Kind of ironic for an instrumental band to have an album cover of an open-mouthed statue that’s essentially locked in an eternal scream, but that’s nonetheless what Dutch rockers Tank86 (via the artist Alexander Von Wieding) chose to put out front on their debut full-length, Rise. Released through Rising Magma Records, the eight-tracks of Rise work in a surprisingly metallic vein. One might expect coming from The Netherlands in 2011 with a sans-vocals approach, the four-piece are rooted deep in heavy psychedelic jamming. Well, they kept the heavy and sent the psych packing.

They can’t be bothered with the progressive pretension of minimalist Godspeed You! Black Emperor followers or the post-Explosions in the Sky new wave of instrumental indie passing itself off as heavy psychedelic rock, and the requisite Karma to Burn comparison fails as well, because although there are some similarities – mostly in that both bands have guitars, bass and drums – Tank86 are way less stoner and way more metal. Even the swaying, late-arriving semi-acoustic “Black Lake” has more in common sonically with Metallica and High on Fire than it does with Pelican or anything so pastoral as that. Instru-metal.

Rise is pretty straightforward from the outset, with most tracks in the five-to-seven-minute range, but Tank86 leave room for a more expansive feel in the 8:29 centerpiece “Apparat” and likewise a thrashier edge to the much shorter “Gottes Krieger,” on which Dozer/Greenleaf guitarist Tommi Holappa contributes a guest solo. His is one of two guest solos on the record – Peter Van Elderen of Peter Pan Speedrock also donates one to the earlier “Axe” – and it’s worth noting that although there are plenty of pinch-harmonic squeals and lead lines, Tank86 guitarists Joost Kruiswijk or Harold Aling feel more concerned with setting the rhythm, which one might not expect with the six-stringers having the added task of carrying the songs in the absence of singing. That is, it’s the guitars that most listeners to Rise will latch onto without the convenience of a verse or hooky chorus, and though there are some rippers scattered throughout, it’s not like the lead guitar is stepping up to provide a lyrical anchor. Opener “Barrosphere” hints at a solo in its final moments, but the track ends before it can really pay off.

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