Tankard - Vol(l)ume 14 4/5
Reviewed: 2-1-11
Tracklist:
1. Time warp
2. Rules for fools
3. Fat snatchers (The hippo effect)
4. Black plague (BP)
5. Somewhere in nowhere
6. The agency
7. Brain piercing of death
8. Beck`s in the city
9. Condemnation
10. Weekend warriors
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Gerre and his band of weekend warriors are back with their 14th studio proliferation, and it was well worth the wait. Once more we are aptly served another worthy libation to the meaning of life and mettle. This beast case scenario will crush your skull like a broken beer bottle blow to the head, guaranteeing a true brain piercing of death.
Just like their previous effort 'Thirst', the lyrical content is more inter-personal and subjective, with less blatantly obvious absolut' odes to alcohol. These Gerre hat tricks are becoming more widespread as the band becomes more mature. It appears that their stone cold sober echoes of fear are seeking a stronger remedy, or are they just slipping from reality? Sure songs like "Weekend warriors" or "Rules for fools" will exorcise your Kegel muscles with allusions to ablution; but, these songs really have more to say than "Free beer for everyone!". Could it be possible that Korpiklaani have usurped Tankard in the barroom brawl for being recent megameisters of inebriation?
Musically and lyrically this 14th studio effort is a very hard and wet concoction of all the vital ideals. Somehow, now here we find a melodic mixture of mescaline induced metallic fervour, and political introspection, solidifying all that the band has chemically created to invade our mindwild senses.
Whether it is commenting on the center fool absurdity of technology, especially the Internet with "Condemnation", or BP's fatal Gulf oil spill which caused another "Black plague", the songs really draw you in with their surrealistic anecdotal quality, and maybe even larger than life appeal. Take a cut like "Fat snatchers" which deals with diet agencies gone awry. I have heard that Gerre has personally slimmed down, and lost his fat, ugly, and liver-damaged appeal. This, then, may be an honest account where truth is stranger than fiction.
For nigh 30 years, Tankard has continued to create amazing melodies. They have done this for over the past decade with just one guitarist. Andy Gutjahr is a true talent and metal mercenary. He once played in Seventh Avenue, Creed, Lightmare, and the band Treasure Seeker who released one CD called 'A tribute to the past', which features amazing covers of several killer Christian acts.
The heavy metal vanguard of Frank Thorwarth and Andreas "Gerre" Geremia, however, are the blood and bones who have managed to always whet our appetites with a seasoned salmagundi and palatable platter of incredible loudness. Throughout their career there have seldom been any hiccups, and the result is a balls-out mettle resolve. Their total addiction has fueled them to keep filling our tanks with sonic ethanol, thereby always keeping the metal to metal overflowing.
If you are a Tankard fan, then this CD is truly F.U.N. metal; however, if you are new or curious about these frolicking Frankfort beautiful beasts of bourbon, then why not try quenching your thirst, and thus imbibing or indulging in these noble teachers and their pleasing spirits.
Once the kings of bemusement beckon you to their atrocity and two-faced liquid nation, beyond the pubyard, chances are you will return again and again for yet another round. I guarantee, your glass will never be empty. Tankard are the real thing, so heed their commandments!
If you truly consider yourself to be a fan of German metal in general, whether it be classic Blind Guardian, Rage, Grave Digger, Destruction, etc., and you want to avoid all desperation and having a tantrum, then rectify your priorities and thrash 'til death with these maniac forces!
MICHAEL
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