TANK Band Description:

TANK showed up in London in 1980 like a bar fight that learned three chords and refused to apologise. Algy Ward had already done the punk rounds (The Saints, The Damned), and you can hear that background in the way TANK don’t “arrange” songs so much as shove them at you.

The early version is the one I keep coming back to: a proper power trio with Ward on vocals and bass, Peter Brabbs on guitar, and Mark Brabbs on drums. No fancy committee meetings. Just speed, bark, and a rhythm section that sounds like it’s dragging gear down a concrete stairwell.

When “Filth Hounds of Hades” hit in 1982, it didn’t need a marketing plan. It had “Fast” Eddie Clarke (Motörhead) producing, and that matters, because the whole thing moves with that same diesel-and-beer momentum. Tracks like “Shellshock” and “Blood, Guts and Beer” don’t politely build tension; they kick the door and stand there grinning.

Later on, the band’s story gets messier (metal history usually does). Mick Tucker turns up as a second guitarist in the classic-era run, and after years of lineup churn the name itself splits into different working versions around 2007. That’s the part where the “who is the real band?” arguments start, and honestly, I’m more interested in whether the riff is still swinging its elbows than who owns the logo.

The funny thing is: TANK never got the stadium gloss of the NWOBHM royalty, and I don’t see that as a tragedy. Some bands are built for spotless banners and laser cues. TANK always felt better suited to low ceilings, loud amps, and a crowd that’s one spilled pint away from a communal chant.

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So yeah: if you want precision-polished metal, there are plenty of bands who will happily hand you a brochure. If you want NWOBHM with teeth marks in it, put TANK on, turn it up, and let the room complain. That’s usually a good sign.