Royal Thunder
Crooked Doors
https://royalthunder.bandcamp.com
". . . Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Hit it!" The explosion destroyed the building that used to house a classic rock radio station. The dust and flame and detritus took quite awhile to settle, but when the air cleared, lying on top of the mound of rubble was a single black disc, about twelve inches across, and grooved with tunes. "Hey!" the foreman of the demolition crew called over to his men as they cleaned, "You ever hear of 'Royal Thunder'?" The hard hats all nodded a "No" and went back to cleaning the remains." Later that evening, the foreman pulled out this record and threw it on his turntable. What came out of the speakers astounded him, and when he called up the station's manager at their new location, the two of them worked out the magic that had to have happened. Somehow, in the violence and movement and disruption of the demolition, a number of records from the 197s, 80s and 90s somehow met up, traded parts and became this awesome pastiche of classic rock, early metal, 80s metal and rock and a few bits from the 60s to become this miraculous singularity. Royal Thunder became.
Living in the same oeuvre as Acid King, Valkyrie, The Grape and The Grain, and Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Thunder's Crooked Doors is a tour de force of what might best be termed neo-retro hard rock. Each one of these bands sounds unique, exercises great musical skill, and writes music that feels at once throwback and exciting. Saying that Cooked Doors could have been released in 1979, 1989, or 1999 in no way diminishes the excellence of this record. Classic rock stations still proliferate for a reason.
Based on what I found at Bandcamp, my review copy's track listing differs from the final release order - figured I get that out of the way to explain any confusion.
Most of the tunes feature straight-up driving rock and roll differing from the afore-referenced groups by virtue of bassist/vocalist Miny Parsons' oh-so Janis Joplin-esque voice. Josh Williams and Will Fiore on guitars turn out some monster riffs, and Evan Diprima's pace-setting drums all work so well together it's quite obvious these guys have history. Founded in 2007, nine years of practice and performing will do that to a quartet. Tunes like "Ear on the Fool" and "Forget You," "Floor" and "The Line" prominently feature the classic sound that inspired the opening paragraph of this review; all guitar solos, heavy rhythm, driving drums and effort-laden vocals.
However, the band does know how to develop other tempos and sounds, most notably on "The Bear I & II," a pair of tracks featuring a much quieter sound. In no way a power ballad, they certainly demonstrate range. My preference lies on the harder end of the spectrum, but "The Bear I & II" sure are pretty. It appears, based on Bandcamp, that the final track list has "The Bear" pair ending the collection of eleven tracks, a wise choice, in my opinion, as "II" can cause drowsiness in overworked listeners.
Ultimately, the station manager and the demolition foreman decided not to keep this bit of audio magic to themselves and, gloriously, we get to enjoy Royal Thunder knocking down our walls and making Crooked Doors happen in our own worlds.
Crooked Doors
https://royalthunder.bandcamp.com
". . . Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Hit it!" The explosion destroyed the building that used to house a classic rock radio station. The dust and flame and detritus took quite awhile to settle, but when the air cleared, lying on top of the mound of rubble was a single black disc, about twelve inches across, and grooved with tunes. "Hey!" the foreman of the demolition crew called over to his men as they cleaned, "You ever hear of 'Royal Thunder'?" The hard hats all nodded a "No" and went back to cleaning the remains." Later that evening, the foreman pulled out this record and threw it on his turntable. What came out of the speakers astounded him, and when he called up the station's manager at their new location, the two of them worked out the magic that had to have happened. Somehow, in the violence and movement and disruption of the demolition, a number of records from the 197s, 80s and 90s somehow met up, traded parts and became this awesome pastiche of classic rock, early metal, 80s metal and rock and a few bits from the 60s to become this miraculous singularity. Royal Thunder became.
Living in the same oeuvre as Acid King, Valkyrie, The Grape and The Grain, and Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Thunder's Crooked Doors is a tour de force of what might best be termed neo-retro hard rock. Each one of these bands sounds unique, exercises great musical skill, and writes music that feels at once throwback and exciting. Saying that Cooked Doors could have been released in 1979, 1989, or 1999 in no way diminishes the excellence of this record. Classic rock stations still proliferate for a reason.
Based on what I found at Bandcamp, my review copy's track listing differs from the final release order - figured I get that out of the way to explain any confusion.
Most of the tunes feature straight-up driving rock and roll differing from the afore-referenced groups by virtue of bassist/vocalist Miny Parsons' oh-so Janis Joplin-esque voice. Josh Williams and Will Fiore on guitars turn out some monster riffs, and Evan Diprima's pace-setting drums all work so well together it's quite obvious these guys have history. Founded in 2007, nine years of practice and performing will do that to a quartet. Tunes like "Ear on the Fool" and "Forget You," "Floor" and "The Line" prominently feature the classic sound that inspired the opening paragraph of this review; all guitar solos, heavy rhythm, driving drums and effort-laden vocals.
However, the band does know how to develop other tempos and sounds, most notably on "The Bear I & II," a pair of tracks featuring a much quieter sound. In no way a power ballad, they certainly demonstrate range. My preference lies on the harder end of the spectrum, but "The Bear I & II" sure are pretty. It appears, based on Bandcamp, that the final track list has "The Bear" pair ending the collection of eleven tracks, a wise choice, in my opinion, as "II" can cause drowsiness in overworked listeners.
Ultimately, the station manager and the demolition foreman decided not to keep this bit of audio magic to themselves and, gloriously, we get to enjoy Royal Thunder knocking down our walls and making Crooked Doors happen in our own worlds.
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