Sometimes the back story is a lot better than the story itself. And when it comes to Tytan and their album “Rough Justice”. The back story is really the only one worth telling.
Back in 2012, my wife and I returned to Japan for the second time together. My wife, a native of the Tokyo area where the entirety of her family still calls home, doesn’t go back nearly as often as we’d like. So when we do manage to visit. We make sure to spend plenty of time with her parents, sisters and nephew. On that last visit, we spent four days in the home where she grew up. One day while cleaning up her old bedroom. We came across a few bags of records from various NYC record stores. Two of which closed by the mid 90’s. Within the bags were numerous Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy records. All of the classics. Most of which were still sealed in their original state, complete with the store bags and the yellowing receipts. The story goes that while still fresh off the boat and attending college in Missouri. She hopped a bus to New York to catch a few concerts, take in some sights a do a little record shopping before Greyhounding it back to school. After graduating she returned to Japan with said records to work before eventually returning to the USA and New York City to work towards her Masters in Computer Science at Columbia University. Amazingly enough the records she bought during her trip to downtown NYC had travelled back to Missouri and on to Tokyo Japan where they rested in the cabinet of her bedroom bookcase for a good twenty plus years.
Since returning home with vinyl in tow back in January 2013, Those records have gone unheard and untouched. That is until today when I picked Tytan’s “Rough Justice” out of the pile. Honestly, I knew nothing of this band before pulling it from the shelf and dropping the needle on it. One song in and I felt as if I’d heard more than I ever wanted. While the albums cover brings to mind Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Molly Hatchet. The music itself is lame, tame and bane. Reminding me more of Pop Metal acts like Europe. Lucky for me, this platter had so many bumps, bruises and scratches. I wasn’t able to get much further. While this 1985 release remains their sole full length to date. The band, one that was a big part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Movement in the early 80’s. Seems to have an interesting history. I left a link below where you can read more about the album, the band and it’s membership. For me personally, one song was two songs too much. I might decide to keep this around as documentation of my wife’s questionable taste in music. Let the blackmail begin. * JD
- Side A; Blind Men and Fools, Money For Love, Women on the Frontline, Cold Bitch, Ballad of Edward Case, Rude Awakening
- Side B; The Watcher, Far Cry, Sadman, Forever Gone, Don’t Play that Way, Far Side of Destiny
- Year; 1985
- Format; 12′ LP
- Label; Metal Masters
- Encyclopedia Metallum
document fanzine 