Thunderstone Dirt Metal
by John Kindred
Staff Writer
Thunderstone returns with a new album and reshuffled lineup. The exodus of vocalist Pasi Rantanen and keyboardist Kari Tornack after releasing ‘07 Evolution 4.0 didn’t deter Thunderstone from forging ahead. Vocalist Tommi “Tuple” Salmela (Tarot) and keyboardist Jukka Karinen joined the band for their European tour in support of the Evolution 4.0 album. Looking to solidify the lineup, the search for a permanent singer ended in early ’08. Sweden’s Rick Altzi was selected for the role, and Karinen also joined the band as a full-fledged member.
Jumping ahead to ’09, the band’s latest studio release Dirt Metal continues to build on their foundation of heavy and melodic metal. Laurenne continues to push Thunderstone forward with music that intertwines traditional, thrash and progressive metal. Altzi doesn’t disappoint as he takes over for the departed Rantanen.
Thunderstone’s fifth studio begins with “Rebirth” a 39-second musical prelude to “I Almighty,” which is the first single for the album. Laurence is no stranger to thrash metal, cutting his teeth on the genre in his early days; here he lays down a heavy fast rhythm that pushes the music forward. Thunderstone gives him the vehicle to be progressive, melodic, heavy and aggressive covering several genres in the span of one song. Setting Thunderstone apart from their peers is Altzi’s ability to change his delivery and tone. From quiet soft vocal melodies to edgy aggressive explosions, he gives the band the ability to stretch their sound in new directions.
The band keeps the heavy, aggressive songs flowing as they unleash on the title track “Dirt Metal.” Not sure what dirt metal actually is, but for Thunderstone it revolves around a heavy rhythmic groove and muted power chords. A catchy melodic chorus will get your fists in the air as you scream … “Dirt Metal.” The thrash inspired intro and verse of “Star” allows vocalist Altzi to shift into his thick, hard-edged vocal approach. Again the band bounces from melodic and heavy to full on crushing thrash style rhythms. “Ghosts of Youth” continues this interplay between fast, heavy and melodic song arrangements. “Counting Hours” allows Altzi to move from the quieter vocal delivery into a huge melodic chorus. “Dodge the Bullet” starts with explosiveness that just feels like the band saying, “ah fuck it.” Altzi kind of has a Mustaine vocal thing going on here.
The band finally finds a bit of respite on “Deadlights,” which has typical hard rock 4/4 groove and moderate typo. Quickly, the band moves back into their fast, thrashy nature on “At the Feet Fools.” “Suffering Song” shuts down the album with a dominant bass groove that Altzi sings over the top of. Laurenne performs a trippy delayed guitar melody as the song builds into a complex melodic arrangement. The music prods along at a slower than normal tempo for the band. They can’t hide their aggressive nature as the volume of the guitars increase and builds to the guitar solo.
If you like the previous works of the band, you are going to be happy with the continued evolution of Thunderstone. Where Evolution 4.0 left off, Dirt Metal continues the bands metal explorations. The album closes with a mellow acoustic instrumental, which is such a contrast to the overall sound of the band. What can be said, but very nice indeed.
Label: Sony Music
Web: http://www.thunderstone.org/
Band:
Mirka Rantanen – drums
Rick Altzi – vocals
Jukka Karinen – keys
Titus Hjelm – bass
Nino Laurenne – guitars
Track Listing:
1. Rebirth
2. I Almighty
3. Dirt Metal
4. Blood That I Bleed
5. Star
6. Ghosts Of Youth
7. Counting Hours
8. Dodge The Bullet
9. Deadlights
10. At The Feet Of Fools
11. Suffering Song
Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10