Tankard - The Meaning of Life (1990)

*First pressing. 

Contains 11 tracks total.

Country: Germany
Language: English
Genre: Thrash Metal
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© 1990 Noise International
Review by Lior "Steinmetal" Stein for Metal-Temple.com
It is not about marketing, not about a forced move in order to break it into the charts, it is just merely development nurtured by years of experience paying off. It didn’t happen in the process of two years for the German to be Thrash Metal beer moshers, TANKARD, and their 1988’s album, “The Morning After” proved that just right. However, further maturation and instrumental progress continued in their next venture, lunging into the 1990s with a blast. The reactivated Noise Records revamps the next batch of TANKARD records, starting with the album that was pictured as a moment of glory for the Frankfurt drunks, “The Meaning Of Life”, originally released in 1990.

As mentioned, the musicality of “The Meaning Of Life” didn’t all of a sudden raise its green and ugly head, neither did the new drummer, it took some time to manifest the abilities, but eventually the end result killed it. While still retaining their Hardcore / Punk imagery, the Metal element further became chief in TANKARD’s music and ascertained good quality. In addition, melodic patterns and catchy riffing took a step forward, uplifting with more than enough strong moments that might even raise recollections of IRON MAIDEN and early HELLOWEEN. I could argue the same about the soloing here and there, some utter blazes of clashing steel can be noticed. The songwriting also materialized as both catchy and progressed, slightly more provocative in its lyricism but still humorous and even sarcastic, needless to say interesting, than previously done. I am sure that you will find that there is a lot to headbang to right here, the energetic tempos will surely shed blood in the moshpit.

For a long time now, the Punk fused institution “Beermuda” has been a favorite of mine, next to some of other previous classic tunes of the band such as “(Empty) Tankard”, “Chemical Invasion” and “The Morning After” just to name a few. However, rediscovering it again within this reissue copy actually made me understand it better. Musically, it is a work of art, and its arrangement is built to last, relevant in every era of Metal. “Mechanical Man” comes next as epic Thrash Metal at its finest hour, driven by emphatic riffing, this is TANKARD at their top form, no funny business, just plain in your face Metal. Choking on beer is always fun, and why not taking it to outer space? “Space Beer” delivers a full blown strike into the black of space, iconic tune. “Wheel Of Rebirth” is one of TANKARD’s odd sods, probably they were on something when it was originally written, nonetheless, it has a fair share of class, old school prowess, especially in its riffing. Others recommended: “Dancing On Our Grave”, “The Meaning Of Life” and “We Are Us”.

Included within this remastered version are several chosen live material, both new and earlier tunes, showing the powerful growing force of TANKARD’s stage presence. The displayed tunes provide a good look of the band’s influence on their local German audience, attributing energies to such hits as “The Morning After” and “Maniac Forces” along with providing an extra crispy version of their back then new tune, “Open All Night”. Furthermore, you will also find an interesting interview within the booklet, done with vocalist Gerre of the happenings of the era surrounding “The Meaning Of Life”.

As declared, “The Meaning Of Life” was considered to be TANKARD’s bestselling album. It is a high quality release, though personally I found some of their later releases a bit high up the ladder. Nevertheless, there is no reason why not just grab it.

tags: tankard, the meaning of life, 1990, flac,