Vocals? What is that? TANK86 don't need no stinking vocals!  There is no time for any of that nonsense "when you are pounded into oblivion." This instrumental (and very bad-ass) stoner metal quartet from the Netherlands have written, recorded, and as of January 2015, released their second album "Obey." And I will willingly do so as these riffs are mind-blowing and most awesome. This is some heavy-hitting Metal and it shows me that these guys are out to make a damn name for themselves.

In my mind when I saw the term "stoner metal" next to the name TANK86 I figured hey, why the hell not. After all, if they are anything like THE SWORD (one of my preferred bands to listen to and one with whom they have shared the stage) then they have to be good (and they are). What I did not expect was to hear a bit of MASTODON lacing the edges of influences present on the songs. The distortion is massive, the song structures are solid and diverse, and the formula these guys have when they are making their music fucking works.

I thought it very avant-garde of them to include a bit of brass instrumentation on "Conquistador" and "Tarhunt" with El Pastuso's trumpet and Piet Berben's trombone. As a whole, there is a distinct groove metal feel to the riffs in the way that they progress. I get the sense that these songs were the result of a lot of practice and jam sessions with the intent to create music that would later be recorded. Everything seems to gel together, even when the slow-tempo riffs typical of doom metal are juxtaposed with some face-melting blast riffs (comparable to that of darker pagan metal). Best of all is that the music comes through very crisp and heavily.

This is definitely an album that someone could play while they were working and never run out of mojo to get the job done, or turn on at a party and have everyone head-banging. It is versatile, fun, and overall a fantastic piece of listening enjoyment that I am glad to have the honor to review. Hey TANK86! Keep those riffs coming!