Exhibit #5:
Tank—Filth Hounds of Hades (1982)
So… the bad news is that, in the past few weeks, my job decided to explode into a terrible maelstrom of chaos, aggravation and long hours, which consequentially derailed my exploration of NWOBH to such an extent that it is now no longer Metal Month. The good news is that this next album on my list turned out to be the perfect antidote to the craziness, and I say f
uck the goddamn calendar, it's still Metal Month in this thread.
Until recently, I had absolutely no history with or knowledge of Tank whatsoever. Maybe I had heard of them somewhere along the line. Maybe the name vaguely rings a bell. The only place I know for certain that I encountered them was right here on MB in a post by The Batlord. So I came into this album with no preconceptions whatsoever.
As with every album I've reviewed on here, I did start reading up on the band and the album once I started listening to it. Virtually everything I've read anywhere compares them to Motörhead, and with good reason: they're a raw, rowdy three-piece with punk energy, hard rock riffs and an immediately apparent sense of humor about themselves. Hell, this album was even produced by former Motörhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke. I won't say I fell in love with
Filth Hounds of Hades instantly—it did take a few listens—but once I fell, I fell hard. It's not surprising really. Give me rough-edged, drunken rock and roll and the odds are I will love it.
The formula here is simple—short, stripped down tracks with abundance of attitude—but pulling such a thing off this well is deceptively hard. The key with these guys is that they really know what the hell they're doing. A large part of their appeal lies with guitarist Peter Brabbs. His ability to jump from simple power chord driven Misfit-esque punk rock to compact but sophisticated riff
age is truly a thing to behold. The vocals and bass of former Damned bassist Algy Ward are also terrific. His singing style is simple and unadorned—at times even awkward—but it's perfect for this music. And his bass playing backs up the guitar flawlessly, though every once in a while, such as on "Who Needs Love Songs?", he demonstrates musical abilities above and beyond the band's usual format. It's a similar situation with Mark Brabbs drums. It's hard to really judge him because this music demands simple drumming and that's what he delivers, but every once in a while, like on "Turn Your Head Around", he delivers such propulsive percussion that it's notable almost as a precursor to the best of the thrash drummers.
I have to say, this is the first album I've reviewed as part of this little experiment that I've flat out loved rather than merely appreciated. Not only is it a great collection of songs but it's extremely well sequenced. From the opening "oombah oombah oombah" chant of "Shellshock" to the incendiary closing double feature of "Filth Hounds of Hades" and "(He Fell in Love with a) Stormtrooper", this album rocks your ass right the hell off. If you love metal or punk or rock 'n roll or simply like getting drunk and getting crazy, you owe it to yourself to listen to it.