It has been a great day here at the Defenders HQ for 70s metal. First we reviewed an album from a band who helped define the decade (Jethro Tull), and now we’re reviewing an album from a band who one could mistake for being from that decade, Tanith. Contrary to their convincing sound, this outfit formed in 2017. Yet during their brief 6 year run, they have quickly cemented themselves as one of the finest purveyors of 70s flavored metal today. Consisting of bassist/vocalist Cindy Maynard, drummer Keith Robinson, and guitarist/vocalist Russ Tippins of Satan fame, Tanith honors this groundbreaking era with a reverence and appreciation seldom seen elsewhere.
True to their belief in all things old school, and much like their debut, In Another Time (2019), Tanith’s latest album, Voyage, was recorded live onto tape with vintage gear. Whatever overdubs there may be scattered about were incorporated in the spirit of adding layers and atmosphere (i.e. vocal harmonies, guitar melodies, etc.) In other words, if you’re expecting some over-compressed, run of the mill, modern metal outing (and why would you?), look elsewhere. Voyage is arguably the purest album I’ll review all year, and if we were grading on that scale alone, it’d be a 100/10.
Over the course of a little over 43 minutes, Tanith explores the wonderous world of 70s metal and hard rock, when musical limitations were non-existent and the only rule was “There are no rules”. Through it all, this hard-headed power trio remains rigorous, playing off of each other’s intricacies, but without sacrificing the soul of the composition. The warm production and powerful musicianship of the retro rager that is “Snow Tiger” kicks things off with a bang, setting the stage for an outing with hardly any musical reference points past 1980.
The fantastical, upbeat hard prog of “Falling Wizard” lies somewhere between David Byron era Uriah Heep and early Styx. Contrasting are the ethereal “Olympus by Dawn” and “Flame”, whose dreamy melodies and lush vocal harmonies recall prime Wishbone Ash. Powerful riff-centric rockers like “Mother of Exile” and “Adrasteia” keep fists pumping and heads banging, the latter being a glimpse into what Satan might’ve sounded like had Court in the Act came out 5 years earlier in ’78. Meanwhile, “Architects of Time” and “Seven Moons (Galantia Pt. 2)” are blistering slabs of proto-prog metal with nods to Rush.
Rounding it all out is the frantic “Never Look Back”: A high speed (by 70s standards) scorcher that very well could’ve been a lost template for the NWOBHM. And that’s the whole point of Tanith. Before forming Satan, Russ Tippins was listening to bands who sounded EXACTLY like this. If you don’t believe me, check out our interview with him. The guy is a fount of musical knowledge, and an incredible musician who has assembled, surprise, yet another incredible band. I’m just gonna say it: If you don’t like Tanith, you don’t like heavy metal or hard rock, period!
9 out of 10
Label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Rush, Wishbone Ash, Satan