Do Tank still exist? Well…most probably. It’s a strange thing to ask, indeed. If we take under consideration that there is not a single original member in the ranks of this influential British group, not even their founder Algy Ward. Suspicion must be high before listening to this new venture titled “War Machine”. Being the devil’s advocate, this is a fresh cover with the legendary logo prominently placed. And what’s best is what settles down after the first listen.

To make a long story short (since talking too much about Tank means that one has not learned his lesson on British Metal axioms as they were crafted into the minds of metal fans during the 80s), “War Machine” comes to become a classic British Metal album, however little it has in common with the traditional Tank sound. The early, dirty-rotten, Motorhead sounding days have no place here. Nevertheless, the album ranges from very good to excellent. Everything, from the sound engineering o the cuts ambience reflect the glory days of hard music in the Old Albion while the vocals sung by the roamer Doogie White (who I suppose had something to do with the compositions in general), leave no room for doubt.

The Saxon/Rainbow/Deep Purple heritage and the British motif of the early 80s is dominant all around, with ambient songs in various tempos and a pinch of a classic, epic thing. The guitar work of the old-timers Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans is a charm while the rhythm section of Chris Dale (of the Bruce Dickinson band)  and Dave “Gray” Cavill (of the Zodiac Mindwarp) do what they should without any unnecessary commotion. The listen is so fluid and sometimes so emotional that the traditional Metal fans will go crazy in retrospect.

 “War Machine” is a really god album, definitely not expected by Tank and it is only evident by the logo in the cover (even if a glimpse of Honour & Blood is present). I don’t know if you really care, however it is more than enough for me, the fact that such a nice CD, full in traditional Metal inspiration is released in year 2010.