There are three types of albums. The first kind we await impatiently, eager to hear what's new. The second kind we already know everything about long before release, so we don't particularly anticipate them. The third type is the most unique — on one hand, we know perfectly well what the record will contain and don't even mentally prepare ourselves for any surprises; on the other hand, this only makes us burn with even greater desire to hear that familiar tune once again. When we speak of Teutonic thrash, we naturally recall the mighty trinity, while the second tier is primarily represented by two bands — one has been led for over 20 years by the wonderful and incomparable Sabina Classen, and the other, well, let's simply say its short name: TANKARD, and they have always belonged to that very third type. Their albums are predictable to the extreme, their image and energy almost always the same. They started with punky thrash, lyrics about beer, drinking, and the like in the early '80s and haven't changed much since — at least that was the case until recently. Unlike Tom Angelripper's solo project, which leans more toward folk and whose songs often resemble drinking songs, TANKARD's music is heavier, more aggressive, and more straightforward. Despite all the uniformity, on the recent albums there has been a musical departure from the old sound — punk has been virtually eliminated and the fun has diminished.
So what do we have on "The Beauty And The Beer"? Fairly energetic thrash, very crisp riffs, yet some overall negative musical coloring — say what you will, this is not cheerful music. The track "MetalToMetal" even opens with a solo in the spirit of SCORPIONS ballads and evokes neither a smile nor an urge to dance; such a composition wouldn't be surprising from Schmier, but hearing something like this from Gerre and Frank Thorwarth is completely unexpected. Another interesting point: musically, this release brings the German band's sound closer than ever to the American thrash sound of the late '80s and early '90s — they lack the technicality, of course, but the tendency is definitely there. The album cover features a goblin that bears a striking resemblance to Shrek, and naturally there's a beauty alongside him with similarly beer-proportioned dimensions, two mugs of beer included. The main part of the booklet's inner spread consists of photos of the band in a pool with booze, cigars, and a lady. One can't call the album unique, but for everyone interested in hearing a not-quite-typical TANKARD album, it comes highly recommended. Such is this case of the unexpected, when everything seemed one hundred percent predictable.