Tiger Army – III: Ghost Tigers Rise / 2004 Epitaph / 13 Songs / http://www.tigerarmy.com / http://www.hell-cat.com / Reviewed 06 August 2004
Blasting forth on III is the incredible stand-up bass playing of Geoff, coming through with a lightness not to be found practically on any other disc of the era. Opening up III with “Prelude: Death of a Tiger” with a very-Davey Havok styled set of vocals, Nick 13 establishes eir’s timber as a mixture between Glenn Danzig and Kim Necroman. Kept slightly slower than the rest of the Tiger Army albums, III shows a band that is much more into the fifties ideal of rockabilly and soulful crooning. Still shaken up from the non-lethal shooting of their drummer, Tiger Army soldiers on magnificently with eir’s one time only replacement, Mike Fasano. “Atomic” shows a return to a slightly faster tempo and a incrementally more Western-feel to the guitars laid down on the track, aided by a very anti-septic and clean bass line.
The mixture of rockabilly with alternative country is interesting to say the least, and Tiger Army veers in the direction of alt. country later on in the disc (the slide-guitars and jangly riffs of “The Long Road”, for example.) “The Load Road” is also a shining beacon to another great thing about Tiger Army, that being those rare times during “Ghost Tigers Rise” where Nick’s vocals attain the hopeful tenor of the late Phil Ochs. Tiger Army comes into this disc with a broad palette, which they continually innovate and excite, through different forms of distortion, different time signatures, and a fierce, burning desire to never traverse the same form again.
While “Ghost Tigers Rise” is not as aurally assaulting as say “Sing the Sorrow” or “Dead Girls Don’t Cry”, Tiger Army is extremely comfortable in this more surf and rockabilly-influenced disc, and I am sure that most listeners would agree after a nice, long listen. Perhaps a harder edge might have made III stronger to some, but one of the most convincing things to hear on III would be the same skill level at which they play the more introspective tracks as well as those tracks which recall Davey or Danzig. The production level on III is masterful, allowing for a myriad of layers to overlap without creating dissonance in the least – best shown in “Santa Carla Twilight”, the bass, Nick’s vocals, echoed vocals, and drums can all peacefully coexist and make for some satisfying music. This album is doomed to be underappreciated by all except the most hardcore fans, but hopefully people will find themselves listening to this, a true gem.
Top Tracks: Ghostfire, Atomic
Rating: 7.5/10