Thunderblast | Invaders From Another World
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Invaders From Another World is the second album from Colombian traditional heavy metal band Thunderblast. Formerly active as Sidereal, Thunderblast has been active since the early 2000s, but it’s been almost seven years since their last album (2004’s Warzone). Now with a new rhythm section and a new label, Thunderblast’s return coincides perfectly with the resurgent popularity of straightforward, old school heavy metal.
Thunderblast’s sound is not that easy to categorize. Traditional metal works, but that’s vague enough to cover the ultra-melodic Iron Maiden-inspired White Wizzard and Enforcer as well as the Mercyful Fate worshipping Portrait. Thunderblast incorporates elements of thrash metal in a big way. There is blisteringly fast riffing from start to finish, and Felipe Franco’s vocals aren’t too far removed from Russell Allen’s harsher style on the latest Symphony X album. There’s a good sense of melody and power to balance out the all-out speed, which sets this apart from the average thrash album. It’s a great overall sound, and one that fans of bands like Exciter, Vicious Rumors and Helstar are sure to recognize. Lyrically, the songs on Invaders From Another World are an absolute feast for fans of science-fiction, horror and apocalyptic tales. For whatever reason, it’s just that much more fun to bang your head and play air guitar (and rest assured, you will do both when listening to this album) to songs like “When Zombies Rise” and “War of the Monsters!”
With new music from Twisted Tower Dire, Split Heaven, Wolf and Portrait (and albums on the way from Widow and Pharaoh), 2011 is already a banner year for traditional heavy metal. You can confidently add Thunderblast to that list, since Invaders From Another World is one of the best of the bunch. If high-speed, hard-hitting heavy metal is what you live for, you do not want to miss this album.
Genre: Heavy Metal
Band:
German Rojas (b)
Christian Gaitan (d)
Victor Mosquera (g)
German Guerra (g)
Felipe Machado Franco (v)
Track Listing:
1. Intro (We Are Not Alone)
2. Core Domain
3. Horror at Outpost 10
4. The Human Torch
5. Target Earth
6. Invaders From Another World
7. When Zombies Rise
8. Screams at Hunted Hill
9. Mutate
10. War of the Monsters
11. Lab From Hell
12. Units of Pain
Label: Pure Steel
Website: www.thunderblast.net
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10