Animal
Instinct' is not just any album,
but a coming to terms with the
past that goes right down to the
roots, but let's review the
written text for itself, which,
according to the information
sheet, speaks as follows about
the difficult, almost hopeless
situation the band found itself
in sixteen years ago:
Robb Weir, TYGERS OF PAN TANG
founder and keeper of the flame,
was at a crossroads. He had
tried to keep the Tygers alive
with different line-ups, but now
he had to watch his hopes
completely shattered because the
band was unable to find the
right singer. He was determined
to give the band another chance,
and the band was looking for a
new frontman. He knew that this
might be his last chance. Enter
Jack Meille, a Florence resident
with a voice that could not only
do justice to TYGERS OF PAN
TANG's back catalogue but,
crucially, create the hard rock
melodies that would become
essential to the band's future
sound.
Robb remembers
Jack's introduction well. "I
knew this from the moment I
raised my hand, ended Jack's
introduction after 40 seconds
and offered him the job... I
knew he was going to be the
voice of the 'Tygers'. He joined
the existing band line up of
Robb Weir, Craig Ellis, Dean
Robertson and Brian West. And
soon they went into the studio
together, recording what would
become 'Animal Instinct'."
Jack has strong memories of
his first session recording with
the band. "I was so nervous in
the studio on the first day of
recording. I had written some
finished melodies and lyrics,
but it was the first time I had
done it outside of Florence in a
studio I had never been in
before. Everything was so new,
exciting and demanding at the
same time! I got the best sleep
of my life and felt pretty
exhausted after every session.”
So much for the backstory,
now for the music:
'Animal Instinct' is the eighth
studio album by NWOBHM heroes
TYGERS OF PAN TANG, released in
2008, which shows the band's
future path, which is why this
recording has an immensely
important place in the band's
history; without this album the
band would probably no longer
exist.
For fans of IRON
MAIDEN, SAXON, THIN LIZZY it
says according to the attached
information sheet - correct(!)
but what about the followers of
combos such as SAMSON, DEMON,
DIAMOND HEAD and the TYGERS OF
PAN TANG themselves. The
following should be noted
critically: Why is this fan
base, which is indispensable for
the development of NWOBHM, its
continuation and its importance
within the heavy metal scene,
not mentioned at all in the
information sheet? - An ultimate
no-go!
There may be
people who have strong doubts
about the (band's) popularity,
but it should be objectively
countered that the TYGERS OF PAN
TANG have been experiencing a
third spring since Jacopo Meille
joined the band, and are now
more famous than ever because
this work was followed by four
more albums - 'Ambush', 'Tygers
Of Pan Tang', 'Ritual' and
'Bloodlines' - all of which are
of great quality and show a band
that never sounded more dynamic
even in the legendary late 70s
and early 80s early phase!
'Animal Instinct' signals
something like a new beginning
for the whole band.
The
studio album, now reissued as a
remix, rocks fast even sixteen
years later, including the video
from the original recordings,
with a full forward drive,
casual charm and powerful
heaviness. Numbers like the
powerful opening track "Rock
Candy", "Let It Burn", "Devil's
Find A Fool" or "Bury The
Hatchet" speak all too clearly.
There is no getting around this
groundbreaking album (at least
for die-hard TYGERS OF PAN TANG
fans!)
Ergo: Even 16
years later, it is still as
refreshingly powerful as the
first day. 8/10
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