Album Review: Thundermother - Black And Gold

It's always encouraging to see a band grow with each and every album. Thundermother has been doing that, with their last album finding a wonderful blend of melodic songwriting to go with their AC/DC roots. They found the balance between hard rock and heavy hooks, and put their best foot forward. They were already a good band, but with Guernica's amazing voice now having stickier melodies to sing, they seemed poised and ready to make the jump to the next level. This album is where they will prove if they have the mettle to do so, so let's get right to it.

Things kick off with "The Light In The Sky", which is an odd blend of stomping in the verses like "We Will Rock You", paired with a melodic chorus and bridge that doesn't quite sound like it belongs together. I don't think I would have led off the record with this one. It might work as an opener for a live show, because of the way it builds, but the record needs a faster start than this. At least in my opinion.

The title track follows, and is another odd lot. The vocoder in the beginning is unnecessary, and after a solid verse, the chorus resorts to chanting the title over and over, followed by some 'whoa oh' vocals. It lacks all the elodic flair that made "Heat Wave" so wonderful. I know the 80s are totally in vogue right now, but this feels like stepping backwards in the development of rock songwriting. It's a disappointing way to start off, having your hopes dashed so quickly.

After just two songs, it's clear this album is not going to take the next step from "Heat Wave". Sure, Filippa throws out a nasty riff to open "Raise Your Hands", but too many of these songs build to more of what I would call a 'shout chorus'. It can work for arena rock, but it's primarily a live show thing. Without the energy of a crowd, it doesn't translate to a studio recording as well. Many of these songs will go over far better, I feel, when th eband hits the road. But since that isn't what I'm reviewing, I can't give them credit for what I'm not experiencing.

I do, however, love "Hot Mess". It has the sound of those cheesy Aerosmith ballads like "Crazy" and "Cryin", which are songs I've always loved. Geurnica is able to sing the hell out of the song, and with just a bit more classic melody to this one, it hits the spot. It's so good, in fact, I almost get a sense of deja vu from it, as if it's actually a classic 80s ballad I somehow forgot about. It might just be one of the best songs of the year.

If anything, how good that song is makes the rest of the album even more disappointing. It isn't that the album doesn't have its charms, but when I hear Thundermother absolutely nail it, all the other songs where they don't make me wonder why the divide exists. "Heat Wave" was a more consistently enjoyable album, and I'm not sure if it has to do with the people they have chosen to work with in the writing and production, or if they just wanted to rock out more this time, but their decisions have led them away from where I thought they should be headed.

I still think Thundermother has a lot of talent, and Geurnica is a phenomenal singer (this might actually make me more interested in what she will do with the solo record deal that was announced for her), but I would have to point you to "Heat Wave" before listening to this album. Thundermother had been growing with every album, and now they have seemingly reached their limits. That's a shame. I've already been disappointed enough.