TYGERS OF PAN TANG

TYGERS OF PAN TANG have a familiar modern-day New Wave Of British Heavy Metal script: They have one original member left (guitarist Robb Weir),two-to-three pretty excellent early albums, a woebegone stretch in the mid-'80s, a prolonged period of absence throughout nearly all of the 1990s, then some quality, but not world-beating reformation LPs. While it's probably not a requirement for TYGERS OF PAN TANG to release new material, they've still got coals left in the fire, as demonstrated on "Electrifyed".

Playing loose and easy, but still heavy, TYGERS OF PAN TANG, no pun intended, get off to a roaring start with "Rise Up", which, after a simple, darting main riff, cuts away to vocalist Jacopo "Jack" Meille, who's been fronting the band since 2004. It's largely his show now. Meille — an Italian singer who also doubles up in an LED ZEPPELIN tribute band — has the smooth, effortless type of delivery that original frontman Jess Cox had, albeit with smatterings of grit. Meille can climb the upper regions of his range when he has to ("Forevermore") and hover around classic FM radio rock territory when he has to, notably on "Dark Divinity", a cut that boasts an opening chord sequence reminiscent of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World".

The title track gets turned around with a spoken-word intro about America's use of the electric chair (hey, didn't METALLICA go that route 42 years ago?),the unabashed denim-and-leather thrust of "A Shadow On Fire" gets its pub rock on like it's 1980, while the pulsating "The Nail" is an impassioned rocker thanks to Meille. The proverbial call-to-arms number happens with "The Fight Goes On", which is also touched up by twin guitar harmonies. "Dark Skies" quickly falls into place with a menacing riff, then moves into airy AOR territory and a stomping chorus. Closer "Revenge Is Sweet" rounds off the affair with classy, broad power chords and more multi-tracking from Meille.

There's a certain degree of admiration to be thrust upon a band like TYGERS OF PAN TANG for issuing a new studio album at this late in the game. (They'll hit the 50-year mark in 2028.) While it does not overshadow the band's stalwart 1980 "Wild Cat" debut and 1981 "Spellbound" sophomore foray, "Electrifyed" puts another notch in the win column for a band that sorely needed it when Jess Cox left, "The Wreck-Age" and "Burning In The Shade" bombed, and TYGERS OF PAN TANG found themselves at risk of becoming a forgotten entity. Albums like "Electrifyed" have all but ensured that will never happen.