TANK - This Means War 12" Vinyl LP ALBUM

- French Release with NEW Album Cover Design, Bernett Records

Album Front cover Photo of TANK - This Means War French Bernett Release 12 inch Vinyl LP https://vinyl-records.nl/

The French Bernett sleeve: a circular sniper scope frames three futuristic soldiers in blue armor amid flames and wreckage, guns raised in mid-battle. A red planet burns in the sky while ice-blue debris fills the foreground. The bold red TANK logo looms above, with “This Means War” in heavy yellow block letters below.

If you want the moment TANK stopped being “that loud band” and became a NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) punch, This Means War is it: 1983, leaner, meaner, and a fan-favorite because it doesn’t pose for the camera, it swings. The sound is hot iron and floor-sweat: riffs that scrape, drums that march, and Algy Ward barking like he’s allergic to politeness. “Just Like Something from Hell” sprawls and burns, the title track charges straight ahead, and “Hot Lead, Cold Steel” grins while it does damage. Produced by John Verity, it still hits like a warning shot — and yes, some pressings wear different artwork, because metal history loves a small argument.

TANK: "This Means War" (French Release) - A Blitz of NWOBHM Fury

Album Description:

I know exactly when this one grabs me: late afternoon, mug of coffee going cold, sleeve out on the table, and that French Bernett reissue staring back like it wants a fight. It is still "This Means War" (released 10 June 1983), but France gave it a different jacket in 1984 (Bernett Records, SB 18012) and that little detour is half the fun for a collector. The music stays blunt. The packaging gets weird. Perfect.

Side A opens with "Just Like Something from Hell" and it does not stroll in politely. It storms in. Eight-and-a-half minutes of TANK stretching the frame until the edges creak, then "Hot Lead, Cold Steel" comes swinging right after. By the time the title track hits, the room already sounds like it has dents in it.

The big change here is the guitars: this is Peter Brabbs and Mick Tucker, not the later Tucker/Evans pairing people mix up when they talk about mid-80s TANK. Tucker (ex-White Spirit) thickens the sound, Brabbs keeps that jagged bite, and Algy Ward barks from the bass position like he is refusing to step forward on principle. Mark Brabbs on drums keeps it driving, not fancy, not cute, just relentless forward motion.

Production credit goes to John Verity. I am not calling him "legendary" like I am reading a press release aloud, but I will say this: the record has that hard, practical punch that makes the riffs feel close enough to scrape your knuckles. And there is a very specific bit of lore tied to the sessions: stories put the recording in Verity's studio up in Bradford, which somehow fits the vibe. This is not manor-house metal. This is boots-on-floor metal.

The sleeve story is its own small soap opera. TANK ended up with multiple cover versions for "This Means War," and the band were not shy about hating at least one of them (the infamous "monster pizza" look). So when I see the French Bernett version, I do not just think "alternate artwork." I think: someone, somewhere, tried to fix a mistake after the fact. Heavy metal history is basically that, over and over, with louder amplifiers.

Flip to Side B and the record tightens its grip: "Laughing in the Face of Death" and "(If We Go) We Go Down Fighting" sound like they were written with a clenched jaw. Then it closes with "Echoes of a Distant Battle" - not a neat goodbye, more like the lights come up and you realise your ears are still ringing. Which is the correct outcome.

References / citations

So yes, this French Bernett sleeve is a collector's itch, but the real reason it matters is simpler: drop the needle and TANK still sound like they are arguing with the walls. And if your room does not complain a little, you are not playing it properly.

Collector Notes:

This album has been released two different versions of the album's front cover. The first version has been drawn by Chris Webster , the second version (released in France on Bernett records) was done by E. & M. Simon.

Album Fact Sheet: TANK This Means War Bernett NWOBHM

Music Genre:

Heavy Metal, NWOBHM 

Album Production Information:

The album: "TANK This Means War " was produced by: John Verity

John Verity from Bradford, West Yorkshire) is an English guitarist formerly with the band Argent from 1974 to 1976. During the 1980s he was responsible for the production and/or sound engineer of Heavy Metal albums. In particular for the bands Saxon and Tank.

Album front cover: E. & M. Simon

Album cover photography: Alan Ballard

Alan Ballard a British photographer who did photograph album covers for Motorhead, Girlschool and Tank.

Record Label & Catalognr:

Bernett Records SB 18012

Record Format:

12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record

Total Album (Cover+Record) Weight: 230 gram

Year & Country:

1984 Made in France
Personnel/Band Members and Musicians on: TANK This Means War Bernett NWOBHM
    Band-members, Musicians and Performers
  • Algy Ward – vocals, bass
  • Algy Ward - Singer, Bass Guitarist, Record Producer

    From The Saints to The Damned to Tank: Algy Ward's bass always sounds like it wants a fight.

    Algy Ward is the rare beast who carried punk's spit into heavy metal's engine room. With The Saints (1977-1979) he learned how to make a bass line snarl; with The Damned (1979-1980) he helped drive the "Machine Gun Etiquette" comeback like the amplifier was on fire. In 1980 he formed Tank and stayed on the front line - vocals and bass slung low - through the first run (1980-1989), the later revival (1997-2003), and his own late-era return (2013-2023). He wasn't chasing studio perfection; he leaned into volume, grit, and speed, and he also stepped into production work when needed. I always hear him as a moving wall: not fancy, not polite, just forward motion until it hurts.

    Algy Ward Wiki
  • Peter Brabbs – guitar
  • Mick Tucker – guitar
  • Mark Brabbs – drums
Complete Track-listing of the album "TANK This Means War Bernett NWOBHM "

The detailed tracklist of this record "TANK This Means War Bernett NWOBHM " is:

    Track-listing Side One:
  1. Just Like Something from Hell
  2. Hot Lead Cold Steel
  3. This Means War
    Track-listing Side Two:
  1. Laughin in the Face of Death
  2. (If we go) We Go Down Fighting
  3. I (Wont Ever, Let You Down)
  4. Echoes of a Distant Battle

TANK: Four Decades of Raw Power and Enduring Influence in the Metal Scene"

Honour and Blood ( RoadrunneR , Netherlands )
TANK - Honour and Blood (Netherlands & USA Releases )

- Honour and Blood ( RoadrunneR , Netherlands )

- Honour and Blood ( USA, CANADA )

The sonic intensity and precise production of "Honour and Blood" owe a great deal to the sound engineering talents of Alvin Clark and Peter Rackham. Working tirelessly to capture Tank's explosive energy, they ensured that every riff, vocal line, and drum beat reverberated with power and clarity.

This Means War ( RoadrunneR Record Label )
TANK - This Means War ( Netherlands & French Releases )

- This Means War ( Netherlands, RoadrunneR Record Label )

This Means War ( France, MFN Music For Nations Record Label )

"This Means War" picks up where their debut left off, but with a newfound intensity and focus. From the opening salvo of the title track, it's clear that TANK is here to conquer. Ward's snarling vocals spit out lyrics of rebellion and defiance, while the guitars churn out riffs that could level a city block.

This Means War ( France )
TANK - This Means War ( France )

This is the hard to find French release of Tank's This Means War which has a diffent illustration on the album cover.