“AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö” is a time-honored tradition to showcase the most underground of the underground—the unsigned and unpromoted. This collective review treatment continues to exist to unite our writers in boot or bolster of the bands who remind us that, for better or worse, the metal underground exists as an important part of the global metal scene. The Rodeö rides on.”
Though the Rodeö doesn’t always host the most immediately successful of bands, we do at least go out of our way to provide, hopefully, a spike of exposure to some lesser-known acts whose word of mouth hasn’t reach far. New York’s Thunderon has been busy toiling away since 2017, a couple EPs to their name leading up to this debut full-length endeavor, which was recommended to me on our humble discord server by none other than Anthony DiBlasi of Inherus,1 who has gigged with Thunderon. And when I saw that these humble, groovy doom-mongers only had about 20 monthly Spotify listeners to their name, and no one to update their newest release onto the Metal Archives,2 I knew that we had to roll them around with our rowdy, starving Rodeö-folk. So sit back, pour a pint nice and frothy, and settle down with our equally grumpy and thumpin’ cast’s take on Beyond the Glow – Dolphin Whisperer
Thunderon // Beyond the Glow [June 9th, 2023]
Sentynel: Stoner doom and similar genres are difficult to do well, and harder still to stand out in. Slow, laid back, repetitive and atmospheric are not a set of adjectives naturally associated with particularly banging riffs. Thunderon actually handle this really well. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some moments that drag. When Thunderon slows down, they can lose me a bit. Beyond the Glow’s midsection—”Medics in Masks” and “Only Ashes Left Behind”—is the main offender here. The rest of the album keeps moving a lot better, and when they go for it, I defy you not to involuntarily bang your head. The closing minutes of the title track and record, when the buoyant solo melody comes in above a huge riff, are genuinely some of my favorites of the year. Other songs are similarly sprinkled with highlights—the opening riff on “The Process,” the melodic touches on “The Rival,” the vocal melody on “Only Ashes Left Behind.” I really like Derek O’Donnell’s vocals in general. Stoner vocals can trend dull or even irritating, but while he’s not the world’s showiest singer, he delivers a really interesting performance with a pleasant, listenable timbre. All in all, Beyond the Glow is a really promising debut, and building on the bits that work and tidying the rest could make the next album great. Good.
Saunders: Following a pair of EPs, New York’s Thunderon arrive with their debut LP, hoping to make a splash in the murky waters of the stoner/doom scenes. Beyond the Glow features six weighty nuggets across 40-odd minutes of psych-tinged reflections, capturing elements of classic doom, hard rock, stoner and more contemporary doom and post-rock influences. Solidly produced and well played, Beyond the Glow exhibits plenty of promise, guided by thick, tasty axework from Ian Weinberger, steady percussion, and the interesting pipes of bassist/vocalist Derek O’Donnell. Thunderon’s style is reasonably diverse within the field, but not too scattershot or convoluted. Old timey influences and stylistic nods to contemporaries such as Pallbearer, Khemmis, and Sergeant Thunderhoof occasionally come to mind. “The Process” kicks the album into gear in solid fashion, delving out heavy-hitting rhythms, noteworthy guitar work, and the expressive, dramatic clean singing of O’Donnell. Slow-burning “Spire Fire” hits a sweet spot of doomy heft and emotive punch. Despite its strengths and easy-listening vibes, Thunderon have ample room for songwriting growth. Meandering elements and overstuffed songs create some bloat. In particular “The Rival” goes nowhere fast, and lengthy closer “Beyond the Glow,” cool moments aside, does not quite have the songwriting fuel to justify its length. Meanwhile O’Donnell’s emotive, expressive vocals are impressive, but don’t always stick the landing, however, this may be more of a personal preference. Still, promise abounds for a more impactful blow down the track. 2.5/5.0
Itchymenace: Beyond the Glow is an apt title for this album. Thunderon shoots their load in the first song and the remaining 35 minutes are more or less a fading post-coital afterglow in which you start to wonder when it’s appropriate to move on and go make a sandwich. The band channels Master of Reality era Sabbath with big chunky riffs that can be fiery one minute and clunky the next. Where Tony Iommi balanced the riff with melody, Thunderon relies on repetitive themes and a few odd time signatures. This may appeal to stoners but becomes monotonous to my ears. “The Rival” is a textbook example of a song that delivers some thunder upfront but quickly fizzles into a seven-minute drone-fest. Besides opener “The Process,” the one other potentially great song is “Spire Fire” but the horrendous lyrics snuff out any flickers of musical brilliance. Who thinks a song about burning down churches is a good idea in 2023?3 More like “Cringe Singe.” My final gripe about this record is the vocals. The singer puts a lot of attack on the front end but lacks emotion, melody or nuance. The net effect is a flatlined delivery that makes most of the songs sound the same. I hate being hard on new bands but this one did very little for me. 1.5/2.0
Iceberg: Thunderon might be my new favorite bar band if I’m ever in the suburbs of NYC. I was worried the doom/stoner tags would lock me into an hour of meandering and repetitious droning, but these Westchester fellas know how to handle song form. Fuzzy classic doom riffs lay a solid—if expected—foundation, but it’s in the unexpected textures where Thunderon really shine. Shimmering acoustic guitars create a neat bookend on “The Rival,” and the sparse, psychedelic space synths in the middle section of the ambitious 9-minute “Beyond the Glow” pair perfectly with a bonkers alien abduction lyric concept. The drums navigate longer instrumental sections by changing up tom/cymbal work and focusing on dynamic build, and the guitar leads vary from post-metal long tones to classic 70s-influenced licks. Add a vocalist who’s one part Ozzy Osbourne and one part Chris Cornell and you’ve got a recipe for some engaging, non-somnambulant doom! Sure, there are a fair amount of tempo shifts that feel stilted and sometimes the rhythm section’s lockstep is on the wrong side of loose, but these feel like cosmetic issues and not foundational ones. Closer “Beyond the Glow” is a bit of a Hail Mary that probably needs some trimming to hide its seams, but the track succeeds in feeling shorter than it is, which is a win for doom/stoner act. If you’re looking for relentless, infectious fuzzed-out doom, you could do a lot worse than Thunderon’s debut. 3.0/5.0
