Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Raise a glass in celebration, smash your metal Tankard into another’s metallic stein, for in true fashion of observance and memorial, the anniversary of the one of the finest, most fun live, and the salutation of all that makes Teutonic Metal an absolute fest of glory. It is one to revel in and glorify without any sense of shame, without batting an eyelid as the bottle top is removed and the liquor of life pours without discrimination, so to the release of A Thousand Beers is to be acknowledged as a box set that ties together the first set of outstanding albums by Tankard under the Noise Records label.

A box-set release can be seen as bringing attention to music in a way that a single re-issue cannot usually do so, there is a greater sense of authority, a package upon which a band or an artist can unveil with a sense of solemnity, of acknowledged pride that what has been achieved is not to be seen a fleeting, passing cheer, but a full on lost weekend, a praise of joy that is carried from bar to bar, rather than just the single nod of appreciation from a stranger dressed in denim as they move on to the next free drink.

This authority is magnified in A Thousand Beers, the first seven albums released by one of the founding fathers of Teutonic Metal in one sublime box…or rather what could be seen as the artist’s palette, the large wooden crate of everlasting taste, and as history unfolds, as albums such as the band’s first studio release in 1986, Zombie Attack, the sublime The Morning After, The Meaning Of Life, and the superb Two-Faced all hit the listener as though the memories of the lost weekend slowly manifest in the mind and the smile of recognition of every decision made under the influence grabs the soul, so that authority is to be respected, is to be recognised for what it is; music and drive by one of the true greats of Metal.

The band may be noted for its love of beer, of writing songs that deeply involve the appreciation of the alcoholic substance, but it takes genius to stay at the top of the game when the world believes you are of a singular mind. For Tankard there is so much more beneath the foamy surface, and in 40 years of giving audiences a warm glow, the depth of feeling for their craft is one internationally recognised unruffled revelry. 

Cheers for A Thousand Beers, a crate full of dynamic and unflustered charm in which to feel drunk on the atmosphere provided.

Ian D. Hall