Royal Thunder

Travelin Jack – Commencing Countdown Review

Travelin Jack – Commencing Countdown Review

“We’ve been seeing it since the dawn of time: when one band finds success, record company execs stumble over themselves trying to sign the next great version of that band. Rarely is the next great version actually found: instead, what we usually end up with are tepid versions of the original, competent yet missing that certain intangible (and more often than not also missing decent songwriting). Case in point: the critical success bands like Royal Thunder and Blues Pills have enjoyed in recent years. Record labels are wading through quagmires looking for the next great female-fronted retro blues/metal acts, and tossing half-baked ideas at us in the hopes that something sticks.” Sticky or icky?

Royal Thunder – Wick Review

Royal Thunder – Wick Review

“Impressive Atlanta rockers Royal Thunder have proven their credentials in the modern rock scene on the back of a couple of solid EP’s and great albums. Debut LP CVI blindsided me with its explosive rock hooks, dynamic songwriting, and bluesy southern swagger, flooring me in such a way that I admit to being apprehensive when they returned with sophomore album Crooked Doors in 2015.” Kingly hard rock for the unwashed masses.

Motorowl – Om Generator Review

Motorowl – Om Generator Review

“I do still ponder how it is certain bands get big and others don’t. A world where iwrestledabearonce is hot shit and Wilderun isn’t is cruel and unjust but much of that seems to be down to lucky exposure to label scouts. At the luckier end, take Motorowl. A tiny band from Eastern Germany with scarcely 500 followers on Facebook and no outstanding reason to have garnered the attention of a large label.”It’s better to be lucky AND good.

Dr. Fisting’s Top 10(ish) of 2015

Dr. Fisting’s Top 10(ish) of 2015

“2015 seems to have yielded a larger-than-usual crop of good music. For the first time since I’ve joined this fine website, I’ve found a lot more than 10 albums that could have easily made this list, and I’ve had to make some tough calls. Obviously, this is a good problem to have, and I’m not complaining.”

As always, if your favorite album isn’t on my list, it’s because your opinion is wrong, you have terrible taste in music and I don’t like you. Onward!

The AMG Staff Picks the Top Ten Records o’ 2015: There’s No Accounting for Anything Anymore

The AMG Staff Picks the Top Ten Records o’ 2015: There’s No Accounting for Anything Anymore

“We’ve reached the end of 2015 and this year I’m personally editing these Top Ten lists. For the first time (ever) I am reading the production of the different writers we’ve assembled over the last few years. I am shocked. I am dismayed. I feel angry, offended, galled. But I am not surprised. Under Steel Druhm and Madam X‘s indulgent care and averted gaze the young Angry Metal Staffers have run amok. Alas, after having actually consumed of the words these gentlemen produce, I’m firing them all. It’s back to the drawing board: me, Steel Druhm, and as much metalcore as you can eat!”

Royal Thunder – Crooked Doors Review

Royal Thunder – Crooked Doors Review

“Riding a wave of turbulence generated from the relationship break-up between Parsonz and lead guitarist Josh Weaver, along with a couple of line-up shifts, Crooked Doors represents a melancholic, tumultuous and emotion-charged chapter in Royal Thunder’s career, where relationship fractures have been patched up in the name of unity, while the scar tissue remains raw and sensitive.” Break ups make for good metal? Who knew?