By Hunter Cooke….
It’s not often you see an original, good heavy metal band that’s still around today creating new music while not sounding stale. I don’t consider myself a classic heavy metal guy but I have listened to my fair share of it, especially through my childhood. Tygers of Pan Tang are a heavy metal band from England that have been around since 1978 and have now again been active since 1999. Their new self-titled album mixes a classic heavy metal aspect with thrash undertones and plenty of high pitched vocals and solos.

Being a vocalist, the first thing I immediately noticed on this album are the great vocals of Jacopo Meille. Upon first listen, I thought I would be drug into another boring, generic power metal album…but boy was I wrong. The first song on the album “Only the Brave” Thrusts you into what this band is all about…HEAVY METAL! Of course with that song, like many of the others on the album, it had a nice solo in it and really surprised me and made me want to listen more until I couldn’t anymore.
The second song titled “Dust” is one of the best songs on the album, it really combines the heavy metal and thrash elements with a catchy chorus and a solo that’s just as catchy. The main riff of this song really goes hand in hand with vocalist Jacopo Meilles voice. All of the aspects come together and make this a great song sure to become a classic.
The song “Never Give in” is another great heavy tune, the vocal range of Jacopo is tested here and it turns out amazing. The best part of this song is the solo. It fits extremely well and is a satisfying test for the guitarist, as is serves as another highlight on the album.

There are a slew of softer songs on the album as well, some done better than others. “The Reason Why” Is the first, and really just seems like a generic ballade and could have been left out of the album. On the other side of the coin “Praying for a Miracle” Is an amazing stab at a softer tune to counter the more aggressive songs. That song is the first that stands out for its lyrical content and made me feel that it really meant something, and that something really comes out in the emotions of the music itself. Yes, “Praying For A Miracle” also has a solo in it like the many others on the album, but it sticks to the softer side of the song and is a very in place melodic solo that fits very well. “Angel in Disguise” Just seems sort of out of place, it’s a very short song and seems like it doesn’t really belong.
The last of the laxer songs is a song named “I Got the Music in Me” and is by far my least favorite song on the album. It opens with a very strange talk box effect that is not shown anywhere else on the album and continues with the chorus. The chorus is out of place, it’s a monotone voice saying “Got the music in me” over and over again while the talk box effect I mentioned earlier is played. The song seems like it should belong back in the hair metal days, but it makes an appearance on an album in 2016 where it shouldn’t…and throws the rest of this amazing album off kilter a bit.
Listening to one of the last songs on the album “Blood Red Sky” helps me to forget about the last song. This is a more upbeat tune, much like “Dust.” The song also just does everything right, it has the signature chuggy type riff that we’ve gotten use to on this album. But because of the upbeat tempo it really stands out. Of course with an upbeat song comes another catchy chorus and it also stands out. The solo in this song makes itself known by being a heavier, faster solo than I expected, and is a nice change of pace. This song is the true ender of the album for me.I was surprised when I looked the band up to see how long they have been churning out music and that I had not sonically crossed paths with them before. I remember briefly hearing about them on the documentary “Metal Evolution” but had forgotten. This album is a wakeup call to anyone who enjoys any kind of metal to look up Tygers of Pan Tang and give their self-titled album a listen. It’s the breath of fresh air I’ve been looking for in Heavy Metal for some time.