Life Changing Albums: Philip Winters of Tyrant talks Yes

For the last decade, Tyrant has been a fixture in the local heavy metal scene and beyond. Formed by brothers Philip Winters (vocals, guitar) and Andrew Winters (drums) while they were still in high school, the band has progressively dealt out a powerful fusion that tastefully echoes the likes of early Metallica, Megadeth and Kiss — by way of Pantera. 

Outside of Tyrant’s recorded works, like its 2018 debut album “The Pact,” the band has grown into seasoned road warriors, touring all over the country. That hard work led to opening slots for metal legends like Deicide, Metal Church and Diamond Head, to name a few.

The Lansing outfit has also benefited from consistent radio play, including hitting No. 21 on the NACC Metal Chart and No. 3 on the Metal Contraband Chart. Beyond that, the group has garnered positive press from headbanger outlets like Metal Insider, Metalsucks and Metal Injection.

Last week, Tyrant announced its new band members: Lead guitarist Charles Barber and bassist Salvador Mora. The new lineup formed in late 2021 and has been working on its sophomore album, due out this summer. 

Tyrant might be known for its heaviness, but Philip Winters’ album collection goes way beyond that one genre. In this week’s “Life Changing Albums” series, the songwriter talks about the mind-bending influence of a sprawling prog-rock masterpiece released back in 1971. Here is what he had to say:

What album in your collection would you consider “life changing”? 

Philip Winters: There have been many, many albums that have had a fundamental impact on my life, but the first one that comes to mind is “Fragile,” by Yes. I believe I was 18 or 19 when I first heard the album. Right around 2014 — many years after it was released.

How did you discover this album? 

To be quite honest, I think I stumbled across this album on YouTube. I was slowly venturing into the world of prog-rock around this time. I remember clicking on the thumbnail one night because it caught my eye. This is one of those albums where, on the first listen, I kind of sat back and thought, “What the hell did I just listen to?” 

Then I found myself yearning to listen to it again and it quickly became the soundtrack to my life for the following 18 to 24 months. I’d often go running in the woods just listening to this album and letting it transport me to this other world. It was so meditative and liberating. The artwork has a planet that looks similar to Earth, but you can tell it’s not quite Earth. It seems so different, but it still feels like home.

What aspects of “Fragile” impact you the most? 

Literally, everything is deeply moving: The ornate compositions, the textures of Rick Wakeman’s synths. The fiery and dynamic approach to guitar from Steve Howe. The pulsing and driving bass from Chris Squire. The grounding percussion from Bill Bruford and the nonsensical but absolutely breathtaking lyrics from Jon Anderson. To be fair, Jon Anderson wrote the lyrics just humming syllables to the tracks and wrote the words to the syllables he sketched. So, if you read them, they don’t quite make sense. They’re a bit cryptic, but on some deep, intrinsic and spiritual level. 

This album is like a cool summer breeze on a bright and shiny July day — from high upon a foreign mountain top, overlooking a crystal-clear lake, while hearing eagles make exclamations of freedom.

In what ways has the album directly affected your life, or musical style?

It completely restructured the way I listen to and view music. It not only allowed me to see all of the cool things that can be done with music, it also taught me how to apply it to my own musical compositions.

Beyond that, “Fragile” happened to come into my life when I was in a very confused state. I was still trying to figure out what I was supposed to do after high school — who my friends were, how to navigate life and essentially what it meant to “be,” if you will. That old, familiar confusion of being a young adult. 

This album seemed to alleviate a lot of the frustration, confusion and general misdirection I was experiencing. As I stated earlier, it took me to places that were comforting and reassuring. The piece “Mood for a Day,” near the end, reminds me of that the most.

What are a couple other honorable mentions?

The first is Kiss’ “Alive!” It’s the only live album I’ve heard that truly captures a band’s live energy. That album oozes energy and rock stardom. The second is Megadeth’s “Killing Is My Business ... and Business Is Good!”Pure and unadulterated ferocity. 

For more information, visit tyrantband.com or follow facebook.com/TyrantMetal.