AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE — Tango Umbrella (review)

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE — Tango Umbrella album cover

Album · 2016 · Alternative Metal

2/5 · 2018-09-30
Kingcrimsonprog

Back in the good old days of Nu Metal, one of the heavier and more credible bands, without the Hip Hop moments, sexually aggressive lyrics and overly simplistic music, was American Headcharge. Influenced by the likes of Ministry and Marilyn Manson, but not very derivative, they carved out a unique path on their two sublime studio albums, The War Of Art and The Feeding. Literally one of my favourite songs by anyone ever is their 2005 banger of a single, ‘Loyalty.’

I have very fond memories of catching them at the Irish Ozzfest in the early ’00s, even though I wasn’t a massive fan at the time and they were more my brother’s thing back then. I saw them again about a decade later when I went to see Soil when I was in Uni. (Memorable as singer Martin Haycock kept holding onto the building’s pipes in a very distracting way that made him look like a heavy metal plumber.)

I was quite impressed with their first single from their reunion, 2013’s ‘Sugars Of Someday’ which while not very heavy was still catchy and memorable. You can imagine then, with nostalgia and hype, how excited I would be for their proper reunion album. 11 years after their last one.

Unfortunately, Tango Umbrella is not exactly a breathtaking life-changing masterpiece, kicking down the doors of Heavy Metal and earning the band the respect and audience that they would deserve based on the quality of their 2001-200 period. Now, I am loathe to mug-off a band that have written one of my all time favourite ever songs, and you can probably notice from most of my reviews I’m reluctant to post a bad review of anyone at all most of the time, definitely coming from the ‘if you can’t say anything nice’ school of thinking. However, this album didn’t live up to my wide-eyed expectations.

Don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t suck. Its not bad. Its just that, like Bay Area Thrash legends Forbiden‘s comeback album Omega Wave; its more of an OK album that shows great potential for what can come next, rather than an absolute barnstormer in and of itself. On first listen it comes across as functional but nothing special. Admittedly, it gets better the more you listen to it and it has grown on me a lot since I first got it, but it still doesn’t sit tall beside the older material. It doesn’t even hold up that much as a great album in and of itself, being a bit repetitive and overlong.

There are some great moments here however, such as the depressing but majestic ballad ‘A King Among Men.’ There’s also several decent tunes, like the opener ‘Let All The World Believe’ and the noteworthy ‘Perfectionist’ and ‘Suffer Elegantly.’

The problem is, it isn’t all very memorable, some of it is good but some of it isn’t quite up to the same standard. Also; on the whole… It isn’t very aggressive, it isn’t very biting and it doesn’t really make you want to move. Their debut had songs like ‘Americunt’ that could strip the paint off your walls. This is all a bit more mid paced and tame. I imagine it was quite a cathartic album for the band, but it isn’t necessarily very fun for the listener. It is by no means bad, but is definitely not their strongest record either and I can’t see it winning over very many new fans.

It is not so much for-fans-only as, if you want to support AHC and keep them going, and get to have a few more songs from them along the way, then don’t avoid it. It feels more like an excuse to keep going rather than a career defining artist statement. I’d advise you buy it, but only so they don’t break up before making the next one which’ll probably be better. If you aren’t a fan yet however, start earlier. You wouldn’t get Hollyweird as your first Poison album or Generation Swine as your first Motley Crue album and this is the same kind of thing for the next generation of once popular now maligned metal subgenres.