Tankard – R.I.B.
1st September 2014TANKARD are back with their 14th album R.I.B. (Rest In Beer), if for some unknown you have never heard of TANKARD before then a quick summary is that they are a German thrash metal band that love to sing about beer and beer related topics! They have done a few good albums through the years (“Zombie Attack”, “Chemical Invasion” & “The Beauty and the Beer”). TANKARD are part of the Teutonic Thrash “Big Four”, however I don’t see them as anywhere near as good as the other three bands…KREATOR, SODOM and DESTRUCTION anymore and was hoping “R.I.B.” might be a throw back to when TANKARD were great and just not releasing subpar thrash albums.
“R.I.B.” opens up with ‘War Cry’ and this is what I want; frantic thrash riffs, screaming vocals, crushing rhythm section…what’s not to like? However the album then doesn’t hit this hard again and it’s a shame. “Hope Can’t Die” is a ballad and seems a little out of place on any TANKARD album, while “No One Hit Wonder” is musically solid but the lyrics and concept of the song are cringe-inducing. “Enemy of Order” is a stand out track musically on the album and stands high above the majority of “R.I.B.”, however the lyrical topic of government intrusion into privacy are laughable and TANKARD should stick to what they do best…!!! They finally do and the album ends on a high (not as good as ‘War Cry’) but “The Party Ain’t Over ‘Til We Say So” proves that TANKARD can still party and the enthusiasm they still have in endearing and I give them a lot of credit for that.
However if you’re a older thrash fan then this album has been done hundreds of times before and much better, while if your new to thrash then you will probably enjoy this album a lot more. TANKARD still produce stellar thrash albums but nothing as good as they can do, maybe if they tried changing the formula and if it doesn’t work out go back to what does. But it seems each TANKARD release is just a safe bet and obviously they have the fan base to keep doing this so good luck to them and at least you always know what you’re going to get…!!!
SCORE – 6.5
ALBUM INFO
Track Listing:
1… War Cry
2… Fooled By Your Guts
3… R.I.B. (Rest In Beer)
4… Riders of the Doom
5… Hope Can’t Die
6… No One Hit Wonder
7… Breakfast For Champions
8… Enemy Of Order
9… Clockwise to Deadline
10… The Party Ain’t Over ‘Til We Say So
LABEL:
Nuclear Blast
RELEASE DATE:
20th June 2014
STANDOUT TRACKS:
“War Cry”, “R.I.B.”, “Enemy of Order” & “The Party Ain’t Over ‘Til We Say So”
