TANKARD – Thirst

The amazing thing with Tankard is that they have been around the Metal scene since 1986 when Zombie Attack arrived. From that day this German act has been serving the traditional Thrash sound soaked in tons of beer without a single pause. Ok, the Punk additions are less now but who can find striking differences between The Morning After and the latest Beauty And The Beer? No one has the right answer and two years after this release Tankard are back with Thirst. The album’s title is the logical continuation of all these years of beer drinking mosh-pitting.

All the classic Tankard elements are present; starting with the artwork we find the same classic fat persona who is in despair since he is out of beer (what a nightmare!). The road sign reading “Next Pub 666km” is simply a killer and the icing on the cake. So, can things go wrong with this kind of artwork? The answer is simple and straightforward; no! Tankard come with their ‘dirty’ German sound which is logically characterized as traditional. Fat guitar rhythms with underlying Punk finishing touches, killer almost out-of-tune vocals and the even more classic hilarious and sometimes caustic lyrics are gloriously here. Who can resist lines like the chorus of “Stay Thirsty” that read ”Let the beer flow – stay thirsty, liquid nation –stay thirsty?” Actually, this track is like an audio complaint to Twisted Sister and their album Stay Hungry as stated through the Tankard looking glass.

Music wise the album follows the evolution path introduced in the very good Beast Of Bourbon. There is a lot to discover in the guitar work that sounds more sophisticated and melodic taking into consideration the Tankard standards. Songs like the guitar driven “Zodiac Man” or the headbanger’s “Octane Warriors” and “Deposit Pirates” are the perfect audio proof of this saying. The band even welcomes some new ideas like the child choir doing the backing vocals on the pretty melodic and mainly mid tempo “When Daddy Comes To Play” or the closing track “Sex Feet Under.” In the context of the aforementioned evolution one should comment on Andreas Geremia’s vocals that tend to leave the just-screaming singing attitude. He has added some melodic lines in his voice that fit well with his old school, traditional vocal signature that breathes the 80s German Thrash atmosphere. What is always enjoyable in Tankard’s music is the Crossover backbone present in almost all songs. Especially the bass guitar sound in “Myevilfart” or in the D.R.I. mosh-pitting track “G.A.L.O.W.” which is there to remind of the band’s influences and roots.

All in all, this is a classic Tankard album that totally meets the band’s standards. The German act characteristically ignores the time that has passed and rigidly holds the German Thrash grounds. It is about time that Tankard should be placed beside Motorhead since they share the same sound philosophy during the last two and a half decades. They have been releasing albums with the same music without sounding boring at all! So, take this one and shout ”we need another beer!”

PS: Be sure to check the hidden track after “Sex Feet Under” that goes to Russia with some traditional tunes played in the Tankard way.