Tankard
Alien

The mini-LPs have never enjoyed great attention in the thrash metal circuit, being a pricey hybrid with few songs and a lot of packaging, perhaps one killer track and other fillers that result in much more appealing albums, or end up as trash-worthy products. The value undoubtedly increases when we talk about "Haunting The Chapel" by Slayer or "Surf Nicaragua" by Sacred Reich, but decreases when it's about "Ratman" by Risk, or "Alien" by the German band Tankard. Albums that are little known in Continental Europe outside the circle of die-hard aficionados.

The quintessential beer-core thrash combo released this mini LP in 1989 after the release of their most famous album "The Morning After", closing the first phase of the Teutonic group's career, the one most tied to hardcore with the steamroller Oliver Werner, that of the raw yet juicy sound like a good barbecue. The surprise is just around the corner as the songs do not pale at all compared to "Commandments" or "Shit Hero" from the previous album, even if slightly inferior. However, they offer the charm of immediacy, the raw sonic wall that comes from crowded streets, from packed beer halls, from stores full of used records, from rehearsals in the basement, places where the five guys from Frankfurt captured the moods to inject into these five "big songs" (as Ivan Graziani would say), full of simple rhythms but that attract us like an old dear battered car, companion of adventures. Just think of the reimagining of the anthem "(Empty) Tankard", drawn from the first LP "Zombie Attack", which is literally a kick in the teeth, especially with Oliver's sticks catching fire and his pedal hammering us non-stop, while guitars and vocals crash into our ears leaving a decent ring in the head. The speed reached is comparable to "Darkness Descend" by Dark Angel. Also great is the redo of "Remedy" an old song by the hard rock group Rose Tattoo, who in the '70s were signed to AC/DC's label, Albert: a tribute to a band that shares the fun-at-all-costs philosophy ("..free yourself, free yourself/Good rock music is what we need..."), a bit like the more famous AC/DC.

The bounty of this mini LP seems scant if we consider the amount of Tankard music: a cover, a re-played track, and three new episodes. These new confections are a breath of fresh air, starting with the title track that traverses thrash paths with a high dose of hardcore, with a relentless pace, but not speed of light as in the past. As well as the shattering "Live To Dive", marked by the pounding double bass in the style of "Overkill" and the usual adrenaline-filled solos, which even smell like Angus Young. "666" is, on the opposite, a desecrating metal march with an ironic text, celebrated by the screamer Andreas Geremia:

"We have a contract with Satan/A contract signed in Hell/We sacrifice a virgin/He makes our record sell/SATAN!- We worship the Antichrist/EVIL-To hit the charts one day/666 Packs - Seven days of death and pain/Satan - Eleven hours of blood rain/666 Packs - Nine black bats will eat your brain/Satan - Good with numbers? Join our cult/We have evil even more evil/Come buy our merchandise