Thunder – Rip it up – 2017

I don’t know when I first heard about Thunder but if memory serves I think I bought my first album with them by ’mistake’. Obviously it wasn’t a mistake since I planned to buy it and I would also consider it a lucky shot since the first acquaintance with their music was a bliss. I really liked that first album I heard, which was Behind Closed Doors from 1995 if I’m not mistaken. Since then I’ve also purchased Backstreet Symphony from 1990, Laughing at Judgement Day from 1992 and a couple of other albums. None of these have been a match for the wonderful first contact with the band. I wouldn’t say that it actually have anything to do with the musical aspects. I just wasn’t sure what to expect and was totally blown away by the melodious rock and Danny Bowes voice! That guy can really sing!

I also think that a strong reason for my liking is that there’s almost no clichés lyric wise. In fact, there have been kind of satire of cliché lyrics along the way. I think that’s how you should do it. If you’re going to fall for using clichés you might as well do it with irony. Thunder does it so well! And it doesn’t matter how many times they’ve disbanded either, they just keep going strong!

This is their latest album and I must say that my first listen to it blew me away. This is really good! There’s no need for gimmicks and fancy sounding licks. This is plain and stabile in all senses of the word. Very nice songs that don’t need a catchy chorus to work. They don’t need riffs that are memorable for years to come. The songs and the band just…deliver!

So… Would I recommend Thunder for a rock and/or hard rock fan? Hell yes!