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Tank - 3 albums in new digipak editions out in September by MMP!

Articles / Labels' News
Date: Aug 15, 2008 - 11:00 AM
Metal Mind Productions presents re-releases of 3 full-length albums from the discography of Tank - one of the most influential formations which emerged in the beginnings of the N.W.O.B.H.M. madness. “Power Of Hunter”, “This Means War” and “Honour & Blood” will be available in new digipak editions limited to 2000 copies each.

“Power Of Hunter”
Re-release of Tank's second studio album from 1982. The album, released during Tank's tour alongside the immensely popular band Diamond Head, featured a fairly similar musical style as on the debut, although some of the material was definitely slower and more rock-oriented. One of the main reasons for that was the constant comparison of the band to Motörhead, which after some time became really annoying for Tank. Incl. "Walking Barefoot Over Glass" and "T.A.N.K." - true highlights for Tank. New edition includes 3 bonus tracks!

“This Means War”
Re-release of Tank's third studio album from 1983. The album to this day is considered one of Tank's best releases. It showed a definitely heavier side of the band, revealing also some more ambitious compositions. A good example of Tank's progress is the use of keyboards, something that would be fairly impossible on the previous album. With "This Means War" the group proved that they were a far more serious act that they might have been perceived - songs like "Just Like Something From Hell", "Hot Lead Cold Steel" and "(If We Go) We Go Down Fighting" were masterfully written and showcased some very impressive skills of all of the band members. New edition includes 3 bonus tracks!

“Honour & Blood”
Re-release of Tank's fourth studio album from 1984. This time Tank took out all the commercial elements from their music - keyboards or over-melodic interludes completely disappeared. Features the surprising cover version of a 60's soul/r'n'b classic by Aretha Franklin - "Chain of Fools" and the characteristic "W.M.L.A.", strongly differing in style from the rest of the material. New edition includes 1 bonus track!

All three titles were digitally remastered using 24-Bit process on golden disc. The release date is scheduled for 22nd September 2008 in Europe and 28th October 2008 in USA (via MVD).

Bio
One of the most influential formations which emerged in the beginnings of the N.W.O.B.H.M. madness was TANK - a fierce, ambitious young band, taking all the best that was in punk and metal to a higher level. The group was formed in Croydon (London, England) in 1980 by Alasdair "Algy" Mackie Ward, an experienced front man who wanted to go beyond his previous musical experiences which included playing in The Saints and The Damned. As the story goes, Algy left The Damned and met brothers Mark and Peter Brabbs. Soon after a new formation was born - a band which would serve a thrilling musical mixture accepted by both punk and metal fans. The name chosen for the group was short and powerful - TANK - it very well suited the band's ambitions to deliver as much impact as possible. Thanks to their connections with members and management of Motörhead, Tank's premiere gig was a truly extraordinary event - the band performed next to Girlschool, giving an excellent show and drawing immediate attention of promoters all over local areas and beyond. In 1981, after a few more successful gigs, Tank was contacted by Kamaflage Records who offered to release Tank's first vinyl - "Don't Walk Away" EP. The content of this release left no question where the band wanted to venture - take punk rock attitude, rock'n'roll guitars, N.W.O.B.H.M. dynamism and mix it altogether - you'll get the idea of what Tank is all about. In the end of 1981 Tank was given a unique opportunity to accompany Motörhead on their vast European tour. After returning to the UK, the band focused on recording their debut album for Kamaflage - "Filth Hounds of Hades". Produced by famous "Fast" Eddie Clarke, the debut hit the stores in Spring of 1982, around the time when Tank participated in the second part of the Motörhead tour, which covered mostly UK dates. "Filth Hounds of Hades" was an extremely successful debut, getting great reviews in the press and a very positive feedback from the fans. Tank's second album, "Power of the Hunter" was recorded in 1982. The album, released during Tank's tour alongside the immensely popular band Diamond Head, featured a fairly similar musical style as on the debut, although some of the material was definitely slower and more rock-oriented. The year 1983 was not easy for the band. The rather poor sales of the album decreased Tank's popularity on the scene and to make things worse, soon after Kamaflage Records collapsed, leaving the group without a record deal. To reinforce their sound a bit, Tank welcomed a new member in the ranks, guitarist Michael "Mick" Tucker. After renewing its lineup the band begun searching for a new record label and ended up signing a deal with Music For Nations, which was very impressed by Tank's achievements. The first album recorded for Music For Nations was "This Means War", to this day considered one of Tank's best releases. The album, released in June 1983, proved to be a great success and Tank was once again in its finest form. In the end of 1983 both of the Brabbs brothers left the band. Algy and Mick first found a new drummer, Graeme Crallan. After that, in order to maintain Tank's four-piece structure, experienced session musician Cliff Evans, was asked to join the ranks of the band. Recorded over a lengthy period in 1984, "Honour and Blood" was finally released at the end of the year by Music For Nations. This time Tank took out all the commercial elements from their music - keyboards or over-melodic interludes completely disappeared. The material was still heavy, but this time it failed to leave such a strong impression as its predecessor. Nevertheless, some tracks are still worth mentioning, such as the charismatic title track, the surprising cover version of a 60's soul/r'n'b classic by Aretha Franklin - "Chain of Fools" and the characteristic "W.M.L.A.", strongly differing in style from the rest of the material. After the release of "Honour and Blood" Tank received a unique opportunity to take part in an European tour with no other than the thrash metal legend Metallica, who were at that time promoting their album "Ride the Lightning". Despite the successful tour, the album failed to sale a satisfactory number of copies and Music For Nations ended the deal with Tank. To make things worse, in the early 1985 Graeme Callan decided to leave the band. He was quickly replaced by Gary Taylor and the band was ready for another portion of live performances. The band soon came to a conclusion that it's much better for them to stay in the USA and try to rebuild their career there. After 1985 Tank was constantly working on some new songs and in the same time looking for a new label. It wasn't until the end 1987 when the band's next production, entitled simply "Tank", hit the stores released through GWR Records. In the meantime Mick Tucker decided to return to the UK. “Tank” LP failed to reach commercial success and wasn't selling as good as expected. Still, the band decided to stay in the US, as they believed they had a much stronger following there than in their homeland. With a new drummer, ex-Fastway's Steve Clarke who replaced Gary Taylor (he also departed back to the UK), the band begun a series of promotional gigs all across the USA to help sell their album. The tour did not go out as good as planned - people simply lost their interest in Tank and after realizing that, the group eventually called it quits. By the end of 1989 Tank became officially disbanded. Despite Tank's temporary disbanding, both Algy and Cliff remained active on the music scene throughout the years. Nevertheless, Algy did not forget about Tank. In 1997, when he was taking a break from his current band, Necropolis, Ward returned to the material he was writing along with Mick Tucker since Tank's demise. Algy soon decided that it's time to show the new songs to the public. Once again he assembled the band, with himself, Tucker and Evans backed by a new drummer, Steve Hopgood. The newly established Tank took off for a mini-tour across Germany (accompanied by Raven and Hammerfall), with a highlight performance at the Wacken Open Air festival. The fans' reception was so strong that Tank decided to fully reform and begin to record new material. First, however, they did a live album called "The Return of the Filth Hounds - Live" (released in 1998 by Rising Sun), which featured recordings from the German tour and two exclusive new studio tracks. The album sold very well and Tank once again begun touring the globe. "Still at War" released in 2002 was a truly memorable comeback for the band.
In 2007 Metal Mind Productions released a box entitled “The Filth Hounds of Hades - Dogs of War 1981 - 2002” containing the complete discography of TANK (8 albums) plus a DVD with special live material. Box also included exclusive 29 bonus tracks (rare, singles, demos, live) and 48 page booklet with biography, discography, lyrics to all songs and a selection of amazing archive photos!!! Special 8CD+DVD edition was limited to 1000 numerated copies.
Today Metal Mind Productions presents re-releases of 3 full-length albums from the discography of Tank. “Power Of Hunter”, “This Means War” and “Honour & Blood” will be available in new digipak editions limited to 2000 copies each.

More information:

Agnieszka Świątnicka-Kulpińska
--------------------------------------
Metal Mind Productions - Promo Dept.
e-mail: agnieszka.kulpinska@metalmind.com.pl
www.metalmind.com.pl / www.myspace.com/metalmindproductions
tel.++48 32 205 25 00 fax: ++48 32 205 36 65
ul. Czajek 31, 40-534 Katowice
POLAND


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