Tiger Army

Tiger Army are a Californian psychobilly band that sound a bit like The Clash, and a bit like the Misfits. In other words, they're my dream band, plus they haven't even broken up yet. However, just like the Misfits, lead vocalist/guitarist and founder Nick 13 seems to have an inability to locate a permanent line-up, as he is surrounded by a revolving door of stand-up bassists and drummers. Ah well...Tiger Army never die!

Tiger Army (1999) 8 Thumbs Up

When Tiger Army was signed to Hellcat Records to make this debut, their original stand-up bassist, Joel Day, had just left, and they couldn't find a consistent drummer, so Hellcat owner Tim Armstrong let them use the Quakes' stand-up bassist Rob Peltier and AFI's drummer Adam Carson as studio musicians. In other words, this is more or less a Nick 13 solo project, but don't let that scare you away. This is one of the greatest debuts I've ever heard. Nick 13's vocals are awesome; he croons in a rockabilly fashion, but his voice occasionally "breaks" and gets rougher like a punk vocalist. It's really cool to listen to, and I think his voice is what makes the Tiger Army experience.

This is the most psychobilly of all of Tiger Army's current recordings. Tracks like "Devil Girl," "Outlaw Heart," and a cover of "Twenty Flight Rock" bounce along with a definate rockabilly edge, while the awesome "Fog Surrounds" and "Nocturnal" are harder and closer to punk. The production on this album is slightly odd, such as the use of a voice synthesizer thing on "Werecat," but it isn't bad. This is a breath of fresh air to anyone who likes punk rock. Tiger Army's songwriting is good horror punk, without taking itself too seriously. This band can only get better.

Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite (2001) 9 Thumbs Up

This CD marks Tiger Army finally having a real line-up, featuring both ex-AFI bassist Geoff Kresge on stand-up bass and Samhain drummer London May. Is it good? Oh hell yes. Tiger Army is breaking free of the restrictions of psychobilly, and becoming harder and closer to horror punk. The album opens with the obligatory prelude, "Call of the Ghost Tigers," which has a wicked drum opening and features an ominous Samhain-esque bell chime. It flies seamlessly into Nick 13 screaming "Hit hard!" on "Towards Destiny," and you know this album is just going to be awesome. "Power of Moonlite," which features a slide guitar, and "When the Night Comes Down," which features Nick 13 on keyboard, show Tiger Army's new found level of experimentation.

"Incorporeal" and the bitter "F.T.W." (standing for "fuck the world," which is screamed over and over in the song's chorus) are probably the songs that are closest to all out rock. Hey, did anyone else notice that the intro to "Valley of Dreams" sounds sort of like the sad music from the video game EVO? Anyway, "Cupid's Victim" and "In the Orchard" are slower rockabilly numbers that could have been on the first album. But the best song on the album, and probably one of Tiger Army's best songs yet, is "Annabel Lee." It's part rockabilly, part punk, all psychobilly greatness. This is just a great album. No matter what genre of music you like, you have to check it out.

Early Years [EP] (2002) 8 Thumbs Up

This EP contains 6 songs from Tiger Army's first incarnation; all demos recorded from 1996-1997. There are three new songs: "Temptation," "Jungle Cat," and a cover of the Misfits' "American Nightmare." The other three tracks are early versions of "Twenty Flight Rock," "Nocturnal," and "F.T.W."

I probably should have given it a 7, since the demo versions aren't that different, and the song "Jungle Cat" isn't that good, but "Temptation" is just a mind-blowingly amazing song. I can't even stress how addictive and catchy that song is. "American Nightmare" is actually a pretty good cover, too. If you see this EP, you might as well pick it up. You have nothing to lose.

Tiger Army III: Ghost Tigers Rise (2004) 8 Thumbs Up

So drummer Fred Hell got shot protecting his friends from robbers. They couldn't take the bullet out of his brain, so he didn't play on this album, and now he's left the band. Let's all take a moment to reflect on just how hardcore that is - getting SHOT in the BRAIN and LIVING. Tiger Army never die, indeed. I was expecting this album to be really fast and aggressive, since the band was really angry over poor Hell. However, it's the exact opposite - slowed down and emotional, but a far cry from, I dunno, "emobilly."

The band's professed Smiths influence really shines on this one. There's only one fast song on this album, and that would be "Swift Silent Deadly." The rest are all slow to mid-tempo numbers, like "Through the Darkness," "Rose of the Devil's Garden," and "Santa Carla Twilight." While Tiger Army's imagery is still dark, they've become a far cry from the kitchy B-horror movie anthems of their contempories. And you know, I kinda like it. Geoff Kresge's bass playing abilities have improved greatly since Power of Moonlight, and he's now playing in the style of Peltier on the very first album. This is the exact opposite of what I expected from the band - introspective over aggressive. Yet somehow, it still turns out completely awesome. Good work Tiger Army - I thought I'd never like a slow song again.

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