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Germany's Tankard has been around for 40 years and their 2022 album, Pavlov's Dawgs, is their eighteenth full-length album. Their blend of crunchy, yet melodic Germanic thrash with a good dose of wry humor and nods to enjoying the occasional adult beverage is a successful formula that Tankard seem in no rush to change. Like most bands with a formula, sometimes it works better than others and on Pavlov's Dawgs, it works. The band is a well-oiled machine, cranking out a pile of good riffs and even better lead work. The vocals of founding member Gerre have never been great, but in a case of getting the most out of something, there are some very catchy choruses he gets to work with, such as "Ex-Fluencer" and "Metal Cash Machine" that stick around after the album is over. The alcohol references have been dialed back, replaced with more social commentary which adds punch to the album's sound. Pavlov's Dawgs makes me think of what Anvil would sound like if they played straight thrash. If you've never experienced Tankard's contributions to thrash, you need to start with Chemical Invasion, but if that inspires you to dig deeper, Pavlov's Dawgs is a solid additional to the band's catalog.