Rating: 8.6
Country: Canada
Release Date: 2000
Record Label: Self-Released
Track list:
1. Death To Death
2. Executioner
3. Rain Dance
4. Galaxy
5. Electric Chair
6. For Christ’s Sake
7. Blackwing
8. Preacher
Band Website: Thunder Rider |
Thunder Rider - Tales of Darkness and Light (Reissue)
John Blackwing: Lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, flute
Steve Cox- Lead/Rhythm guitar on “For Christ’s Sake”, “Preacher”
Sebastian Thériault- Bass on “For Christ’s Sake”
Nicola Desrocher- Bass on “Preacher”
Luke Van Leod- Keyboards
Pat Hammer: Drums
Nick Stilldream- Bass, bass synth, torus pedals on “Death To Death, Electric Chair, Executioner, Rain Dance, Blackwing, Galaxy”
Arion Axmun- Lead/rhythm guitar and recorder on
“Death To Death, Electric Chair, Executioner, Rain Dance, Blackwing, Galaxy”
Yes, this is one of the (very many) albums that make me proud to be a Canuck. What we have on our hands here is an extremely satisfying offering of progressive, grandiose-bordering-on-overblown-pomp, forward-thinking ‘80s power/epic metal, chock full of lush instrumentation, adventurous songwriting and anthemic, insistent hooks that burrow their way into your consciousness and wedge themselves into your memory. Slight comparisons might be made to vintage Manowar and Warlord for the warlike, strident and martial rhythms as well the inflated, theatrical edge of the music, though I could similarly point out parallels between fellow Canadian progressive-metal warlocks Sacred Blade, very early Savatage (and maybe Scepter?) and more notably, 'Metal'/'Crystal Logic' period Manilla Road, Mr Blackwing's nasal, sustained croon sometimes bearing great resemblance to The Shark's unmistakable tone.
Much like Sacred Blade, Savatage, Warlord and Manilla Road, Thunder Rider culls their inspiration from progressive-minded sources that preceded them, hues of Rush, Dio-era Sabbath/Rainbow, Jethro Tull and 'Sin After Sin' Judas Priest surfacing to the fore throughout the recording. One might suggest, at this point, that the record, as a result, sounds somewhat dated, and I do have to concede that the LP has not aged quite as well as Sacred Blade, Omen and Manilla Road, but in all honesty, if you're the type that continues to play Acid, Oz and Ostrogoth in 2006 (I hail you!), I suspect you won't really see the slightly “dated” feel of the record to be a detriment in any sense, for all the requisite elements of classic epic metal are here by the bucketload.
Strangely, the lineup of the band fluctuates greatly from song to song, leading one to believe that perhaps this is a collection of demos tacked together to form an LP. Such details are merely cosmetic, however, as the flow and continuity of this album is certainly not disrupted by the attention-deficient changes in personnel. There is an incredibly smooth evenness to the record, so much so that it feels somewhat awkward isolating certain songs from their context- when I put this on I do have to sit there and listen to the whole thing, digesting the entire platter as a meal instead of snacking on individual courses. “Death To Death” opens the proceedings with a slow-burn churn, fist-pumping, dandruff-loosening, shout-along arena metal with persistent refrains of Death To Death! The lyrics are a bit insipid, maybe: “Death To Death! Weeee don't want to liveee for-evuhhhh” , but while Blackwing's immortality may not be assured, the longevity of this song as an epic hymn is affirmed by its irrepressible infectiousness. Check out that majestic solo, too, total class! “Electric Chair” fares somewhat worse, a linear, plodding affair that REALLY benefits from a GREAT bridge that erupts 2 minutes into the song, adorned with a exquisite, GORGEOUS solo that effortlessly restores any of the momentum and vitality that has been sapped from the proceedings thus far. Blackwing's urgent vocal delivery at the conclusion of the song, coupled with the swelling pace of the rhythms, coalesce to evoke a desperate, tormented atmosphere that truly complements the lyrical content.
“Executioner”! Here's the fucking knockout punch, folk! The gloves are off, the opening jabs gain thrust, and the band deliver a swinging, vicious and cocksure uppercut to the jaw that will have you reeling from the outset. Throbbing, steady kick drums, an accelerated delivery, hauntingly atmospheric lead licks, eerie keys and a MAGNIFICENT, bludgeoning riff culminate in a spectacular slab of dynamic horror metal. Gruesome laughter samples encrust the song with thicker layers of black, and while the overtly “white metal” lyrics may serve to unnerve/irritate some, the song has an authentically frightening, unrelentingly dark atmosphere that pervades the finest spook-metal. GREAT guitar work here, exceptionally tasteful and soulful without ever veering into self-indulgent territory. The focus for Thunder Rider is very much on crafting cohesive SONGS that are far more than the sum of their constituent parts, and the fact that they exhibited so much attention to detail and SONGwriting this early in their careers is something I don't have enough positive words for.
Now, if the Christian lyrics earlier in the album perturbed you somewhat, it is likely that “For Christ's Sake” will rub you the wrong way entirely. Yes, this song bests even Trouble (incidentally one of my 10 favorite bands of all time, all genres considered) in the hippie drivel stakes: “ The world is such a beautiful place/Humanity is such a beautiful race/ Put down that devil's dust/ Release yourself from Satan's clutch/ Put down that dragon's breath/ Free yourself take that step” . Pretty silly stuff that almost manages to mar the greatness of the track, which merges a convincingly Rick Wakeman-ish synth line with a pummeling 'Caress Of Steel' bludgeon, the band traversing a host of themes and passages, alternating carnivorous, chug-a-chug riffing (reminding of a more metallic (reminding of a more metallic Yes - 'Drama', actually) with spacier moments, everything reaching an apex in the OUTSTANDING 'Yes Album' -esque passage that surfaces 4 minutes through. Neo-prog metal bliss, I'd have to say, and very, very much ahead of their time at this point. “Rain Dance” , meanwhile, promises to be an absolute lampoon with its audacious tribal chant introduction, but actually swells into a majestic black mass, driven by simplistic, bruising doom chords, repeated ad nauseam atop a primeval, tribal rhythm base for maximum effect. Not an absolute homerun, but framed in the context of the record, it works well as a segue into the rampaging warrior metal of “Blackwing” , a surging war march fuelled by Blackwing's elongated, nasal phrasing and fervently strummed acoustic guitars providing emphasis to salvos of folk-tinted, sword-swinging riffing. Really, the song may not seem like very much initially, being a simplistic, linear metal hymn with a straight-ahead, rudimentary structure, but upon further analysis the depth and intricacy of the track, as with the rest of the material presented in this smorgasbord of greatness, reveal an attention to texture that really makes for an engrossing listen.
While nothing on the record is really quite as consistently satisfying as “Executioner”, Thunder Rider 's “Dreamer/Deceiver” rears its head in centerpiece “Galaxy”, which sees the band mining far more demure territory with some remarkably understated balladry, the sonorous reverb on the drums and some wistful “I Talk To The Wind” flutes adding further emotional depth to a weightless song. I don't entirely know how to cohere the dreamy ethereality of this track, suffice to say that it does very much remind me of that soporific King Crimson standard in many senses, the electrified emotional climax that intersects the track packing a Tyrant/Warlord -esque wallop. Much like “Heroes End” after “Beyond The Realms Of Death”, “Preacher” has the rather unsavory task of having to follow a song that really, rightfully, with all its emotional weight and intensity, served as an ultimate conclusion to an already tremendous recording. To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely convinced, months after giving this record repeated spins, that the song really excuses itself in a very admirable fashion- the hook is a bit irritating and it all comes across as rather anticlimactic after such an elegant and poignant number.
All in all, a fringe classic that exudes enough class, ambition and adventure to rank amongst the most prodigious members of the epic metal alumnus. This is really distinguished, deep and mysterious progressive music that, despite radiating/reeking of the same repugnance that plagues all overtly Christian bands (Warlord did a better job at obscuring their hymnals, methinks) and one or two missteps, really gets the job done. Totally worthy of a purchase.
May 10th, 2006 |
