Celebrating 30 Years Of Tankard’s Chemical Invasion!

Never mind the chemicals....it's a THRASH invasion!

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Chris Jennings in Features

Tankard are the German equivalent of New Jersey’s Overkill; both bands taking the honour of being the most consistent and productive thrash bands of their respective continents!

They both hard to start somewhere though and Frankfurt’s Tankard were already making waves by the time the ring pull was removed from their beer-soaked sophomore album, 30 years ago. Never straying far from their beer and whiskey soaked path, it took Chemical Invasion (released in October 1987) to prove that Tankard were much more than a mere gimmicky joke band and it’s an album that has, arguably, claimed its place as Tankard’s definitive release.

Like the mad scientist depicted on the album artwork, Tankard threw everything into their heady brew of intense drumming, barely controlled riffs and histrionic vocals. Seemingly just one more drink away from careening out of control entirely, Tankard’s hellish fury occasionally calmed with the open acoustic guitar strum of “For A Thousand Beers” providing ample proof that these guys could play….and they could play well!

“Total Addiction” and “Don’t Panic” are teutonic thrash classics, but it was the shifting patterns of the fast and furious 8 minute epic “Traitor”, that proved that Tankard were more than capable of keeping up with Kreator, Destruction and Sodom.

Chemical Invasion is still an album that demands to be listened to while very, very drunk, with the room spinning and projectile puke just one more whirlwind head-bang away! True party thrash from one of thrash metal’s most endearing, and enduring, bands!

Track Listing:

1. “Intro”
2. “Total Addiction”
3. “Tantrum”
4. “Don’t Panic”
5. “Puke”
6. “For a Thousand Beers” (instrumental)
7. “Chemical Invasion”
8. “Farewell to a Slut”
9. “Traitor”
10. “Alcohol” (Gang Green cover)

30 years of beers and counting!

NOTE: Noise Records (https://m.facebook.com/NoiseRecordsLebt/) will be reissuing TANKARD’s first 3 classic Noise era albums Zombie Attack, Chemical Invasion & The Morning After incl. the Alien-EP in November 2017 on deluxe CD & limited splatter vinyl. Pre-orders are live here: https://goo.gl/AVDPwt