The past decade has been an absolutely spectacular time to be a Tygers of Pan Tang fan. Although only founding guitarist “Tyger” Robb Weir remains from the band’s early 80s heyday, he’s since assembled a reinvigorated lineup who, as far as I’m concerned, goes toe to toe with Tygers in their prime. Those who enjoy the melodic and anthemic bravado of Spellbound (1981) and Crazy Nights (1981) (and who doesn’t?) will be more than pleased to hear this formula executed with precision on outings like Ambush (2012), Tygers of Pan Tang (2016), Ritual (2019), and their latest album, Bloodlines.
On Bloodlines, Weir is once again joined by long-time drummer Craig Ellis and vocalist for nearly 20 years, Jacopo Meille. Guitarist Francesco Marras and bassist Huw Holding are newcomers, having joined in 2020 and 2021 respectively, but make themselves right at home in the Tygers den. Together, this fiery quintet has delivered yet another top notch collection of old school heavy metal and hard rock, bound to put a smile on even the most trve headbanger’s face. Yes, you heard me right. Give yourself a break from whatever black metal project you’re listening to on Bandcamp and hop into the time machine!
“Edge of the World” kicks things off in energetic retro metal fashion, grabbing the listener by the throat with its vibrant riffage and massive chorus. Cuts like “In My Blood” and “A New Heartbeat” tow the line between metal and hard rock, which seems to have been Tygers’ M.O. for quite some time now, while “Fire On the Horizon” is a full throttle NWOBHM throwback. With its fast, unforgiving riffs, high speed drumming, and catchy as all hell hooks, if “Fire On the Horizon” were a lost 7 inch from ’81, it’d be fetching big money on Discogs today.
As I made my way through Bloodlines, the one word that repeatedly popped in my head to describe it is “uplifting”. From the riffs and hooks, to the melodies and lyrics, there’s a general sense of positivity which makes these already kickass tunes even more powerful. Take songs like “Believe” and “Light of Hope” for example. Something tells me this is what Shinedown and other bands of the ilk (i.e. “active rock”) would sound like if…well, to put it bluntly, if they didn’t suck. This feeling of jubilation is further exhibited on the sleazy, feelgood Zeppelin worship of “Back For Good” and the 70s arena rock meets 80s NWOBHM fire of “Kiss the Sky”.
The AOR flavored “Taste of Love”, an elegant ballad reminiscent of *gasp* The Cage era, and ominous closer, “Making All the Rules”, add further depth and flavor to an already muscular affair; one that is a serious contender for album of the year. While time will tell if this proves to be correct, what’s for certain is that these Tygers are still wild as ever, the undisputed kings of the heavy metal jungle, and have this longtime fan utterly Spellbound. Bloodlines is a masterclass in classic metal, so open your notebooks and pay attention!
10 out of 10
Label: Mighty Music
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Saxon, Diamond Head, Tokyo Blade
This is turning out to be a REALLY strong year for rock and metal, so far. Smoulder, Gatekeeper, Overkill, Tanith, Tygers….keep ’em coming!!
Time to take a dive into their latter-day output! Haha, great review, my man!