Tankard is a German
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band from
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, founded in 1982.
Alongside
Kreator
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Frédér ...
,
Destruction
Destruction may refer to:
Concepts
* Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger
* Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism
* Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...
and
Sodom, Tankard is often considered one of the "Big Four" of
Teutonic thrash metal
Teutonic thrash metal is a regional scene of thrash metal music that originated within German-speaking countries during the 1980s. Along with Bay Area thrash metal, East Coast thrash metal, and Brazilian thrash metal, it was one of the major s ...
. Stylistically, Tankard have consistently played thrash metal that thematically centres primarily on
alcohol reverence, unlike the remaining "Big Teutonic Four" (Kreator, Destruction and Sodom), who are all known for covering such topics related to death, politics, violence and
anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
.
History
Formation and early years (1982–1985)
Tankard was formed in 1982 by three classmates, bassist Andreas "Gerre" Geremia, guitarist Axel Katzmann and vocalist Frank Thorwarth. Thorwarth and Gerre soon switched roles; at the same time the trio added drummer Oliver Werner and second guitarist Bernhard Rapprich. They chose their name from a dictionary upon seeing its definition as "beer mug". Their earliest written song was called "Ray Death", a song about
nuclear war and their first gig was played in a local classroom in 1983. As drinking alcohol in the school was banned, they smuggled their
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
in with milk cartons. Soon after, Bernhard Rapprich left the band as his conservative father did not want him "hanging around with a bunch of drunks" and he was replaced by Andy Bulgaropoulos.
With the lineup now stabilised, the band released their first
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
, titled ''Heavy Metal Vanguard'', in 1984. After this, the band toured with fellow German thrashers
Sodom.
SPV were interested in signing both bands, but allegedly SPV retracted a deal after seeing the band perform live. In 1985 they released a second demo, ''Alcoholic Metal'', which cemented their
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
style and lyrical themes. Both of these demos were very popular in the underground, and on the strength of this demo they signed with
Noise Records
Noise Records is a German heavy metal record label founded in 1983 by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased any ...
. The eight-track demo also features rough versions of four songs that would later appear on their debut album, ''
Zombie Attack
''Zombie Attack'' is the debut album by German thrash metal band Tankard. The album was re-released in a set with another Tankard album, ''Chemical Invasion
''Chemical Invasion'' is the second studio album by German thrash metal
Thrash ...
''
The Noise years (1986–1995)
''Zombie Attack'' was released in July 1986. In October 1987 their sophomore album, ''
Chemical Invasion
''Chemical Invasion'' is the second studio album by German thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme ...
'', was released, with the album art being the first of eight done for the band by artist Sebastian Krüger, followed a year later by ''
The Morning After''. Both of these albums were produced by
Harris Johns
Harris Johns is a European music producer, active since the late-1970s in the heavy metal and punk scene, working for a lot of big-name bands, such as Helloween, Coroner, Tankard, Sodom, Voivod, Kreator, Exumer, Ratos de Porão, Slime, Daily ...
, who would go on to produce all of the band's albums up to 2000. However, shortly after the release of
compilation
Compilation may refer to:
*In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler
**Compilation error
**Compilation unit
*Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products
*Compilation thesis
M ...
''Hair of the Dog'', original drummer Oliver Werner quit the band to be replaced by Arnulf Tunn, and the band released three albums with this lineup: ''
The Meaning of Life'', ''
Stone Cold Sober
"Stone Cold Sober" is the debut single by English recording artist Paloma Faith from the album '' Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?'' (2009). It was released on 15 June 2009 and entered the UK chart at number 17.
Background
The ...
'' and ''
Two-Faced''. They also recorded the live album ''Fat, Ugly and Live'' during this time. This lineup then folded when Tunn was replaced by Olaf Zissel, who remains in the band to this day, in May 1994 and the next year founding member Katzmann was forced to leave due to
osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the w ...
in the wrist. That year the band released ''
The Tankard'', which is widely viewed as a very good album by fans and critics alike,
and is their final album with Noise.
Later career (1995–present)
The band decided not to replace Katzmann and remain a one guitar band. Also, after the release of ''The Tankard'', the band signed with
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million.
Background
Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Oli ...
. After the release of ''
Disco Destroyer
''Disco Destroyer'' is the eighth studio album by German thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme M ...
'', longtime guitarist Andy Bulgaropoulos left the band to spend more time with his family. He was replaced by Andreas Gutjahr, forming the current lineup of the band. The first album released with Gutjahr was ''
Kings of Beer'', which was their second and final studio album with Century Media. The band signed with
AFM Records
AFM Records GmbH is a music label based in Schwalmstadt, Germany. They focus on the heavy metal musical genre, signing bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Lordi, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator.
In 2005, Candlelight Records si ...
and release five studio albums in a decade with the label, starting with ''B-Day'' and ending with ''
Vol(l)ume 14''. On 27 July 2012, the band announced their signing with
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...
and released their first album with the label, ''
A Girl Called Cerveza
''A Girl Called Cerveza'' is the fifteenth studio album by the German thrash metal band Tankard released through Nuclear Blast Records
Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the Unite ...
'', that day. Also that year, they released a four-way split with
Sodom,
Kreator
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Frédér ...
and
Destruction
Destruction may refer to:
Concepts
* Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger
* Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism
* Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...
called ''
The Big Teutonic 4''. This release cemented them as a major force in German metal. They released another studio album, ''
R.I.B.'' on 20 June 2014.
In 2015, Olaf Zissel was hospitalised with what was suspected to be a
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
. He was replaced temporarily by Gerd Lücking of
Holy Moses
Holy Moses is a German thrash metal band active from 1980 to 1994 and again since 2000. They are well noted for being fronted by Sabina Classen, who is the only constant member of Holy Moses, and for being one of the first German thrash metal ...
. Their latest album achieved no. 41 on the German charts. While they have built a fan base, they continue to have day jobs.
Their 17th studio album titled
''One Foot in the Grave'' was released on 2 June 2017. The band released their 18th studio album, ''Pavlov's Dawgs'', on September 30, 2022.
Band members
With Full Force
Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. The 2011 edition took place between 1 and 3 July at Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz.
Lineups ...
2018" widths="180" heights="180">
Tankard With Full Force 2018 10.jpg, Andreas Geremia
Tankard With Full Force 2018 15.jpg, Frank Thorwarth
Tankard With Full Force 2018 07.jpg, Olaf Zissel
Tankard With Full Force 2018 03.jpg, Andreas Gutjahr
*Andreas "Gerre" Geremia – vocals
*Frank Thorwarth – bass
*Olaf Zissel – drums
*Andreas Gutjahr – guitars
*Bernhard Rapprich – guitars
*Oliver Werner – drums
*Axel Katzmann – guitars
*Andy Bulgaropulos – guitars
*Arnulf Tunn – drums
*''Heavy Metal Vanguard'' (1984) – demo
*''Alcoholic Metal'' (1985) – demo
*''Alien (1989)'' – EP
*''Hair of the Dog'' (1989) – compilation
*''Open All Night'' (1990) – video
*''Fat, Ugly and Live'' (1991) – live album
*''Fat, Ugly and Still (A) Live'' (2005) – DVD
*''Best Case Scenario: 25 Years in Beers (2007)'' – re-recorded compilation album
*'' Schwarz-weiß wie Schnee (2017) – EP''
*'' Hymns for the Drunk (2018)'' compilation