An album that was probably overlooked in 2008, Animal Instinct is the reason that we still have Tygers of Pan Tang playing today. The North East outfit had been through several line-ups since those heady days of the early 1980s, and despite the keen and even hand of founder Robb Weir on the controls, the band were unable to locate a vocalist to match some of the band’s hard rock and Heavy Metal songs. Enter Jack Meille, the resident of Florence who arrived for his audition with no expectations.
Tygers Of Pan Tang – Animal Instinct (Mighty Music)
Release Date: 22 November 2024
Words: Paul Hutchings
Weir remembers Meille’s audition with fondness. “I knew, from the moment I put my hand up to stop Jack’s audition 40 seconds in and offered him the job… I just knew he was going to be the Voice of the Tygers.”
Joining the line-up of Weir, Craig Ellis, Dean Roberston and Brian West, Meille was soon in the studio recording Animal Instinct. It was an experience unlike anything the Italian had ever had before.
“I was so nervous on the first day of recording in the studio,” Meille said. “I had written quite a few melodies and lyrics, but it was the first time that I had recorded away from Florence, in a studio I had never been in.
“Everything was so new, exciting and demanding at the same time! I remember I had the best sleep of my life as I was so exhausted after every session.”
Listening to the album today, it is hard to believe that this was a new band coming together. Meille’s performance is superb. His crystal-clean vocals always have just the slightest hint of Robert Plant about them, are an undoubted highlight throughout.
But this is also about solid rock songs that remain in the memory long after the album finishes. Opener Rock Candy is a great example. The echoing repeat of the title fades into a driving riff, with Ellis bringing the power with his distinctive high-tempo drumming. The playing is sharp, crisp and exciting. Sure, it’s Heavy Metal in its truest form, but that is what the Tygers have always done so well.
Like the excellent recent Tygers releases, Weir and colleagues ensured that Animal Instinct made an instant impact. Rock Candy, Cry Sweet Freedom, and Let The Fire Burn are all enthusiastically delivered and rich in quality, with hooks and riffs for days.
Whilst I think 2019’s Ritual and last year’s Bloodlines are probably the best in the band’s catalogue, there is ample on this album to rank it highly.
If You See Kay is a strange and personal title, but the swagger that the band bring allows Meille to stretch his pipes, whilst Weir’s strange fondness for using the voice box comes in to play for the second time on the album.
Some of the tracks could be dismissed as routine, but there is something unique about the Tygers Of Pan Tang style that makes me appreciate them even more today than I did when grasping that copy of Spellbound in 1982.
Whether it’s the honest endeavour, the gritty determination or just the quality of the writing, I couldn’t say. Each song brings something new, from the blistering solo in Hot Blooded, the anthemic bluesy feel of Devils Find A Fool, and the massive sound of Dark Rider, it is all thrown into the mix with a care and crafting that is evident throughout the album.
I am not oversold on the bonus track Don’t Say Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Gonna Die, which is probably the weakest track on this remastered and reissued album, but the band’s approach to Andy Pilkington to revise the rather uninspiring album artwork is ingenious.
With plenty more to come, Animal Instinct reminds fans of this seminal UK Metal band that there is a rich history to explore. For those unfamiliar with the band’s ninth album or those who want to revisit a release that hides in the middle of the discography, now is the perfect time.
At the time, the legendary Geoff Barton rated it an 8/10 in Classic Rock magazine, stating it was “preferable to the [then] current offerings from Whitesnake and Def Leppard”. He was not wrong.
Animal Instinct will be reissued on LP (transparent light blue vinyl, limited to 500 copies), CD and digital formats on 22 November 2024 via Mighty Music. More details are available here.
