Kev Rowland
Back in 1982, four longhaired metal maniacs from Frankfurt, Germany, decided to found a band, and as they weren’t going to be around for very long they also created a new form of music, Alcoholic Metal! Some thirty-five years later they are still going strong, and kicking up a storm with thrash metal, and have just released their seventeenth studio album. Unlike some, the line-up has been incredibly stable, with singer Gerre and bassist Frank Thorwarth there since the beginning, drummer Olaf Zissel since 1994, and guitarist Andy Gutjahr since 1998, and they’re not showing any sign of slowing down yet.
It is easy to dismiss Tankard as a comedy act, because of their innate sense of humour, and fondness of beer, but behind all that there is a band here that know what they’re doing, and see no point in changing now. This is thrash metal that could have come out of the scene back when it was starting, furious and over the top with riffing guitars and a drummer that refuses to quit, and vocals that are gruff and totally fitting. True, there aren’t many blistering guitar solos, but they have a style that has worked for them for a very long time, so why change it now?
If you have never partaken of the joys of Tankard, yet enjoy thrash, then now could not be a better time to put aside any preconceived ideas and raise a glass.