Tiger Army

There’s a certain irony in the fact that Tiger Army’s third full-length album was recorded with only two-thirds of the band. Tiger Army entered the studio while drummer Fred Hell was recuperating from four gunshot wounds and, in truth, the difference is negligible. Nick 13 and Geoff Kresge soldier on with fill-in drummer (and TA drum tech) Mike Fasano, ploughing through now-familiar Tiger territory that has always served the band well and produced excellent surf-flavoured rockabilly. The only true worry is that Tiger Army may become too formulaic. The band is very good at what they do and "Santa Carla Twilight,” "Atomic” and "Through The Darkness” definitely rank among Tiger Army’s best songs, but at what point does it all become too much of the same thing? The answer is simple: at the 13 tracks that comprise Ghost Tigers Rise.