Tankard – One Foot In The Grave

With Motorhead unfortunately no longer with us, Tankard have now become the undisputed Kings of consistency. “One Foot In The Grave” marks their longest break between albums since 1998, at just 3 years. Nevertheless, this record picks up exactly where “R.I.B.” left off, and offers a sufficiently thrashy experience. The band’s music is still predicated on wonky palm-muted riffs underneath Gerre’s hilariously animated vocals. While Tankard may be fairly predictable or safe, they somehow never run out of interesting riffs. This style of riffing lends itself to being quite memorable, so even though there are no real surprises on this album, it doesn’t feel monotonous or overdone.

As with many Tankard records, the real highlight is Gerre’s ramblings. The band’s focus on “One Foot In The Grave” has shifted away from beer (blasphemy!), instead opting for social issues. This isn’t the first time Tankard has explored this direction, and truthfully, they do it pretty well. Sometimes the lyrics don’t translate properly to English, which is part of the fun with this band. Other times the lyrics are just so absurd that you can’t help but laugh ("Arena of the True Lies" being the prime example). Tankard may not sing about beer this time around, but they’re still about having a good time.

Musically, Tankard is still on point. The majority of songs on this record are fast, and even the slower stuff still feels upbeat. Gerre’s voice hasn’t diminished at all, and the remaining musicians are still completely on point. I’m always a little surprised that with bassist Frank Thorwarth being an original member, his bass is never that loud in the mix, but the guitars have such a nice crunch that it doesn’t diminish from the sound too much. The production as a whole is relatively clean, but the guitars have enough bite to them that it isn’t a problem. 

Relative to some of their previous records, “One Foot In The Grave” is about up to par. The quality has been fairly consistent throughout the last decade, with 2010’s “Vol(l)ume 14” being a clear standout. “One Foot In The Grave” is not quite up to the standard of this record, but otherwise exceeds some of the other releases during this time. Fortunately Tankard is the kind of band where you could listen to any of their modern stuff on shuffle and never be disappointed. The band is incapable of writing bad songs, and “One Foot In The Grave” is another testament to that fact!

Be sure to check out and like Tankard on Facebook!

Highlights

"Pay to Pray"

"One Foot In The Grave"

"Syrian Nightmare"

Final Rating

4.1/5 or 82%. 

Paralysis – You Can’t Win

“You Can’t Win” is the newest EP from New Jersey thrash group Paralysis. Before even thinking about the music on this release, the most immediate standout is the guest lineup. Boasting veteran names like Gerre (Tankard), Josh Christian (Toxik), and Bobby Gustafson (ex-Overkill), this EP is a star-studded release. All three guests show up in a big way on this EP. Gerre is probably the most noticeable of the three since he contributes vocally, but Josh’s solo is pretty wild, and exactly what you’d expect to hear on a Toxik record.

A lineup this great typically means one of two things: either the band is using big names to try and give them more credibility, or that their music rules so much that these guys are excellent additions to the record. Fortunately, “You Can’t Win” falls into the latter case. This EP has plenty of great music to offer thrash fans across all five tracks. The title track is a definite standout, simply because of how catchy it is. Utilizing stellar gang vocals to shout the chorus, this song is especially memorable. The closer, “All Your Lies”, takes this a step further, creating a crossover sound that would not be out of place on a Leeway record (to name one example).

Even though there are a lot of gang vocals, the singing of the band’s frontman is definitely more death metal inspired than thrash. A very throaty growl is prominent throughout the record, though there’s no difficulty in understanding the lyrics (which are incredibly angry!). Nevertheless, the riffs are distinctly thrashy in their approach. In general, they tend to be stronger when they’re faster and more upbeat (though this has always been the case in thrash). In fact, if there’s one area of improvement for Paralysis, it would be in the guitar tone. I hate to recommend something being louder, but the guitars feel very muted, and lack the punch that heavier tones have. “You Can’t Win” would surely benefit from being a bit more in your face. 

This is a minor complaint though, as the music that is presented here is killer. This is a savage release that offers more aggression than a lot of thrash albums (largely due to the vocals). The songs are surprisingly memorable, and offer more variety than one might expect. The awesome guest appearances only add to the quality of this release, and make it one of the more unique entries in thrash for 2016.

Be sure to check out and like Paralysis on Facebook!

Highlights

"You Can't Win"

"All Your Lies"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott