A
Thrash in old school and up-to-dated instrumental technique
like i was not listening to since long! Care in every
detail concerning production, enthralling and energizing
concerning execution and ideas. It will appeal to many old
Metallica (Kill'em all and Ride the Lightening era ) and Testament
fans but also to the new generations cause Tankard
are fresh, aggressive, explosive, fluid, providing a
waterfall of notes and "killing" instincts. Total headbanging,
and total impact!
Energizer Tankard! Beyond any other consideration about
the excellent Thrash proposed by this album, i'd like
to underline an amazing characteristic of Beast of Bourbon.
It is better than a glass of bourbon , better than coffee
and tea and even better than ..beer, in its way to offer
a revitalizing and tonic charge. Every time i saw Tankard
live (Luzern
Wärchhof - Z7
Metal Dayz 2003) and every time i listened
to their previous releases i already received a lot of positive
energy, but Beast of Bourbon has exceeded all expectations,
being the first case of "music therapy" i am personally
100% sure about, and that i feel it's right to suggest. Music
gives emotions, after all it is a particular kind of language,
and these emotions can be differently filtered by each
of us, but there are anyway general convergences: some music
is universally known for cheering up during moments of sadness,
some other makes us be depressed, some other again makes
our blood run faster. But Beast of Bourbon is fully
tonifying, it gives us a charge, but no charge in excess,
it makes us more self confident, not necessarily good mooded,
cause there is also a certain bitterness in Tankard's lyrics,
lyrics that make us think , in spite of their irony,
but it makes us less anxious. For example, at the sound of Slipping
From Reality there is no problem that appears insuperable,
no meeting that appears boring , no study that can appear
difficult, and , i imagine, no future mother-in-law that appears
intractable! Listen to it! and in general to the whole album,
and afterwards, like a kind of magic, you will feel better
with yourself and the world.
I don't know how it is possible , but Tankard's solid and
lively thrash , with its catchy but not too simple loops,
, with its perseverance and coherence of action throughout
all tracks, very obviously activates our capacity to
act and re-act .
From
a technical point of view, both considering technique
and creativity, in its genre, i find this album flawless,
and if you could object that you notice, here and there, that
drums and strings slightly anticipate vocals, you must admit
that 1) it's Tankard style 2) that at Tankard's camp
drumming "dictates" the beat (in few words, it makes its job!)
and rhythmic perfectly fits in. The peculiar feature
is that all songs are switched to an effective enjoyable involving
uptempo without trace of tiredness, remaining high all time
long without being repetitive or boring. The succession
of tracks is fluid without drops of tension. You
will like every song , some of them are actually additive.
If you love Thrash you can be only satisfied. Tankard are
not shocking , and not hyperfast and very violent like
Dew Scented (another brilliant German band, whose sound i
hope can make Slayer go and die for good). But Tankard
are anyway fast and agile, energetic, heavy in midtempo, relentless,
unstoppable, always agreeable. It's pressing Old School-Thrash
rhythmic that supports fresh riffs while the solid
run-in ability supports enthusiast dynamics. Everything
is done in a way that the head-banging "spring" natural,
easy, fluent . Gerre's vocals are always sharp-cut
supported by 3 musicians with whom every frontier of Thrash
is technically possible. An exact skill drummer , versatile
and resolute guitarist and an impeccable bass. "Beast
of Bourbon" not only maintains the awesome level of
playing and production shown by "B_Day", but it shows
that the self- confidence of the band is more and more
mature and complete: in few words Tankard can be definitively
counted among the "Big's".
Concerning
tracks in specific, let's begin with 3 amazing gems: the best
among the best: Endless Pleasure and Slipping
from Reality (both available in radio/club version too,
versions that never loose in genuine aggressiveness)
and Die with a Beer in your Hand.
Track
6, Endless Pleasure, is simply intense:
the verse, with old Metallica harmonic sonorities,
is a bit thoughtful , but fascinating; The
refrain shoots a short overwhelming uptempo burst
of notes which are unforgettable: they reach ear and brain
immediately . The refrain provides the musical focal
point repeating the lyrics with title and hook. The
bridge is pure enthralling thrash riffing. This song
has a clear vein of sorrow, and i think it deals with
the theme of drug -abuse and the false deadly sense of power
hard drugs give , but it's incredible how everything turns
into a positive vibe of re-action, increasing our level of
dopamine without artificial and dangerous chemistry.
Slipping
from Reality is a fast devastating powerful
lashing of class, an aggressive pushing and pressing : an
animated rhythm with killing riffing and with another unforgettable
refrain , a certain American Rock touch is detectable. Incredibly
agreeable the harmonic mid tempo bridge with an enchanting
lead guitar.
Die
with a Beer in your Hand is a song i like in the same
measure i like Metallica's Creeping Death, so i have told
everything. It delivers the same impending
feeling and atmosphere, the apparent ironic mask
offered by lyrics which exalt very earthly desires
and the incisive fast/thunderous tempo cannot hide a
sense of different meaning . The refrain provides a hammer
hook sung in rhyme - Die my Friend - Because this is the
end - Make a final stand and die with a Beer in your hand-,
galloping and melodic contents intertwine and interact,
while the words "After the Demons have been fought back
into Hell - Howls in the Night - A Pack of Wolves surround
me -Reborn in Steel, it´s time to fight" are the
key of the picture.
The
opener Under friendly Fire is a pure wild enjoyable
restless "killer", in full old glorious Thrash with
no compromises, and it explains a bit the cover art
through its direct lyrics that i presume are focuzed
on a certain military condition (and conditioning) :
I
am a Cowboy from up ´nigh
I´ve got my Go Pills-I´m a Winner!
On the way up I´m gonna get high!
I´m speeding! Do I care?
Demitry orders us to fly
Amphetamines have made us Killers
The
verse of "Genetic Overkill" ("blessed be biotechnology!")
has a great bass -overture that launches killing riffs, that
live a life of their own due to the many but enjoyable
and agreeable tempo changes: variety in a perfect logic
ride. Vocals are angrier and screaming, while
drums are spectacular . Genetic Overkill has
even an obsessive face.
The
Horde provides a thunderous protagonist double bass drumming
and a devastating attack: it's a bomb, which delivers also
vocals in echo and a huge work done by all strings: the bass
in particular is called to a very hard task. Mission completed.
Dead
Men Drinking is an exasperated nervous non -stop
of assaults with a good guitar solo. This track shows how
Thrash is strictly connected with Death. It fades then into
its hungry "brother", Alien Revenge, without letting
you even the time to take a breath . These 2 tracks represent
the more brutal moment suitable for the "Soldiers of Metal".
Fistful of Love is thunderous and reverberating, somehow
bombastic and sometimes a bit dissonant. It has much of erratic
rhythm and could act as connection to Death from one side,
and to a certain punk-ish proceeding , at the other
part of the spectrum, without neglecting a certain melodic
flavor. It is a very ambitious song with various Thrash influences.
Beyond the Pubyard perfectly keeps up the good work
with tons of aggression and pushing punk-y vividness,
an obsessive claustrophobic refrain and guitar virtuoso's.
Finally a cover version of British punk rockers Cocksparrer
close this album, and, damn!, after the authentic wild
rodeo provided by the last part of the album, this song radiates
an awesome lovely friendly smile. It's mythical, cause the
thrash-y rocking rhythmic work hard in the background,
combined with a guitar that, more slowly, draws the notes
in British style, making a kind of enthralling contrast. Gerre's
vocals sound really rasping but extroverted, like they would
really transmit that final alcoholic touch.
\m/Take
this virtual beer, ...pardon... bourbon, and be (re)-active!!
Rating: 10/10