Truemetal, Italy (Author: Manuel
Gregorin)
After a few years, Tygers OF Pan
Tang, one of NOWBHM's bands that
has also risen to cult status,
came out with a new album this
year! His latest album, now his
13th, titled Bloodlines, was
released by Mighty Music less
than a month ago. The LP from a
few years ago (Ritual, 2019) was
also excellent, so I was waiting
for the new disc with great
interest and joy. In addition to
the fact that I received that CD
as a holiday gift from my
family, it quickly grew close to
my heart because of its music
and the band's work. It was no
coincidence that I was waiting
for another Tygers Of Pan Tang
album to come out! The new wave
of classic British HM was so
diverse even at its inception
(to mention only some of those
still active today: Saxon,
Demon, Iron Maiden, Diamond
Head, Def Leppard, Praying
Mantis... and Judas Priest, who
started a few years earlier...)
that Tygers of Pan Tang, which
has a slightly more "overseas
atmosphere" than the ones
mentioned, only made it more
colourful with its first record
(Wild Cat, 1980). They also went
through the classic metal crisis
of the 90s with a breakup, and
there were also those who took
the musical legacy of Tygers Of
Pan Tang on their own. But the
core of the band, the engine of
guitarist Robb Weir's
characteristic melodies are
heard on this band's records.
The leader of the band has
reorganized the team in such a
way that he lives up to the
interest in their music with an
unchanged line-up for ~ 20 years
now and excellent new songs.
Band lineup: Robb Weir - guitar
and vocals (1978-1982, from
1999), Craig Ellis - drums and
vocals (from 2000), Jacopo
"Jack" Meille - vocals (from
2004), Francesco Marras - guitar
( from 2020) and Huw Holding –
bass (from 2021).
The release of Bloodlines
surprised me on the one hand,
even though I was already
waiting for the next album. On
the other hand, at the right
time, it also received a lot of
publicity on the Internet and
social media. Even the cover
impressed me... even though it's
nothing more than a sort of
reincarnation of the Tygers Of
Pan Tang covers with a red-faced
tiger running towards us. But,
as befits a competent HM band,
even the single (Fire on the
Horizon) has a cover related to
the theme, but slightly
different - for fans of the
style, this is already
captivating.
The music itself is classic
British HM in 44 minutes - with
the characteristic twist that
this band has carried since
1980. The melodies are
alternately interlaced with
something melodic, as I
mentioned, a kind of "American"
atmosphere. Like the sound of
Ozzy's music, when he started
rebuilding his career overseas
after Sabbath, or the melodies
of e.g. it can be heard on Saxon
Innocent Is No Excuse or
Destiny. Even at that time, I
heard something related, for
example, to the harmonies of the
American Y&T, which was already
heavily poured into heavy metal.
And although the musicians also
devote themselves very much to
the Italian singer of the new
age, Jack Meille's voice sounds
unique on this record (also).
We thought that the sound of the
album is classic NWOBHM with
Tygers characteristics. Several
songs on the record, for me,
have an earlier Tygers parallel,
but how the hell would that be,
in the case of a band with such
a long career. But just as
neither record is a copy of a
previous one, this album also
brought new colours to their
work. It sounds nice and uniform
in its sound and mixing, but
thanks to the well-chosen order
of the songs, the flow is not
uniform. One song always beats
differently compared to the
next. Some set the rhythm with
guitar riffs, while others start
with drums and bass. Can a
classical band rising from its
ashes like a phoenix make a bad
record, when this musical style
(with all its branches) shows a
lot of new bands every week? As
a result, the entire heavy metal
scene is always revived within a
few minutes. Although this music
does not have a mainstream forum
in our country, it may not even
be played by radio or TV
channels abroad, but rather by
podcasts dealing with the topic.
But the fact is: Tygers Of Pan
Tang is still high on the music
playlists of many countries.
Reading their setlists from
their concerts on social media,
I listen to their albums one
after another with some envy!
"Edge of the World" starts
really suspiciously with the
sitar strumming, which after
half a minute turns into hard
heavy metal and the riffs
accompanying the chorus already
appear. The music accurately
supports the mood created by the
text with the various echo
effects. And for the chorus,
it's like a seemly tablecloth,
if it is stretched it cleans the
folds nicely. The whole song
flows with this undulation, with
a Spanish guitar standout in the
middle of the note, echoing
guitar screams in the background
before the raw alternate solo.
The second song, In My Blood,
starts with guitar strumming,
like the noise of a biker gang,
and continues pulsating as it
turns into bouncy riffing. The
bass, which plays exactly in
sync with the drums, thickly
underscores the biting guitar
sound. Then comes some talkbox
guitar playing, as Bon Jovi's
30-year-old Livin' on Prayer
did, more than a decade and a
half ago, Nazareth did in Hair
of the Dog.
The chorus too, with the
shrieking screams. During the
chorus, he continues to sing,
with the melodies known as the
backbone of the song, breaking
into two solos, two sides, in a
different, but still so
"traditional" way, under the
fast-running fingers. But the
main thing is not the singing,
but the harmony that we hear!
Fire on the Horizon, which I got
to know in good time, could even
be on Judas Defenders of the
Faith (like a Freewheel
Burning), it's such a blade.
Fast, speedy beats are played,
the slogan(s) are different and
pleasant or with a scratchy
voice. Even the guitar melodies
at the end of the bars are so
distinctive that I would know
which band I'm hearing from at
first listen... Then comes Light
of Hope. First, it sounds like a
runaway road roller, then the
floating guitars play at
half-tempo. Jack Meille's voice
is enriched with another colour
on this record (although I knew
well from the previous album how
much he can tone). Back for Good
is a typical HM note (though
hell knows what that means these
days) that can be used to tease
the audience. They will probably
do it in the next few days on
the Scandinavian cruise (oh,
lucky you)! This song builds
slowly, encouraging the listener
to sing along with the orchestra
from the fourth bar: you can
roar along from the second half
of the first verse. We get a
chance to take a breather and
this is where what I heard from
the hard and melodic American
line in the past (Y&T, Quiet
Riot) comes to mind. Moreover,
this song would perfectly fit a
Ratt or Lion released at the
turn of the '80s and '90s. also
on the album. I am writing all
this down for the orientation of
future students. There is no
lack of melancholy either, but
we don't get it in a melodious
way. The piano playing of Taste
of Love is already accompanied
by a screeching guitar, the
latter fades away, giving way to
muted acoustic strings, and
then, with the continuous
building on each other, the text
is accompanied by an
increasingly thick distorted
sound. An interesting change of
tone surprises me in the chorus.
Then, with the bending of new
harmonies, the note becomes
quiet again. Of course, at the
end we hear a self-absorbed
guitar solo. Kiss the Sky shakes
up listeners again. With its
pulsating, pounding, polyphonic
one-line chorus, it gives the
feeling that the story sung in
the first person of the song is
not yet complete in the middle
of something, let me figure it
out with them as I listen. The
guitars appear here and there on
the other side, again played
with a new colour. Based on its
title and written lyrics alone,
one cannot expect the marching
beats of Believe. It's as if I
were walking to the edge of a
cliff under the flaming sky
reminiscent of the cover and
making some optimistic vow
there.
The talkbox guitar effect
appears already in the third or
fourth song, here also in the
chorus, and it is never
intrusive and does not dominate
the sound, which is mostly
created by the scratchy riffs. I
really like those albums, they
keep building, each new song
brings some small surprise. This
is how we got to the most
striking note of the disc on
Bloodlines: New Heartbeat! The
band doesn't skimp on ideas,
they entertain you from the
first minute of the note with
the best parallel guitar
playing. Bass dances along with
it until we turn into an
amazingly sing-along melodic
chorus. He's very smart, or
rather very instinctive. Just
something that thousands can
sing along to on the first
(second) hearing! strong chorus
with catchy melody. Verses and
sections are always closed by a
guitar race that seems to never
end. I know the last song on the
album is next, Making All the
Rules. The theme of the song,
which starts with an elegant
sound, soft strumming, and the
glint of the cynics, is also
thought-provoking about the
growing up, determined person
looking in the mirror, and human
relationships. After the first
stanza, we get the moment that
completes the note like a
rushing stream. But until then,
small staccatos decorate the
soft, complete music in itself.
Then, during the light,
flag-swinging solo, the
background sound thickens again,
while we hear "thicker than the
blood" with more and more
tracks. Still, it seems like it
will be possible to play this
live. The song and the record,
the record ends with the phrase
of the chorus echoing a bit in
the sudden silence. With classic
2023 HM sound, in 44 minutes. I
am diligently writing another
album review, about the album of
the year for me. By the end of
the year, and I'll probably have
5 this year, if I follow the
news of my favourite bands,
During the weeks I spent
listening to it, Tygers Of Pan
Tang's new album, Bloodlines,
won me over. For me, it became
one of the best records of 2023!
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