Two of the NWOBHM bands busy on the circuit, Tytan and Kevin Riddles’ Baphomet, are looking for a guitarist to join both bands. There are a number of shows booked in the UK and Europe for each, and the third Tytan album is in the works.
Kevin Riddles’ Baphomet finds the bassist paying homage to his Angel Witch days. Born in 1976, just a few years after Led Zeppelin’s debut, Angel Witch, alongside Iron Maiden, spearheaded the NWOBHM movement. Their first show was a sold-out evening at The Dev on December 11, 2021.
In an earlier interview, Kev spoke of his Angel Witch memories, from the early formation of the band to touring with a Ronnie James Dio fronted Black Sabbath.
There is a romanticism of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal these days, but were the bands of that era aware they were part of a movement? “We didn’t have a damn clue,” Kevin Riddles told MetalTalk. “Not a scooby doo. We were just a gigging band like Maiden, like Samson, like the rest of them. We were struggling for gigs like you always do.”
Riddles would co-form Tytan with Kal Swan on vocals, Stuart Adams and Steve Gibbs on guitars and Dave Dufort on drums. The band crafted a melodic and robust sound that left a mark. Signed to Kamaflage Records, a subsidiary of DJM, Tytan recorded their lone album at Ramport Studios in Battersea. The album was released two years after the band’s 1983 split.
Tytan reformed in 2012 to play Keep It True festival in Germany. The band stayed together to play Brofest, Metal Assault in Greece, Der Detze Rockt in Germany, Ages of Metal in Belgium and Headbangers Open Air with Angel Witch in 2016.
The band released a second album for High Roller Records in May 2017 and played at Steel Held High Festival in Germany, Burr Fest in London and Trueheim in Germany in 2018. They have also played Muskelrock in Sweden and EMF in Luxembourg.
Tytan were the UK support to Girslschool and Alcatrazz for nine dates in February 2023. Most recently, they were asked to support Metal Church in Goleniow, Poland.
In 2024, the band will play at the Heavy Metal Thunder festival in Prague, another new country for them. They will also play Horns Up Festival in Greece in March and have been invited to play New Day Festival at Mount Ephraim in Kent in August.
Work on a third album, Death For Glory, continues with hopes for recording in late 2024.
The bands are looking for a guitarist with backing vocals to work with both bands. You need to be happy to learn the live sets for both bands. They would prefer someone who lives in the Midlands, London or the South of England for logistical reasons. With European shows booked, a passport is necessary.
For more details or to apply, send your live performance links, social media details and biography to tytanband@gmail.com.
