Swan reaching for his upper octaves and turning in a positively hair-raising performance, before the song finishes as it began. Unfortunately, Rough Justice is more or less entirely spent after this Herculean effort; thus, the last three cuts, "Forever Gone", "Don't Play Their Way", and "Far Side of Destiny" range from merely competent to ultimately forgettable. However, it is at this point that one realises this album runs for 47 minutes, a length of time usually only reserved for NWOBHM kings Iron Maiden. Given that Tytan had gone the way of the dodo at this point, little blame can be doled out for all parties involved wanting to get all the material released as soon as possible.
Sadly, this story ends like most NWOBHM bands of the era did; it could be said that most musicians in this scene walked with one foot in the grave of obscurity. Binks, having made a name for himself with Judas Priest, was obviously immune to this, but the others were not. Kal Swan managed to move to the United States and form the glam metal band Lion with drummer Mark Edwards of Steeler fame, and future Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich, before finally succumbing to the curse of obscurity when Lion folded after a horrific motocross accident broke Edwards' neck, and retiring from music altogether. Fortunately, Tytan reformed with a new lineup (of which Riddles is the only original member) and began touring again, delivering these classic songs to a new generation. Any red-blooded British heavy metal fan deserves to hear them.
