Album Review: Tiger Army - 'Music From Regions Beyond'

Tiger Army is one of those bands

that have always passed me by. I’ve seen a ton of kids wearing their

shirts, had friends offer to lend me their CD’s and their tour of

Australia had rave reviews – but for some reason I’d never really

given them a listen. 

After hearing “Music From Regions

Beyond” that will all change because I’m really enjoying this record.  

As I mentioned, I’m not familiar

with Tiger Army’s previous records but from all reports the band’s

earlier material had a more pronounced psychobilly influence, whereas

“Music From Regions Beyond” has a greater emphasis on pop harmonies

and an 80’s, almost goth feel – something which singer/guitarist

Nick 13 made mention of in our recent interview with him.  

I’m not sure what long time

Tiger Army fans think of this record, but I enjoyed the mid tempo songs

the most. Not to take anything away from the more punk and hardcore

influenced tracks – such as “Ghosts Of Memory” – but the melodies

and synth parts in “As The Cold Rain Falls” are something which

will get stuck in your head for hours. LunaTone is another standout

track with its washy guitar sound and laid back groove. 

After saying that, Hotprowl is

an excellent song and is likely to appeal to the band’s older fans.

The gang vocals are great and the walking bass lines give the song plenty

of punch. Jerry Fin’s production of the record is exactly what the

band needed. All the instruments have a clarity that is often lacking

on punk records, but the overall sound isn’t too polished – something

which can detract from the feel of an album.

My only real gripe with the record

is the amount of guest vocals. I’m a big fan of the odd guest appearance

on a song or two, but Davey Havok of AFI appears on at least 3 tracks!

While I can appreciate the long standing friendship between AFI and

Tiger Army I think that’s a bit excessive. Brandon from Bleeding Through

and Dan from The Dear And Departed (Day Of Contempt) also show up on

a song each! 

Music From Regions Beyond is a

great collection of songs, one which has encouraged me to delve further

into Tiger Army’s back catalogue and see what else they have to offer

but as I said earlier, I feel the amount of guests on the record is

a bit much. Tiger Army has written an excellent record and don’t need

to rely on their famous friends to shift units. 

1. Prelude: Signal Return
2. Hotprowl
3. Afterworld
4. Forever Fades Away
5. Ghosts Of Memory
6. LunaTone
7. Pain
8. As The Cold Rain Falls
9. Hechizo De Amor