Posted on: October 7, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

One of the most influential formations which emerged in the beginnings of the N.W.O.B.H.M. madness was TANK – a fierce, ambitious young band, taking all that was the best in punk and metal to a higher level. The group was formed in Croydon (London, England) in 1980 by Alasdair “Algy” Mackie Ward, an experienced front man who wanted to go beyond his previous musical experiences, which included playing in The Saints and The Damned.

Today Metal Mind Productions is proud to present the complete discography of TANK: “The Filth Hounds of Hades – Dogs of War 1981 – 2002”. The collection, containing Tank’s full discography extended with exclusive bonus material, will be available in two editions: as a 9 CD BOX (8CD+DVD) and a 6 LP BOX. “The Filth Hounds of Hades – Dogs of War 1981 – 2002” includes the following albums: “Filth Hounds Of Hades”, “Power Of Hunter”, “This Means War”, “Honour & Blood”, “Tank”, “Return Of A Filth Hound Live” (only in 9CD box), “War Of Attrition Live 1981” (only in 9CD box), “Still At War” plus a DVD with live material recorded over several years. All CDs were remastered using 24-bit process and feature rare bonus tracks (see the tracklist below). Both editions will also contain an extensive booklet covering Tank’s biography, discography, lyrics to all songs and a selection of archive photos. Hopefully “The Filth Hounds of Hades – Dogs of War 1981 – 2002” will prove to you that Tank truly remains one of the most influential and skillful bands ever to infect the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement.
“The Filth Hounds of Hades Dogs of War 1981 – 2002” will be released on 19th November 2007.

TANK
“The Filth Hounds of Hades – Dogs of War 1981 – 2002”
Label: Metal Mind Records
Format: 9 CD BOX (8CD+DVD) (limited edition of 1000 numerated copies)
Cat. No.: MMP9CDBOX003
Barcode: 5907785031043
Format: 6 LP BOX (limited edition of 1000 numerated copies)
Cat. No.: MMPLPBOX004
Barcode: 5907785031142
Genre: heavy metal/N.W.O.B.H.M
Release date: 19.11.2007

Tracklist:

FILTH HOUNDS OF HADES

1. Shellshock
2. Struck By Lightning
3. Run Like Hell
4. Blood, Guts & Beer
5. T.W.D.A.M.O
6. Turn Your Head Around
7. Heavy Artillery
8. Who Needes Love Songs
9. Filth Hounds Of Hades
10. (He Fell In Love With A) Stormtrooper

Bonus Tracks:
11. Don’t Walk Away
12. Shellshock
13. Hammer On (Different To Album Version)
14. Don’t Walk Away (Live), Recorded In Dusseldorf, Germany On The Motorhead/Tank European Tour 1981/1982
15. The Snake
16. (He Feel In Love With A ) Stormtrooper (Live)
17. Blood, Guts And Beer (Live)
18. Steppin’ On A Landmine

Tracks:
11-13 taken from EP “DON’T WALK AWAY”, KAMAFLAGE 1981, KAM 1
14-15 taken from SP “DON’T WALK AWAY (live)”, KAMAFLAGE 1982, KAM F1
16-17 taken from SP “(HE FELL IN LOVE WITH A) STORMTROOPER”, KAMAFLAGE 1982, KAP 1
18 taken from SP “TURN YOUR HEAD AROUND”, KAMAFLAGE 1982, KAM 3
19

POWER OF HUNTER

1. Walking Barefoot Over Glass
2. Pure Hatred
3. Biting And Scratching
4. Some Came Running
5. T.A.N.K.
6. Used Leather (Hanging Loose)
7. Crazy Horses
8. Set Your Back On Fire
9. Red Skull Rock
10. Power Of Hunter

Bonus Tracks:
11. Crazy Horses
12. Filth Bitch Boogie

THIS MEANS WAR

1. Just Like Something From Hell
2. Hot Lead Cold Steel
3. This Means War
4. Laughing In The Face Of Death
5. If We Go (We Go Down Fighting)
6. I (Won’t Ever Let You Down)
7. Echoes Of A Distant Battle

Bonus Tracks:
8. The Man Who Never Was
9. Whichcatchewedmycuckoo
10. Swapiyayo

Tracks:
8-9 taken from LP single Echoes Of A Distant Battle
10 taken from French version of “This Means War” LP

HONOUR & BLOOD

1. The War Drags Ever On
2. When All Hell Freezes Over
3. Honour And Blood
4. Chain Of Fools
5. W.M.L.A.
6. Too Tired To Wait For Love
7. Kill

Bonus Track:
8. The Man Who Never Was

Track 8 taken from CD “Honour & Blood”

TANK

1. Reign Of Thunder
2. March On, Sons Of Nippon
3. With Your Life
4. None But The Brave
5. The Enemy Below
6. Lost
7. (The Hell They Must) Suffer
8. It Fell From The Sky

RETURN OF A FILTH HOUND LIVE (available only in 9 CD BOX)

1. This Means War
2. Echoes Of A Distant Battle
3. T.W.D.A.M.O.
4. And Then We Heard The Thunder
5. Don’t Walk Away
6. Honour And Blood
7. Power Of The Hunter
8. Shellshock

Bonus Tracks:
9. In The Last Hours Before Dawn
10. And Then We Heard The Thunder

Tracks 9-10 taken from CD “Return of a Filth Hound Live”

WAR OF ATTRITION LIVE 1981 (available only in 9 CD BOX)

1. Shellshock
2. Steepin’ On A Landmine
3. Blood, Guts And Beer
4. Run Like Hell
5. Don’t Walk Away
6. Filth Hounds Of Hades
7. Stormtrooper
8. The Snake
Bonus Tracks:

9. Shellshock (Demo)
10. Run Like Hell (Demo)
11. Blood, Guts And Beer (Demo)
12. Hammer On (Radio Session)
13. Don’t Walk Away (Radio Session)
14. Heavy Artillery (Radio Session)

Live At Parkpop, Holland 6-4-82:
15. T.W.D.A.M.O.
16. Blood, Guts And Beer
17. Too Tired To Wait For Love (Demo)
18. Man Who Never Was (Demo)

STILL AT WAR

1. Still At War
2. T.G.N.I.D.
3. Light The Fire (Watch’em Burn)
4. The World Awaits
5. And Then We Heard The Thunder
6. In The Last Hours Before Dawn
7. Conspiracy Of Hate
8. When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted
9. Return Of The Filth Hounds
10. The Blood’s Still On Their Hands
11. The Fear Inside

Bonus Tracks:
12. C-Ing Dub-All
13. Still At War (Single Mix)

Tracks 12-13 taken from Cd “Still at War”

DVD consisting of live recordings
tracklist tbc

BIO
One of the most influential formations which emerged in the beginnings of the N.W.O.B.H.M. madness was TANK – a fierce, ambitious young band, taking all the best that was in punk and metal to a higher level. The group was formed in Croydon (London, England) in 1980 by Alasdair “Algy” Mackie Ward, an experienced front man who wanted to go beyond his previous musical experiences which included playing in The Saints and The Damned, with whom Algy recorded an album called “Machine Gun Etiquette” (1979). As the story goes, Algy left The Damned and met brothers Mark and Peter Brabbs, who at that time were both playing in two bands. The first one was called Heroes, the other they would rather like to forget. Soon after a new formation was born – a band which would serve a thrilling musical mixture accepted by both punk and metal fans. The name chosen for the group was short and powerful – TANK – it very well suited the band’s ambitions to deliver as much impact as possible. Thanks to their connections with members and management of Motörhead, Tank’s premiere gig was a truly extraordinary event – the band performed next to Girlschool (a famous local group), giving an excellent show and drawing immediate attention of promoters all over local areas and beyond. In 1981, after a few more successful gigs, Tank was contacted by Kamaflage Records who offered to release Tank’s first vinyl – “Don’t Walk Away” EP. The content of this release left no question where the band wanted to venture – take punk rock attitude, rock’n’roll guitars, N.W.O.B.H.M. dynamism and mix it altogether – you’ll get the idea of what Tank is all about. In the end of 1981 Tank was given a unique opportunity to accompany Motörhead on their vast European tour – a series of successful performances followed. After returning to the UK, the band focused on recording their debut album for Kamaflage – “Filth Hounds of Hades”. Produced by famous “Fast” Eddie Clarke, the debut hit the stores in Spring of 1982, around the time when Tank participated in the second part of the Motörhead tour, which covered mostly UK dates. “Filth Hounds of Hades” was an extremely successful debut, getting great reviews in the press and a very positive feedback from the fans. The LP featured some of the most memorable songs by Tank, such as “Blood, Guts And Beer”, “T.W.D.A .M .O.”, “(He Fell In Love With A) Stormtrooper” and “Turn Your Head Around”. It also gave the first taste of the characteristic war theme, which the band seemed to be obsessed with – song titles such as “Heavy Artillery” slowly paved the way for future military-style compositions to emerge. Tank’s second album, “Power of the Hunter” was recorded in 1982. The album, released during Tank’s tour alongside the immensely popular band Diamond Head, featured a fairly similar musical style as on the debut, although some of the material was definitely slower and more rock-oriented. One of the main reasons for that was the constant comparison of the band to Motörhead, which after some time became really annoying for all Tank members. Although some of the tracks, like “Walking Barefoot Over Glass” and “T.A.N.K.” were true highlights for Tank, “Power of the Hunter” never managed to repeat the success of the debut release. The year 1983 was not easy for the band. The rather poor sales of the album decreased Tank’s popularity on the scene and to make things worse, soon after Kamaflage Records collapsed, leaving the group without a record deal. To reinforce their sound a bit, Tank welcomed a new member in the ranks, guitarist Michael “Mick” Tucker, who previously played with Axis and White Spirit. After renewing its lineup the band begun searching for a new record label and ended up signing a deal with Music For Nations, which was very impressed by Tank’s achievements. The first album recorded for Music For Nations was “This Means War”, to this day considered one of Tank’s best releases. The LP showed a definitely heavier side of the band, revealing also some more ambitious compositions. A good example of Tank’s progress is the use of keyboards, something that would be fairly impossible on the previous album. With “This Means War” the group proved that they were a far more serious act that they might have been perceived – songs like “Just Like Something From Hell”, “Hot Lead Cold Steel” and “(If We Go) We Go Down Fighting” were masterfully written and showcased some very impressive skills of all of the band members. The album, released in June 1983, proved to be a great success and Tank was once again in its finest form. Everything seemed to be in the right place for Tank, unfortunately this state did not last long. In the end of 1983 both of the Brabbs brothers left the band. Algy and Mick were practically left without band members and had to fill up the missing positions as soon as possible. First they found a new drummer, Graeme Crallan, who was Tucker’s colleague from White Spirit. After that, in order to maintain Tank’s four-piece structure, experienced session musician Cliff Evans, who also played in blues-rock groups Chicken Shack and Head First, was asked to join the ranks of the band. Recorded over a lengthy period in 1984, “Honour and Blood” was finally released at the end of the year by Music For Nations. This time Tank took out all the commercial elements from their music – keyboards or over-melodic interludes completely disappeared. The material was still heavy, but this time it failed to leave such a strong impression as its predecessor. Nevertheless, some tracks are still worth mentioning, such as the charismatic title track, the surprising cover version of a 60’s soul/r’n’b classic by Aretha Franklin – “Chain of Fools” and the characteristic “W.M.L.A.”, strongly differing in style from the rest of the material. After the release of “Honour and Blood” Tank received a unique opportunity to take part in an European tour with no other than the thrash metal legend Metallica, who were at that time promoting their album “Ride the Lightning”. Despite the successful tour, the album failed to sale a satisfactory number of copies and Music For Nations ended the deal with Tank. To make things worse, in the early 1985 Graeme Callan decided to leave the band. He was quickly replaced by Gary Taylor (previously in Streetfighter and Buffalo) and the band was ready for another portion of live performances. The band soon came to a conclusion that it’s much better for them to stay in the USA for a while and try to rebuild their career there. Meanwhile, back in Britain, a newly established record label, Raw Power, was preparing a series of retrospective collections from one of the most significant metal bands of that time. Among Venom, Tokyo Blade and Raven there was also room for Tank – in 1985 a double album called “Armour Plated” is released, containing the group’s best-known tracks, unfortunately lacking any rare or exclusive bonus material. After 1985 Tank was constantly working on some new songs and in the same time looking for a new label. It wasn’t until the end 1987 when the band’s next production, entitled simply “Tank”, hit the stores released through GWR Records. The album was actually recorded in 1986, but since the band didn’t have a deal yet, the release had to wait for some time. Unfortunately, during the wait Mick Tucker decided to return to the UK and go back to his day job, leaving Tank once again as a three-piece. The album “Tank” consisted of rather standard Tank material, with some highlights like “The Enemy Below” and “It Fell From the Sky”. Unfortunately, the LP failed to reach commercial success and wasn’t selling as good as expected. Still, the band decided to stay in the US, as they believed they had a much stronger following there than in their homeland. With a new drummer, ex-Fastway’s Steve Clarke who replaced Gary Taylor (same as Mick Tucker, he departed back to the UK), the band begun a series of promotional gigs all across the USA to help sell their album. All in all, the tour did not go out as good as planned – people simply lost their interest in Tank and after realizing that, the group eventually called it quits. By the end of 1989 Tank became officially disbanded. Despite Tank’s temporary disbanding, both Algy and Cliff remained active on the music scene throughout the years. Nevertheless, Algy did not forget about Tank. In 1997, when he was taking a break from his current band, Necropolis, Ward returned to the material he was writing along with Mick Tucker since Tank’s demise. Algy soon decided that it’s time to show the new songs to the public. Once again he assembled the band, with himself, Tucker and Evans backed by a new drummer, Steve Hopgood. The newly established Tank took off for a mini-tour across Germany (accompanied by Raven and Hammerfall), with a highlight performance at the Wacken Open Air festival. The fans’ reception was so strong that Tank decided to fully reform and begin to record new material. First, however, they did a live album called “The Return of the Filth Hounds – Live” (released in 1998 by Rising Sun), which featured recordings from the German tour and two exclusive new studio tracks. The album sold very well and Tank once again begun touring the globe. “Still at War” released in 2002 was a truly memorable comeback for the band. Produced by Algy Ward himself, the album featured a set of classic, powerful tracks, which instantly won the hearts of die-hard fans, who often compared it to the band’s best effort to date, “This Means War”. Musically, the album was indeed a comeback to the roots of N.W.O.B.H.M. and remains one of these unique records which, although recorded in contemporary times, still have that characteristic feeling of the 80’s metal scene. The band has not given up on its fans and plans to release another album in the near future. Although the music business is still a very hard nut to crack, the fans will surely love to hear Tank’s newest offering. As Cliff admits, the band is aware of the intense support they received throughout the years, even when Tank ceased to exist.
Hopefully this BOX, containing Tank’s full discography and extended with exclusive bonus material, will prove to you that Tank truly remains one of the most influential and skillful bands ever to infect the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement. So prepare your finest artillery and HAMMER ON!!

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