Thunder kicks Ass!

That renowned British melodic rock outfit Thunder has just released a new album.

Titled "Shooting at the Sun", it follows the reformation of Thunder  for the Monsters of Rock tour last year.

You may remember Thunder split up after ten years together a couple of years ago.

The hoohah of their fans never died, bombarding their website with requests for the band to regroup.

Thankfully this has now happened and the new album is the result.

Right, down to the nitty gritty.

The new album has eleven tracks……..

Loser

Everybody’s laughing

If  I can’t find love

Shooting at the Sun

Pimp and the whore

A lover not a friend

Shake the tree

Somebody get me a Spin doctor

The man inside

Out of my head

Blown away

Of these, their EP (back for the crack) released for the Monsters of Rock tour featured Spin doctor, Blown Away, Pimp and the whore, with the bonus track "when tomorrow comes".

Actually, I’m a little bit surprised that the bonus track didn’t make it onto the album as it is a classy piece in its own right.

OK, so how does it sound?

Well, I might be the wrong person to ask, being a self confessed Thunder fan……..

However, I firmly believe that anyone who enjoys class melodic rock is going to love this to death.

Thunder was always known for their live performances (and the aforementioned tour was no exception). The only pity about the MOR tour was that Thunder didn’t get nearly long enough………..

Danny Bowes has been rated as one of the top British rock singers and his voice was stronger on this tour than I have heard for a couple of years.

Right, back to the album -- musn’t get side tracked here -- did I mention they are touring in May?

The album starts with "Loser"

This is going to be a massive Thunder favourite I predict. From the start with Danny wailing "Now I know you don’t love me , Baby" to the crushing riff, this is a sure-fire classic. Thunder use melody well and the chorus will be ringing round the concert venues soon.

The album seems to have a lot more keyboards on this outing , which is no bad thing, but it never obscures the main guitar of Luke Morley. Ben Matthews ( rhythm and keyboards) enjoys himself on some of the tracks as well as complementing those exquisite solos.

Followed by "Everybody’s Laughing" . This is a nice , jaunty little number with a great British barroom boogie type riff. The wah wah solo has its highs as well…………

We then move onto "If I Can’t Feel Love". A nice slow bluesy number, this one. Starts with acoustic and slowly builds into another  lead driven Thunder class act. This is the type of song that Thunder does so well.

The title song follows with its mix of blues, riffs and  funky stuff. A fitting track for the title, as it showcases what Thunder are all about.

Fifth up is the "Pimp and the Whore" which was on the /Back for the Crack/ CD.

A nice rock tune as always with a solid backbeat from that legendary twosome Chris Childs and Harry James (bass and drums).

Harry, despite having a drink thrown over him by Pamela Anderson  (in one of the band's videos) has always managed to upstage everyone with his green wig and acoustic guitar playing …………

The band go back to their sad melodic roots on "A Loser Not a Friend" Another lovely slice of style, this one.

We then move on to "Shake the Tree" An acoustic intro blends into a lovely blend of riffs and vocals. Some delicious playing by Luke, and Danny sounds in fine form. This is another live track that’s going to get hammered on-stage, I predict. Love the end piece with the downslide aka a very old single by Family "in my own time" Excellent!

Now for that peculiarly entitled "Somebody Get Me a Spin Doctor".

Thunder was in the vanguard of the "Cool Britannia" brigade. This sounds like Blair will wince when he hears it A lovely class ( I’m sorry to keep using that word, but its true!) rock toon. Power riffs and a wicked lyric combine to give the Labour party the shivers when they hear this one! Danny does that wicked laugh of his to great effect on this one. A personal favourite of mine.

"The Man Inside" heads back into the slower side of things and uses loads of keyboards, which is a small departure but helps showcase Danny's vocals. "Does Your Face Hurt From Smiling Too Much"? Listening to this will get your head nodding along with the melody.

"Out of My Head" heads back into rock country . Lovely power riff, I can see Morley strutting his stuff to this.

The final slice is "Blown Away". Again, this featured on the EP , so will be well known by the fans. Another one of the slower tracks at the start, it grows into another large riffed song with Bowes staying on top of it.

If you like melodic rock with bags of style and power, this is for you. All Thunder fans will know what to expect with this album.

I'd have loved Bowes to get stretched more as he was on "Empty City" Still, maybe next time. The whole band sounds very tight and play well, no mean feat. See what the present day bands miss entirely by giving this a listen.

The album is on pre-release from 3^rd of March and can be ordered at  http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/thunder.htm

Alternatively, you can wait and get it from your local store on 7^th April. You can guess which I did……….

Thunder's official site is at http://www.thunderonline.com  and you can hear samples from the album here.