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Honour & Blood is the fifth full-length from the U.K.’s Tank and the fifth and final in a series of reissues from High Roller Records. Unlike previous editions, this one contains no bonus tracks, just the seven original songs. This is also the only Tank album I ever owned back in the ‘80s. I can’t remember if it was a Music for Nations import or the Roadrunner version that was issued for North America, I just remember not playing it much because it didn’t really impress me. Nearly 40 years later and I can’t say much has changed. Like its predecessor, This Means War, Honour & Blood is Tank sounding more like a NWOBHM band versus a ‘70s hard rock group, at least on the first side. "The War Drags Ever On" is an excellent track, quick and energetic with a great riff and chorus that despite its eight plus minute length never gets boring. "When Hell Freezes Over" and the title track are also good, though not as good as "The War Drags Ever On". Side two finds Tank going back to their ‘70s tendencies. It opens with a cover of Aretha Franklin’s "Chain of Fools" and in terms of taking a Motown hit and metalizing it, Tank do an admirable job (and it isn’t like we should be surprised after they covered The Osmonds on Power of the Hunter). "W.M.L.A." is nothing more than a generic rock song, "Too Tired to Wait for Love" with its southern boogie riff and frequent leads belongs (like some other Tank songs) on a Molly Hatchet album, and then there’s "Kill". I don’t know what you expect to hear from a song with that title, but I sure wasn’t expecting the pop-infused melody (created by crunchy guitars, to be fair) or upbeat vocal lines and harmonies on the chorus. It is an odd ending to this split personality album. Side one? NWOBHM. Side 2? ‘70s rock. That’s pretty much how I would sum up Tank’s early catalog. I know some folks hold this band in high regard and, by all means, snap up these reissues. They haven’t changed my mind about Tank being a second-tier NWOBHM band whose stuff is OK while on but nothing I would intentionally reach for.

Additional Information

- Originally released in 1984 by Roadrunner Records

- 2022 reissue on High Roller Records reviewed. Duration: 42:43. Tracks: 7.