Cyclically we return to talk
about the New Wave Of British
Heavy Metal. There are many
groups that reproduce the sound
and have collected the banner
left on the ground by those who
gave up their weapons. Robb
Weir, founder and guitarist of
Tygers of Pan Tang, never really
thought about retiring and,
after countless line-up changes
and a few moments of stasis, he
reached forty-four years of
musical activity, churning out a
four-piece EP entitled “A New
Heartbeat ". In a period in
which the pandemic has canceled
tours and limited personal
contacts, Rob and his companions
have decided to give a new look
to two songs featured in "Wild
Cat", the first long-distance
album released in 1980, and to
propose two brand new tracks. "A
New Heartbeat" opens with the
track of the same name and it is
clear that the tigers are still
capable of scratching and they
do it to the sound of a direct
and unleashed Heavy Metal. It
must be said that the "young"
Francesco Marras on guitar and
Jacopo Meille on vocals,
contribute to giving freshness
and energy to the piece and in
doing so, they find valid allies
in the rhythm section formed by
Gav Gray (bs) and Craig Ellis (bt)
. For sound purists I leave a
small note: personally, I would
have reduced the presence of a
guitar which, in the rhythmic
juncture during the solo,
creates a sound that is too
full. "Red Mist" is a classic
Heavy Metal track that owes
heavily to the more direct and
inspired Judas Priest. The
modern sound produced by the mix
by Marco Angioni and the
mastering completed by Harry
Hess is beautiful. "Fireclown"
is the first piece taken from
"Wild Cat": it starts with a
clean guitar base, from then on,
the bass creeps in and away it
starts with a crescendo. Valid
is the solo by Francesco Marras
placed on a wild rhythm and his
guitar which, after a first
return, accompanies us
arrogantly until the end.
“Killers”, the second piece
taken from “Wild Cat”, keeps
intact the athletic and vigorous
riffs of the N.W.O.B.H.M., so to
speak those used also by the
Ravens. Also in this case the
guitar plays a fundamental role
by launching itself into a
prolonged solo grafted onto
multiple changes of rhythm.
Bassist Huw Holding
(ex-Blitzkrieg and Avenger) has
recently joined the line-up in
place of Gav Gray; given his
proven track record, the future
of Tygers Of Pan Tang will be
even brighter.
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