Tygers of Pan Tang
Spellbound

After the departure of the legendary singer Jess Cox from the group, with whom they had recorded Wild Cats, a more than positive debut under the auspices of MCA Records, the Tygers Of Pan Tang settled on the decidedly superior Jon Deverill (coming from Persian Risk) and decided to focus on the addition of a second guitarist, to strengthen their aggressive and raw sound, thus expanding the group from four to five members. The choice luckily fell on a young boy coming from the Streetfighters, a band unknown to most, endowed with such extraordinary talent that he managed to dethrone the already skilled Rob Weir from the lead guitarist role: his name was John Sykes.

Someone surely more knowledgeable than me will remember him for his stint with Thin Lizzy alongside the late Phil Lynnott and then with Whitesnake as the lead guitarist on the very successful self-titled, better known as "1987," where he delivers, as someone elsewhere here on the site notes, his own "personal lesson" on how to use the six strings (!).

"Spellbound", the second release by the Tygers, was released under MCA in 1981, and compared to the previous Wild Cats, it has one of the essential qualities to be a masterpiece: greater sonic compactness and variety supported by an incredible soul that seems to vividly live from the first to the last listen, as well as being played devilishly well. But it is especially the sincere soul that shakes it that makes it special and makes it emerge smoky and lethal from the warm voice of Jon Deverill and the inspired and technical hands of John Sykes and Rob Weir on guitars, Rocky on bass, and the precise sticks of Brain "Big" Dick on drums.

The needle gently settles on the first groove, and it's already adrenaline. "Gangland", a delectable metal explosion, direct and overwhelming, thanks to the punctual rhythmic work of the Rocky/Dick duo, truly in a state of grace throughout the platter, is undoubtedly the NWOBHM testament of the Whitley Bay originating combo, and it frames the most technical and lethal solo of Sykes on the entire LP: hyper-fast and catchy to astound. The calling card is unmistakable: energy, speed, roaring guitars and raw and wild to the ultimate power that will accompany us for the scant 35 minutes of this masterpiece.
The following "Take It", endowed with an enviable melodic momentum and jaunty freshness, slides sparklingly and badass especially due to the excellent square central riffing and the priestly duet between Weir, very bluesy and old-style in solo approach, and Sykes, capable of purely metal and more modern arabesques (from a guitar standpoint) that explode note by note. After a disturbing electric roar ("Minotaur"), starts the granitic and anthemic "Hellbound", one of the extremely more melodic and powerful moments of Spellbound, with the drums pounding incessantly and the bass riding boldly, embellished by the usual superb performance of Sykes.

But let this devastating initial triptych serve you only as a hearty appetizer! The meal is only halfway, and the tigers want to keep roaring strong and powerful, defiant and energetic, and I assure you they just want to subjugate you with all the charge they have in their bodies. So let it overflow fluidly with their genuine and sincere metal starting from "Mirror Mirror", the ultimate metal ballad mixing poetry and rage culminating in Sykes' heart-wrenching and chilling solo, to the intriguing riff of "Silver And Gold", in which Deverill probably delivers his best vocal performance, demonstrating honorable vocal versatility, and to the nervous progress of "Tygers Bay" where a brilliant and jolting but unfortunately brief solo by axeman Sykes shakes from the depths a somewhat weak refrain.
And down all the way to the mischievous wink at hard rock with "Story So Far", pleasantly nostalgic and catchy, and the fiery metal jolt of "Blackjack", perhaps a bit anonymous in the chorus but decidedly edgy and adrenaline-pumping, leading to the closure entrusted to the melancholic "Don't Stop By", where melodic palm-muting is torn apart by yet another robust riffing that slides languidly into a fantastic hard rock track illuminated by the usual melodic flashes of Sykes and probably the best performance of Dick on drums.

Ultimately, a ravenous roar that unfortunately our guys will not be able, alas, to replicate throughout their career and which alone is capable of being a pillar of the majestic ideal construction of NWOBHM and which every self-proclaimed metal lover should jealously guard and avidly enjoy. Obviously, bon appétit!

P.S.: For fans of Dream Theater and the exploits of John Sykes, I would finally like to add that Sykes appeared as a guest within the 2004 solo project by Derek Sherinian "Mythology," playing alongside Zakk Wylde in the song "God Of War," and that in 2006 Gibson finally released the custom Les Paul model he personalized and used on various tours around Ireland and the United Kingdom when he was part of Thin Lizzy (if you're curious, feel free to peek here http://www.gibsoncustom.com/print/JohnSykes.pdf).

 See Ya!