Band:	Tankard
Album:	The Morning After
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	1988

01. Intro
02. Commandments
03. Shit-Faced
04. TV Hero
05. F.U.N.
06. Try Again [Geniale Spermbirds cover]
07. The Morning After
08. Desperation
09. Feed The Lohocla
10. Help Yourself
11. Mon Cheri
12. Outro

Person 1: "Hey man, do you want a beer?"
Person 2: "Sure. Beer is pretty damn awesome."

Ah, the wonderful and profound mysteries of beer. A philosophical beast Tankard have spent a career trying to tame.

Of course, this is just my way of pointing out the straight forward approach to thrash they have employed on this record and often times throughout their career. Tankard definitely have a place on the less serious side of the spectrum of thrash metal, but they embrace a fun and energetic style, and it works well. Songs like "Shit-Faced" are representative of something a lot of great thrash has, aggression, quick sharp riffage, and a general piece to bang your head to. The "Try Again" cover is fitting, and I found it to be one of the better songs on The Morning After. It embodies the attitude and lifestyle of thrashers everywhere, that is, living in the moment and taking it to 11 every day.

So, there are certainly positive aspects to this album, but it could be better. For one thing, the performance and songwriting certainly aren't pushing any boundaries, and I found the production didn't give the guitar tone enough punch. These aren't huge issues but the whole album seemed to lack the components of a classic in the genre. It's written well enough, it's fun, and enjoyable for a few listens, but upon repeated listens it loses its appeal a bit.

That being said, if you're a fan of Tankard or the German thrash scene in general, you'll probably find some merit to picking this album out of the sea of late 80's thrash metal. It's a pretty good release, just don't expect a magnum opus.