Regular visitors to HRH will be more than familiar with the band Tygers Of Pan Tang. In the past year we have reviewed their live Newcastle Academy show, their EP “Back And Beyond” as well an in depth interview with founding guitarist Robb Weir. During that interview Weir mentioned that the recording of a new album was in the advanced stages and would hopefully see the light of day by May 2008. Well, true to his word, the new album is finished, done and dusted and after a couple plays I think it's fair to say that the wait has been worth it.

Featuring eleven tracks Animal Instinct was produced and mixed by Thunder's Ben Mathews who should be commended for capturing the sound of a British hard rock band in full flight. Intelligent use of mixing, with Robb and Dean’s guitars panned hard left and right in the mix, creates a truly big, fat and juicy mix. The sonics of the album sound organized with no clutter and, after seeing the band live twice recently, you can be sure that what you hear on the album will be created live down to the last drop of feedback. Two of the tracks namely, “Live For the Day” and “Bury The Hatchet”, were released on the “Back & Beyond” EP providing a taster of what the band were working on and these hinted at the fact that the Tygers were back writing classic hard rock with just the right amount of attitude, and the full release simply reaffirms that fact.

Opening with “Rock Candy”, a surging, up-tempo rocker with a great chorus, gives instant satisfaction and is prime time Tygers and for anyone who was around in the eighties this song will take you right back. As “Rock Candy” fades away the band don’t wait to catch their breath but opt to launch into another up-tempo rocker “Cry Sweet Freedom”. Once more the chorus is a cracker but, for this reviewer, it’s the series of guitar solos and the accompaniment that really hit the spot. “Let It Burn” on the other hand features great drumming from Craig Ellis who truly deserves the description of “engine room” on this song as he pushes the band along relentlessly.

Next up is “If You See Kay”, arguably the best track on the album. Somehow the Tygers have managed to keep their own flavour and yet mixed in a vibe that is reminiscent of Dokken in some of the guitar riffs and Journey on the stacked vocals. It’s kind of Dokken's “Heaven Comes Down” meets Journey's “Lay It Down”. “Hot Blooded” keeps the solid rock and roll flowing before things slow down with “Devils Find A Fool”. This is the album's lighter in the air song with echoes of modern day Bad Company in the way the song progresses.” Winners And Losers” is another solid rocker that smoulders whilst “Cruisin’” is a song that takes you on a cool ride thanks mainly to some great harmony vocal arrangements from Jacopo Meille.  Closing song “Dark Rider” features yet more very eighties sounding harmony guitars but once again the star of the song is Meille with another great vocal performance.

In the liner booklet Robb says he hopes that the listener will “let their imagination run wild and take a nostalgic trip down memory lane” as the band get back to the style of classic British Hard Rock that they love. Well they have certainly succeeded in their mission and anyone who liked the Tygers the first time around will certainly feel right at home with this album. In our last meeting Robb told me that the “eighties were a rock phenomenon, the like of which we won’t see again”. Thankfully that hasn’t stopped him from following his chosen path and the results of his “animal instincts”, when it comes to music, are well and truly vindicated with this release. Tygers of Pan Tang 2008 are a rejuvenated band with a dedicated and organized team behind them and “Animal Instincts” is a fine album that hopefully will help push the band another step or three up the ladder of the rock world once more.

Al Hey