Founded all the way back in 1978 is the absolutely legendary band that is TYGERS OF PAN TANG. If you don't know who these guys are and their place in heavy metal history then you should. Back in the late 70's/early 80's a new sound was coming from the United Kingdom known simply as The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM for short). The bands coming from this era where the likes of IRON MAIDEN, MOTORHEAD, SAXON, DIAMOND HEAD and of course TYGERS OF PAN TANG. Even Lars Ulrich from METALLICA has often cited this band as a major influence so these guys are a big deal. This new album, Ambush (Reissue), comes out September 18^th and if you love your heavy metal then this is one to get.

Kicking things off is "Keeping Me Alive" with an acoustic opening but then the real guitars come in. your immediately hit with those old school metal guitar riffs, a brilliant chorus and killer guitar solo. Such a strong opener. The next song is "These Eyes" and is a solid NWOBHM tune with some great riffin' and killer lead guitar work. "One of a Kind" is a real rock 'n' roll feel of a song and a real crowd goer. It has a big chorus to sing along to and a guitar solo that just commands the song. The song "Rock 'n' Roll Dream", well what else can be said, the songs title really represents what the song is all about. With the song "She" you get the rhythm section building it up, then the riffs building it up and then your hit with a cool chorus. The lead guitar parts are played on an acoustic guitar then it switches to electric guitar. A real cool tune.

"Man on Fire" is a total anthem of a song. It is one of those songs with an epic guitar solo and a put your fist in the air feels to it. This one really does "raise hell on earth". "Play to Win" is a fast pace metal attack. It has killer riffs that hook you in, a big chorus and a guitar solo that just takes over. There is a slow opening with "Burning Desire" and an epic sounding lead guitar part over that. The band then bursts in and lifts the song up. This track gives a slight heavy metal ballad feel to it and a guitar solo of epic proportions. A real amazing song. On "Hey Suzie" you can really hear that bass coming through under that lead guitar played through the talk box pedal. The bass playing really shines on this one.

"Mr. Indispensable" has such a rock 'n' roll feel to it. Big sounding choruses and the bass taking over on the middle section. The last song on the album (before we get to the extra's of course) is "Speed" and here they close the album out with a fast paced full riffing metal assault and a ripping guitar solo. This song is pure NWOBHM. Then we get to the extra's that are on Ambush (Reissue). The first one is "Cruel Hands of Time" which would have been a pretty good fit on the album as it is a solid song. We got not one but two live tracks in the form of "Keeping Me Alive" and "These Eyes", both of these show perfectly just what a force this band is live and then we get the demo version of "Rock 'n' Roll Dream which makes for a fun listen.

As a reviewer I was a little nervous about doing this one with the legendary statues of this band but once the opening bars from that guitar hit you you're just knew that this album was going to be killer and it all just came to me. As previously mentioned at the start TYGERS OF PAN TANG are absolute legends in the history and world of heavy metal music and this album is a perfect example of their greatness. This is a must have in your collection and was a true honour and pleasure to listen to. Thank you.