Tytan was formed at the height of the
new wave of British heavy metal in the autumn of 1981 by the former
Angel Witch rhythm section, bassist
Kevin Riddles and drummer
Dave Dufort (ex-
E. F. Band), Scottish vocalist
Norman 'Kal' Swan, and guitarists
Steve Gibbs and
Glasgow-born Stewartie Adams. The latter unfortunately had to leave the band and Gary Owens (ex-
A II Z, Aurora) had a brief stay before
Steve Mann (ex-Liar,
Lionheart) joined. Signed to Kamaflage Records, a subsidiary of DJM, Tytan recorded their first album at
Ramport Studios in
Battersea with Will Reid-Dick manning the boards. Former
Judas Priest and
Lionheart drummer
Les Binks joined the band just in time for the recording, in place of Dave Dufort. Jody Turner of
Rock Goddess made a guest vocal appearance on the song
Women On The Frontline. Binks would be replaced by Tony Boden on the band's October 1982 UK tour with the
Tygers of Pan Tang. He left shortly thereafter, to be replaced by future
Dio and
AC/DC drummer
Simon Wright (ex-
Tora Tora, A II Z, Aurora). Kamaflage folded before the album was released but managed to release the single 'Blind Men and Fools' in both 7" and 12" formats in September 1982. The band split up the following summer. Vocalist Kal Swan moved to
Los Angeles, where he formed the band
Lion with former
Lone Star guitarist Tony Smith, whose replacement was
Doug Aldrich.
Steve Mann returned to
Lionheart. In 1985, London-based label Metal Masters released the shelved Tytan tapes as the
Rough Justice LP. A Japanese CD bootleg followed in the early 1990s, before Majestic Rock Records gave the album an official CD re-issue in 2004 and again in 2006, with four BBC 'Friday Rock Show' live session tracks ('Cold Bitch', 'The Watcher', 'Far Side of Destiny' and 'Blind Men and Fools') and a live DVD added as bonuses with the second edition. In 2012, an invitation to perform at Keep It True XV Festival in Germany saw Tytan reform with a revised line-up. Joining original band members Kevin Riddles, Steve Gibbs and Steve Mann were vocalist Tom Barna (from the band Diamond Faith), Andrew Thompson on keyboards, and Angel Witch drummer Andrew Prestidge. Steve Gibbs left the band in early 2014. Drummers Chris Benton and then Mikey Ciancio joined during 2012 and 2013 respectively, and between 2015 and 2017 James Wise took over the role, followed by Seth Markes. Meanwhile, Dave Strange joined on guitar in November 2014, when Steve Mann departed. Dave Strange was replaced in 2021 by guitarist Peter Welsh. Welsh left Tytan in 2022 and went on to join nwobhm band
More. Tom Barna's replacement, Tony Coldham, performed his last show with the band on 13 October 2018, as he had decided to concentrate on his other outfit, The Deep. In December 2018, the band recruited vocalist Grant Foster. In 2021, Tony Coldham returned to Tytan lineup and left again in 2024 to concentrate on The Deep. In 2017, Tytan released a follow-up album to
Rough Justice,
Justice Served, through German label High Roller Records. At the same time, the company also re-issued the group's out-of-print debut album,
Rough Justice. Original bassist Kevin Riddles died on 4 July 2025, at the age of 68. == Discography ==