Review TANITH ‘Voyage’

Tanith is one of the most promising bands when it comes to a revitalization of 70s oriented hard rock and metal. The band started in 2017 and premiered in 2019 with an album called ‘In Another Time’. At the time Tanith was a quartet before guitarist Charles Newton left the band left the band in 2022. Due to the pandemic, circumstances were anyhow challenging and the fact of being reduced to a trio didn’t support the ambition of an excellent new album.

After days of confusion, Tanith sketched out a new way, working as a trio and ‘Voyage’ is the result of their continuation as a a band.

The sophomore record is a perfect blend of various 70s sound, which the band brings to the here and now. From that perspective the title ‘Voyage’ fits very well. It’s a musical travel back in time, an age when hard rocking music had its first peak and heavy metal started to evolve to a bigger musical movement.

But ‘Voyage’ is also the headline for the album in perspective of Russ Tippins (Satan) living in the UK, while Cindy Maynard and Keith Robinson being based in Brooklyn the cooperation was a kind of voyage for everyone involved.

Photo: Ryan Weibust

‘Voyage’ starts with a song called ‘Snow Tiger’. It’s the perfect opener as it mirrors exactly what fans can expect from this record. A 70s metal riff and a lot of rock’n’roll spirit is what drives the song. With the power of a tiger the tune blasts out of the speakers and also from a lyrical perspective the track fits excellently as it is about resilience and an approach of never giving up in difficult moments. That Tanith had some of those is what you read already.

The rocking ‘Falling Wizard’ continues the journey through the beauty of sounds. Catchiness and a warm sound is what benefits the song and the album.

Next on the list is the soul-pleasing ‘Olympus of Dawn’ which comes with a very attractive chorus before ‘Architects of Time’ unveils some early metal references. In addition, the song has some layers that want to be explored before getting to the core of this track.

With ‘Ardasteia’ an uptempo rocker is next while ‘Mother of Exile’ counts on a strong rhythm, which is the heartbeat of this rock anthem.

One of the highlights, if not even the best sing on the album, is called ‘Flames’. A calm start morphs into a rocking anthem with superb melodies and hooks that do their job. In addition, the vocals are shared between Tippins and Maynard. Their voices are fitting together perfectly and add a special component to this rocking highlight. Once listened to ‘Flames’ you can’t get this earworm out of your mind anymore. Lyrically the song reflects on the darkness during the pandemic and the way how people turned against each other. Each little flame of light in this time needed to be treated with care and ‘Flames’ is the perfect musical transformation of this topic.

‘Voyage’ is an excellent album. These nine songs are a delight for rock fans. The organic and warm sound of the album is a true benefit for these tunes and adds a soulful element to the digitalized and partly cold outside world. This longplayer is a true highlight in 2023 and you should not miss it.