TRYTAN: Blood of Kings
This is an album for musicians and music fans.
Back in the 80s, a young Rush fan (me) was also heavily into Christian rock. It was refreshing and uplifting to hear rock music that had lyrics that challenged me, encouraged me, and made me think about why I believed what I believe. Artists like Petra and Stryper were putting out solid albums, but one thing was missing – Christian Progressive Metal.
Enter Trytan’s Celestial Messenger record. Lary Dean was on Guitar and Vocals, Steve Robinson played Bass, and Scotty Blackman smacked the skins. The album was, let’s be honest, a Rush clone. Lary’s voice sounded eerily like Geddy Lee and the rest of the outfit had the chops to pull off a very convincing imitation of Rush. I loved it. They released a second album in 1990 called Sylentiger and it deviated somewhat from the Rush tribute act and started to cement their own sound. This band had the musical skill matched by few bands in Christian music circles.
I eagerly awaited a third record from the band, but it never materialized.
Years later, decades even, we have a return of the band. Lary Dean is the only original member, but that is in no way a detractor as he has added the great Eric Gillette (Neal Morse Band) on drums, keys and production. And the great bass player from Barren Cross, Jim LeVerde, is bringing up the fat bottom end.
Three decades after the band’s debut release, a new Trytan album is dropping. Is it any good? Can Lary still capture the magic of his youth? Can it stand up to the modern progressive metal bands like Seventh Wonder, Symphony X and Circus Maximus? Let’s dive in and see what Trytan brings us.
Production: The album was recorded at Eric Gillette’s studio with Gillette himself taking on production duties. I am sure he helped with arrangements as well as drums and keys. Gillette is somewhat of a prodigy – he is John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy and Jordan Rudess all rolled into an amazingly talented individual. The production is HUGE! Massive wall of sound guitars with every instrument spaced well in the mix. Vocals are layered and placed in the mix way out front. The guitar tone is Lary’s favorite Jackson guitars through Mesa Boogie amps. If you are a fan of Dream Theater’s John Petrucci, this is much like his tone. The drums are recorded close to perfection and the bass is bottom heavy and boomy.
Songwriting: The years have been kind to Lary and his songwriting. He loves a lot of the same bands I do (Rush, Dream Theater, Triumph, Kansas, etc.) and it really shows in the writing and arranging. This is not a Rush tribute like Celestial Messenger, but rather a very mature collection of complex, yet melodic progressive metal songs. Fans of the afore mentioned bands are going to love this.
Vocals: Lary has a very distinct voice. His early recordings were Geddyesque to the extreme but he has his own vocal tone these days. If I were to try to describe it, I’d say it is a great mix of Geddy Lee and Randy Jackson from the band Zebra. The vocals are layered with many tracks being used during the chorus sections to really thicken the sound.
Instrumentation: Lary is a vastly underrated guitarist. He has the goods! I can’t wait to hear what other critics are going to say about his playing. He is a serious shredder but knows when to slow it down. His style is very much an amalgam of his influences. Gillette is a monster drummer and his keyboard rounds out the highs and mids with LeVerde’s expert bass playing anchoring the low end.
Songs: Over the past couple of years, Lary had been showcasing his workshopping of these tunes on social media, but the shredding and playing was out of context to the songs. It was hard to get a feel for the songs themselves. I am pleased to say they are very well structured and hook ladened.
Lyrics: Lary is also a preacher and his personal Bible study is poured into the lyrics making them both very personal and thought provoking. He is not ashamed to scream the gospel. He does it loud and proud!
I am not going to do a song-by-song review but I will point out some highlights. The opening track is a scorcher and should be a monster hit (if it was 1989). The title track, “Blood of Kings,” is EPIC with many parts and instrumental breaks spiraling around a strong melodic core. “The God Storm” is an instrumental with sweeping epic guitar. The last song, the “Rev Song,” should make an impact on Christian radio as Trytan’s version of the “Revelation Song” finds the band sharing vocal duties with guests John Elefante (Kansas, Mastedon) and Ray Parra (Sacred Warrior, Worldview, Deny the Fallen).
Few modern Christian bands can play like Trytan, and nobody sounds like them. This is an album for musicians and music fans. It is one for the ages.
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