Review by Tomek on November 27, 2016.

I may be coming late with this review since album came out in January 2015, but I said it before and I will say it again: it is always a good time to talk about good stuff. I reviewed their previous album Rise and liked it immensely, had an opportunity to talk to Jochum in my interview, and then I told myself to keep an eye out for those guys… but as you can see that didn't work out too well. Better late than never I guess, so let's see what boys from Tank86 are up to on their new album Obey.

Listening to albums that are strictly instrumental is way different than anything else. They are usually different in structure and composed in such a way that once they start rolling, the idea of vocals seems not only unnecessary, but completely wrong. Tank86 are amazing in what they do and Obey is just another proof of their genius. This album starts with escalating rhythmic riffing that reminds me of Rise; but once they're done with that, they open what seems to be a bottomless pit of riffs that builds up their trademark artistry to new heights. Guitars, bass and even the drums are amazingly relentless on this album and kind of seem to trade or rather talk back and forth with some harmonizing melodies. Song after song they're moving from crushingly heavy to fantastically atmospheric by building their structures on emotions that haunt the listener to then just to go back to straight on heavy pounding. To make things even more interesting, Tank86 introduces some fresh instrumentation into the fold, bringing trumpet and trombone in two of the songs. Guest appearances by friends with instruments only - but it fits so well with everything they did that I'm kinda hoping for more of the same, or maybe some other instruments added on the next album. I'm ok with anything at this point. 8 songs with running time of almost 44 minutes and every time the album ends I have an urge to listen again. It happens every time.

Obey is even better then I hoped it would be, and my congratulations on a job well done go to the whole collective of Tank86. You guys are amazing and I hope you'll never stop what you're doing because your music is inspiring and your message is crystal clear. Even without words.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on July 4, 2019.

Flotsam and Jetsam started with two very strong releases. Therefore, they were well respected and seemed to be on right way. Yet with their third full-length, they committed suicide without stopping the further release of meaningless records. Just like lemmings, they were blind to their fate. Excuse me, what do you say? This review is not about Flotsam? It is about... Annihilator? Eh, please wait a moment... (sheepish smile), indeed, you are absolutely right. I am sorry for that.

However, it doesn't matter. The introduction is still valid. Just replace the name Flotsam and Jetsam by Annihilator and everything is fine. All broke down when Annihilator published Set the World on Fire, a lukewarm and pretty commercial output. But this work is not the topic here. Alice in Hell was not a typical thrash debut, because it was not based on the somehow fascinating mix of vehemence, velocity, naivety and unconcern. Annihilator put the emphasis on a partially more technical way of thrash. The quasi-title track shows this approach among other things in view of a short intermezzo that seems to send greetings to Mercyful Fate. I would not say that it is a progressive song configuration for a thrash album, but an unusual one. Compare it with the following "W.T.Y.D." and "Wicked Mystic". They are predominantly straight, direct, compact and more energetic. Especially the first one is driven by an ingenious riff and it scores with another catchy chorus. Its weird guitar solo does not destroy the focused overall impression. This track marks a highlight, while the more famous "Alison Hell" leaves me nearly completely cold. Its trickier song pattern fails to convey emotions.

The B side does not possess a comparable track. Despite some mid-tempo parts, for example in "Ligeia", the entire material puts the main focus on speed and energy. The riffs are mostly brilliant, the voice of Randy Rampage does not lack charisma and each and every song seems to be written by an experienced bunch of musicians, not by debutants. Waters has penned smooth yet powerful tracks with a very lively aura, which stand on their own feet. Of course, they fall under the category of thrash / speed metal, but they do not need a shoulder (of Metallica, Testament or anybody else) to lean on. Every riff sounds fresh and autonomous. The fantastic closer brings the album to a triumphant end but tracks like "Word Salad" do not pale beside this final attack. Okay, sometimes Waters enjoys his own solos a little bit too much, but generally speaking, the songs themselves - and not the narcissistic excursions of the band leader - play the main role. 

The nine compositions benefit from a very good sound. Maybe it is a tad polished, but that's not at the expense of its penetrating power. The album sounds clean, but not sterile, and everything is well balanced. In terms of its technical implementation, Alice in Hell is on a par with genre classics such as "Bonded by Blood" or "Forbidden Evil". Annihilator gave their homeland Canada the technical component and this was a good addition to the rumbling sound of Exciter, the rather simple speed of Razor, the crude humor of Piledriver and the anarchic noise of early Voivod. This debut catapulted Waters and his sidekicks on the radar of almost every thrasher and the scene was curious about the next steps of this new force. Only the dudes of Flotsam and Jetsam had something better to do. Back in 1989, they had already begun to sell their souls to the industry.

Rating: 8 out of 10