Review of the Album "Thirst" by German Thrash Metal Band Tankard

For those of you that enjoyed the 2007 studio album The Beauty and the Beer by German thrash metal band Tankard, their 2008 studio album Thirst should also be enjoyable even though these German guys really haven’t done anything too radically different from their super heavy thrash metal that focuses mainly on partying, drinking, and politics. I explained before why Tankard was one of the best German thrash metal bands even in the 2000’s. Thirst is definitely one of Tankard’s best albums as every single song on here seems to really fit and there is a musical cohesiveness.

The album’s cover is not only descriptive but it fits the album’s title perfectly. The cover has a man that is stuck in the middle of the freeway and he is very thirsty but there is a sign that says that the next pub is 666 km away which is a very long distance. The man is thirsty for something and it could be either beer or water. The man is stranded with no car. But again, it must be emphasized that the album’s cover is perfectly symbolic of the album’s title. With this being Tankard’s 13^th studio album Thirst may be even better than The Beauty and the Beer.

Octane Warriors is a song that starts slowly and this one is about a scenario all the way into the future in the year 2060 where the world is running out of oil supplies. Consumers pay higher energy costs as there are riots and upheaval in the world. Greed in terms of finances does lead to higher energy costs. Corporations have run amok and become greedy, attempting to save as much money as possible. The quote in this song that “nobody can eat money” is very well stated. Money is just a medium of exchange and currency but it also allows us to live the way that we want to and there is no reason why so many should become so greedy but greed has become one of the major flaws of human nature. Octane Warriors is a brilliant way to start off a thrash metal album, even better than Metallica’s Hit the Lights. Tankard is in a league of their own in terms of thrash metal along with Kreator and Holy Moses.

“Deposit Pirates” at least sees Tankard attempting to use some melody while still sticking to their thrash metal style which works still in 2008! I’m starting to think that these guys have Judas Priest beat in terms of creative skill and technique. Even if their lead guitar work isn’t as good as Judas Priest, Tankard have set a standard of excellence in thrash metal and Judas Priest with Painkiller did a very good job changing styles and got heavier but they are not able to be better than Germany’s Tankard.

Then comes another solid song called Stay Thirsty! The song is about someone that goes through life being very confused. He cannot seem to make any real friends as weakness becomes his biggest strength. He then gets involved with his drinking buddies. Lyrically the song is mocking the idea of being thirsty because that’s what life is all about. It is a sort of musical satire if that makes any sense. Tankard is a band that has focused on the party scene a lot, more than perhaps any other band that I have heard.

Hyperthermia is a song about going to Finland on a vacation. The sauna temperature gets too hot and he ends up being stuck in the sauna and the door is jammed. Does he get out of the sauna? For the purposes of this review we will assume that he does get out of the sauna alive. There is some creative tapping in this song as well and for this, Tankard gets a few bonus points! Echoes of Fear is a song lyrically about the usual world chaos and disorder as the man eats his morning breakfast of fried eggs, fried beans, and toast. Thirst ends with the humorous and heavy song Sexy Feet Under. The song tells the story of a man that is working at a place for footwear. He loves his wife and child but when night falls, his obsessions become his worst enemy. He becomes fascinated with women’s feet. He is in danger of having an extramarital affair especially for one of the worst reasons. Thirst is one of the best heavy metal albums of 2008 and it is a very well written and refreshing brand of thrash metal.