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"Wild Cat" was the first full length released by the Tygers of Pan Tang back in 1980, when the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was in full swing. This is arguably their most "aggressive" release, but "aggressive" should be used lightly here, as this band's music was more party-like than other NWOBHM bands of the time such as Iron Maiden or Diamond Head, to name a few. Still, the music here is an excellent combination of metal guitar shredding with a very rock-ish "party groove" that most likely make this a bit more accessible than the aforementioned bands, without necessarily being much more commercial - just different. Very good guitar melodies with some entertaining (but not too technical) solos. The drum work is so perfectly matched to the other instruments that the whole album flows very nicely from beginning to end, it's almost hypnotic. This is the kind of music that'll make you headbang, tap your foot and play air guitar... all at the same time - hehe.

Vocalist Jess Cox has an excellent voice, clean and not going into higher notes, with a little raw edge that gives an added personality to the music, in fact that's a bit difficult to describe in words. He was replaced on the subsequent albums (according to the NWOBHM Encyclopedia, his "rudimentary style" was holding the band back - sounds to me like an attempt by the management or label to go for a more commercial voice, but don't quote me on this! :)) This is a shame really, as I find that he was quite a match for the musical style on this album.

Chances are that if you were around in the early 80s, you've heard such classics as "Suzie Smiled", "Euthanasia" or "Insanity". Yeah the song names didn't ring a bell for me either until I heard the stuff from the album. :) If you're looking for some non-pretentious music with a good positive sound, this is one album you should definitely own.