Whenever a new Tygers of Pan Tang album crosses my path, it always manages to warm my denim and leather-clad heart. Still spearheaded by founding guitarist “Tyger” Robb Weir and frontman Jack Meille, alongside whoever else they encounter along the way (admittedly, drummer Craig Ellis has held down the beat for 26 years), these English metal workhorses have been on a hell of a hot streak for the better part of the last 15 years. What arguably began as making up for their AOR missteps of the ’80s and complete dormancy of the ’90s has since evolved into its own respective era, which forges onwards with their 14th studio album, Electrifyed.
Though I cheekily refer to Tygers’ ever-revolving lineup above, Electrifyed does indeed introduce a new Tyger to the fold in the form of guitarist John Footit. Now Footit is no stranger to the English metal scene, having served as lead guitarist in post-NWOBHM melody dealers Chrome Molly for well over a decade. I already know what you’re thinking. “What the hell is a Chrome Molly?” And for those who DO know who Chrome Molly is, “Oh no, have Tygers gone a tad too far off the melodic deep end again à la The Cage?” Quite the opposite! In fact, Electrifyed might possibly be the heaviest Tygers album of this century thus far.
By and large, Electrifyed adheres to that big and bold, anthemic old school metal formula that made the last few Tygers albums such a success. The opening “Rise Up!” exemplifies this approach with its big chorus and even bigger riffs, tailormade for mass consumption on mainstream rock radio. Uptempo barn burners like “Forevermore”, “A Shadow of Fire”, and “The Fight Goes On” are guaranteed to gets heads banging and air guitars a-playing, without sacrificing the band’s signature melodic underbelly. Of these no frills anthems, “The Powers That Be” is my favorite thus far, sounding straight off Spellbound. If you told me the late, great John Sykes had a hand in penning this one, I’d believe it!
As for the outliers, there are a few that are certainly bound to raise eyebrows by Tygers standards, albeit in the best way possible. The title track boasts a hard-headed, mid-tempo thrashing aggression more characteristic of Overkill or Megadeth than the NWOBHM heyday of which thrash evolved out of. It’s perhaps because of this connection that the approach works stunningly well. Also of note are “The Nail” and “Dark Skies”, both of which veer on the edge of classic doom metal. “The Nail” boasts lumbering power-doom riffs in the vein of Cirith Ungol, while “Dark Skies” is a groovy doom rocker akin to Def American era Trouble. Of course, every English metal band has a little bit of Sabbath in them, so this is less surprising than the title cut, but still a surprise nevertheless.
Even with these detours accounted for, Electrifyed is yet another no-skip Tygers album. Every song is fulfilling, and there’s not a single aspect, from the writing to the performances to the production, that I’d change. 10 kickass songs are all you need for a fulfilling traditional metal album anyways, so mad respect to these veterans for not “filling the CD”, and their label Mighty Music for not pressuring them into doing so. Electrifyed lives up to its name, electrifying metallists with one British metal banger after the next. Forget a parental advisory label; this should come with a high voltage warning!
10 out of 10
Label: Mighty Music
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Saxon, Diamond Head, Tokyo Blade
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