788. Tygers of Pan Tang / Wild Cat. 1980. 2.5/5

In recent times I have spent a lot of my energy into delving back into finding albums of bands tied up (some very loosely) in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. For the most part this has been an interesting and enjoyable experience. One of the more recent bands I have been able to track down is Tygers of Pan Tang, and this is their debut album, Wild Cat.

From the very beginning, I can hear patches of bands like ZZ Top and Motorhead in their music. There's nothing too technical about the songs on this album. For the most part they are straight up hard rocking songs with a fast 4/4 drum beat from Brian Dick which is mirrored by the bass guitar of Richard "Rocky" Laws. The guitar riffs from Robb Weir are all catchy enough, while Jess Cox's vocals are serviceable without providing any real energy which may have helped to lift these songs. To be honest, this whole album is average - it isn't bad but it doesn't have anything memorable that lifts it into the really good range. Whether that was going to be something more distinctive from the rhythm section than just the timekeeping element, or some breakout riffs and/or solos from the guitars, or some change in tone from the vocals that helped to lift these songs, it didn't really matter. To me there just had to be something to make these songs stand out from each other, rather than feel they are all mostly very similar. This isn't meant to be a huge criticism of what is presented here, and given that it was 35 years ago this album in these circumstances has held up quite well. But there is a quality lacking which would make it stand out from the other heavy albums of the day.
Quite simply, there are ten tracks on this album that feel and sound extraordinarily similarly structured. If you did not know the album well, and were listening to it for the first time, you could be forgiven for thinking that the same songs often get repeated throughout the length of the album. This isn't helped by the very monotone vocal performance of Jess Cox, which fails to help in trying to perceive the differences of each track. There are good songs here that you feel could have been much more spectacular if they had been managed better. "Euthanasia" and "Slave to Freedom" both start the album off as well as they are allowed, but by the time we reach "Don't Touch Me There" you can already feel the sameness creeping in. With "Money" we have the slight case of boredom seeping into the music. A more upbeat tempo number like "Killers" can get away with this lethargy, and along with "Fireclown" at least help to raise the profile a certain degree, but the guitar riffs are still too similar for comfort, and the vocals too singularly toned as well.

On the whole, this is an average album, perhaps one that at the time of its release was thought of more highly than I do today. That can always be the case, and it is not meant to be a harsh assessment - though it probably comes across that way. For true believers of the movement I'm sure they find a lot more in this than I do.

Rating:  The heart of the future will soon oppress.  2.5/5

Listen to full album here