Filth Hounds of Hades

Filth Hounds of Hades is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Tank, released in March 1982 on the Kamaflage label.

Filth Hounds of Hades
Studio album by Tank
Released	March 1982
Recorded	December 1981 – January 1982
Studio	Ramport Studios, London
Genre	Heavy metal, speed metal
Length	38:25
Label	Kamaflage (UK), Attic (Canada)
Producer	Eddie Clarke
Tank chronology
Filth Hounds of Hades (1982) Power of the Hunter (1982)
Singles from Filth Hounds of Hades
"Turn Your Head Around" / "Steppin' on a Landmine" Released: 1982

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	8/10[2]

The album was produced by "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motörhead, and recorded between December 1981 and January 1982 at Ramport Studios in London. The Canadian pressing on Attic Records had an alternate blue cover with the dogs in maroon and with a different logo. This was also used on the 2023 remastered LP reissue on High Roller Records. The European (except Germany and the Netherlands) and Australian releases featured a dark blue cover with black dogs, while the Dutch one had a light blue cover and retained the black dogs. The German cover had a black cover and black dogs.

The title came from Viv Stanshall's Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, originally a radio series recorded for the John Peel show in 1975, and later a 1978 album and 1980 film:

"Filth hounds of Hades!: Sir Henry Rawlinson surfaced from the blackness, hot and fidgety, fuss, bother and itch, conscious mind coming up too fast for the bends, through pack-ice thrubbing seas, boom-sounders, blow-holes, harsh-croak Blind Pews tip-tap-tocking for escape from his pressing skull...."

In an interview with Sounds, drummer Mark Brabbs said that "It came from Viv Stanshall's book and it just sounded apt 'cos we all like his humour. It just seemed to describe the sort of people who came to see us when we first started they were the same as us, just having a party, starting drinking each day at lunchtime, so it seemed apt, 'cos we called them The Filth even then, though not in a derogatory way!"^[3]

Danish Thrash Metal band Artillery named their band after the song “Heavy Artillery”

Track listing

All songs by Tank (Mark Brabbs, Peter Brabbs and Algy Ward).

Side one

1. "Shellshock" – 3:10
2. "Struck by Lightning" – 3:10
3. "Run Like Hell" – 3:40
4. "Blood, Guts, and Beer" – 3:42
5. "That What Dreams Are Made Of" – 5:32

Side two

6. "Turn Your Head Around" – 3:25
7. "Heavy Artillery" – 3:28
8. "Who Needs Love Songs" – 3:06
9. "Filth Hounds of Hades" – 3:56
10. "(He Fell in Love with a) Stormtrooper" – 5:17

Initial copies of the album came with a free 7":

1. "Don't Walk Away" (live)
2. "The Snake"

Personnel

Tank

• Algy Ward – vocals, bass
• Peter Brabbs – guitar
• Mark Brabbs – drums

Production

• "Fast" Eddie Clarke – producer
• Will Reid Dick – engineer
• Neil Hornby – tape operator

References

1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Tank – Filth Hounds of Hades review". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
2. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 350. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
3. Sounds. 25 September 1982. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)