Tygers of Pan Tang - Bloodlines

Review by; Kayleigh

Tygers of Pan Tang through various formations are a band that have been around for a while, they have released multiple albums and have a strong discography, now they have added newest addition ‘Bloodlines’ to the mix. Originally Tygers of Pan Tang formed in the late 70’s and were active till the late 80’s. The heavy metal group then took a hiatus for a couple of years before reforming with a new line-up. Robb Weir who has always led Tygers through their multiple line-up changes, thinks that this could be the strongest we have seen them since they were at the forefront of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. New album ‘Bloodlines’ from the English rock group was recorded by themselves and produced by Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Moonspell, Sick Of It All). Bringing in a new producer gave a contemporary edge to the Tygers sound. I went into ‘Bloodlines’ having never heard of Tygers of Pan Tang before, and straight off the bat I liked what I was hearing. From opening track ‘Edge of the World’ I could tell that this is a band who are fierce, maybe a little bit theatrical and metal to the core. With their British sound it’s easy to hear hints of Iron Maiden but Tygers of Pan Tang are definitely their own thing, pulling a little more hard rock into their metal. ‘Edge of the World’ and second track ‘In My Blood’ definitely have that heavy metal sound then third track ‘Fire On The Horizon’ comes in, this one felt a bit more modern to me. ‘Fire On The Horizon’ is like a hard rock song filled with heavy metal. The racing drums and the powerful vocal harmonies with the incredible guitar work easily made this track my favourite. I think this is also the point in the album where I started to hear a bit more of a classic rock vibe and this progressed throughout. Another track on ‘Bloodlines’ that I was a big fan of is ‘Back For Good’, this groovy one I could see fitting in with the likes of Def Leppard or Motley Crue. There are some cool moments within this one like the groovy drum and bass intro, the driving solo and a really cool vocal drop towards the end. Other honourable mentions from ‘Bloodlines’ must be the ballad ‘Taste of Love’ which shows off that even a slowed down Tygers of Pan Tang are still fierce and powerful. ‘Believe’ which is super catchy and really shows off that heavy metal does hard rock type sound I found in this album. Then lastly, as seems to be a theme with albums from these types of bands closing with a strong storytelling moment. In this case, ‘Making All The Rules’ which contains this really nice calm vocal and pretty soaring guitars. If you haven’t heard of Tygers of Pan Tang till now, like me, go check them out. There wasn’t a single song on ‘Bloodlines’ that I didn’t like, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case with their whole discography. This English band are clearly strong song writers, and you can tell they have a lot of experience under their belt. For fans of Iron Maiden, Saxon or any band that has been a part of the NWOBHM these guys are 100% for you.

4 out of 5

Tygers of Pan Tang are

Robb Weir: Guitar Francesco Marras: Guitar Jack Meille: Vocals Huw Holding: Bass Craig Ellis: Drums

Tracklist

1. Edge of the World

2. In My Blood

3. Fire On The Horizon

4. Light Of Hope

5. Back For Good

6. Taste of Love

7. Kiss the Sky

8. Believe

9. A New Heartbeat

10. Making All The Rules