Tyton
Mind Over Metal
Reviewed by Jay Mindeman
When I ran into Tyton's Mind Over Metal at a local record store, I remembered seeing it in the Number One Son catalog and purchased it with great hopes. If this was a Christian metal band, I thought, they were doing alright. Not only were they signed on Medusa, but they had a good looking album too.
The easy part about listening to this album is the music. It is excellent power metal (not thrash) with a classical flare. The hard part is trying to figure out if these guys from L.A. are Christians or not.
Only one song, "Arcadian", makes a direct reference to God. Witness these lines: "God sent His only Son/ To die upon the cross/ Yes, He is the One/ So grab onto His wings/ And heave a sigh/ For we will ride into the night/ Just you and I/ Take me away." This is also the best song on the album musically, starting slowly, then exploding with a punch that is definitely heavy metal. Tyton's guitars crunch and their vocals snarl with power.
The rest of the album, although musically superb, falters in its lyrics. It swerves from heavy duty medieval imagery ("Castle Donnington", "The Valiant") to strangely hazy Christian references ("The Warrior", "Legacy"). This album sounds like either a band struggling with their faith or a band eager to cash in on the "Christian metal" craze. Let's pray for these young men and hope their next album will show a stronger stance.
In the meantime, however, Mind Over Metal is as good as they come. I'd give it a 7 out of 10.