Review of the Album "Stone Cold Sober" by German Thrash Metal Band Tankard

Stone Cold Sober is the 5^th studio album by German thrash metal band Tankard. By this time in their career, the band solidified its thrash metal sound and they even wrote a song that is in favor of getting rid of the alcohol drinking habit called Stone Cold Sober. The song is trying to point out that it is better to have a diet full of vitamins, minerals, vegetables, and peppermint tea instead of the alcohol. The band also brings up the idea of prohibition being a good idea. Prohibition was tried in the US from 1919 through 1933 but it ultimately failed. It is better to be sober and lose weight rather than having that heavy drinking and partying lifestyle that will lead to hangovers and liver failure.

Stone Cold Sober is the most influential album to this point in Tankard’s career because it is more than just a solid thrash metal album. It is an album that tries to bring awareness to the social evils or chaos of excess materialism, bad relationships, and the consequences of a diet full of alcohol.

Jurisdiction is a very good opening song that talks about the manner in which many political leaders get involved in dirty money deals and they work with the bosses of big corporations to get as much cash as possible. The law does not matter to them if they can make lives of the average person miserable. However, there are political leaders that have been more genuine and honest but in general politics can be a very dirty business. Beast of Bourbon is the first Tankard album that I ever listened to and my musical exploration of this entertaining and talented band took off from there. What is described in the song Jurisdiction is relevant to what is happening in the US Congress as they are bought out by corporations. What is meant by this is many members of Congress receive money and kickbacks from these corporations so that they can do their bidding.

"Mindwild" is a song that describes what happens to a person whose mental faculties have declined. These kinds of people can inflict pain and misery on others. That is why we must make sure to become good role models for other people to follow and go in the right direction.

However the song called Ugly Beauty is a song that explores relationships and dating, more specifically it tries to point out that the beautiful blond woman that we have been so eager to go out on a date with may turn out to be totally the opposite of what our expectations were. The song describes a man that goes out on a date with this blond beauty and he brings her back to his place only to find out that she is a person that her thighs were not to his liking and she was someone that was very ugly on the inside. The song is also trying to point out that indeed money does not buy us happiness. People may love your money but life will be a total mess if we get caught in the materialism trap.

Behind the Back is a song that describes people in this world that are liars, backstabbers and people that only look for attention. If we have friends that are going to let us down, then what is the need for enemies? That’s a valid point that the song brings up and adds to the lyrical brilliance of Tankard. This kind of social environment also exists in Los Angeles where because of the entertainment industry, some people do what they can to prove that they want to be somebody. They allow money and fame to get in the way of a healthy and honest lifestyle. However it is also important to mention that deception and dishonesty is a worldwide problem. The album ends with a long instrumental song called Of Strange Talking People Under Arabian Skies. This song has that 1984 Metallica feel to it even though Tankard and Metallica were formed at the same time because there’s not much difference between 1981 and 1982. Ten years after their formation, Tankard may have reached the top musically at this point with the very good album Stone Cold Sober.