I go all the way back with the Tygers to their origins at the start of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late 1970s/early1980s.
All the classic early stuff with the likes of Jon Sykes on guitar and through thick and sometimes thin with the mid-1980s wobble with the likes of Burning in the Shade.
Though as we know you can’t keep a good NWOBHM band down and the Tygers are certainly no exception. Their recent stuff has been top notch –for example Ritual was superb.
Now here in May 2023 they’ve given us another sparkling album in Bloodlines. There have been many line-up changes over the years however Robb Weir remains from the old days with Bloodlines seeing the debut of Francesco Marras on guitar and Huw Holding on bass.
Pleased to say bar one slight blip, Bloodlines is a cracker. Weir and Marras let fly with a variety of hard and heavy cutting and ripping riffs and some savage solos. Powerful vocals with a nice melodic element and the usual rock-solid rhythm section all making for an excellent three quarters of an hour of “old school” NWOBHM at its roots with a fresh and modern feel to it.
Edge of the World gets things off to a fine start. The cutting riff and atmospheric sound give something of a progressive metal feel to it as do the ripping solos. A sort of Rainbow(ish) by way of a quick comparison. Nice big chorus too. Have a listen:
In My Blood pumps along well with another chunky, melodic chorus as does Fire on the Horizon which is a thunderous slab of heaviness featuring more to the point solos from Robb and Francesco.
Light of Hope and Back for Good are no back numbers either – not least the big bass lead on Back for Good giving the song a slightly sleazy edge.
So far so very good. Five nice rockers. Now come what is for me the blip. A slide back to the wimp-rock of Burning in the Shade style with an insipid template “power ballad” in Taste of Love. No more to say about that.
The blip doesn’t last with Kiss the Sky straight back to the good stuff as are Believe and A New Heartbeat.
Making All the Rules closes out a fine album in fine style. Something a little different too. A slow-burner slightly bluesy effort to start with some emotional vocals before it bursts out in to a blazing fest of guitars.
Four decades in and the Tygers are on top form.
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