Review - A Sound of Thunder "It Was Metal" (Mad Neptune Records)

A Sound of Thunder's seventh studio release "It Was Metal" is due to drop on June 15th. These guys will probably never have a release qualified with the statement "long awaited". The way these guys write their next one is written and probably the one after that too. Detractors would say that being that prolific leads to less than stellar output but in the case of A Sound of Thunder they would be very very f#%king wrong.

According to guitarist Josh Schwartz, "the mission statement was to write fast, heavy, catchy songs that are fun to play and fun to listen to. I Think we've accomplished that goal and then some. This is an album meant to be blasted in your car while you speed down the highway at 100mph singing at the top of your lungs." Interestingly, that pretty much matches up with one of my litmus tests for a good metal album. And it's exactly what I was doing while listening to it. So does that mean "It Was Metal" aces the test? In a word, yes but not without at least one speed bump.

So the last few releases have shown a good chunk of the prog metal side of this band (not counting the covers album) with a healthy dose of humor from vocalist Nina Osegueda but on this one they go for those fast punchy songs that leave the hook in your brain. I gotta say I've been waiting to hear this side of ASOT again and I wasn't disappointed. This, for the most part, is their version of classic hard rock and metal and they're wearing their influences on their sleeves. I've been cranking this one for about ten days now so I think I've had a good chance to absorb the whole deal.


So let's dig in...

11 tracks with a running time of 59 minutes. So a bit longer than a classic LP but still in the ballpark. Most of the songs come in around 5 minutes so again I'm a happy camper on that score.
A cool note on this is that the mix is awesome. Rather than go with the current trends of massive low end this sounds like both the album and the digital media may actually be mixed very similar. It's quite possible that this vinyl like mix brings the old school vibe of the album on on a subconscious level.


"It Was Metal" kicks off with Phantom Flight. Great 80's style intro that hooks you right in. This is the perfect opening track. Super hooky chorus that gets stuck in your skull. And if that wasn't enough it also feature Accept singer Mark Tornillo trading vocals with Nina. So right out of the gate you're in classic metal heaven.

From there we head to Lifebringer. Again impeccable sequencing. This is a one-two opening salvo. Opening hook just screams Maiden and the segues to a sweet galloping rhythm. About halfway through we get treated to some Theremin and some classic ASOT atmosphere. Not sure how they're gonna pull this one of live, there's a lot of stuff going on in this break. Not even mentioning all the Nina vocal tracks here. I used to be amazed at how Brad Delp of Boston could track against himself but I think Nina takes it to a new level. We also get some tight soloing from Josh at the tail end of the tune too.

Track three is Atlacatl. The rhythm section of Jesse Keen on bass and Chris Haren on drums are the all stars of this song. Let's just say tribal rhythms with a sheen of crunchy guitar. So far this puppy is hitting on all cylinders.

Track four is The Crossroads Deal. It's a quick swampy bluesy intro to the title track. With a final harmonica whimper and a scream from Nina the title track It Was Metal blazes from your speakers. This is a tune that coulda been on any of the classic Dio albums. It's got the Vinnie Appice drum swagger from Chris and right before the break Jesse steps in for a little solo bass grooving. Speaking of that solo, dunno why but it's one of my favorites from Josh. This is another tune that will stick in your head for days. I think it's an unqualified metal anthem. It's even got a brief appearance from the Thunder Choir.

So five tracks in and it's all going really freaking well and then there's that speed bump. Track six Obsidian & Gold just ain't doin' it for me. At over 9 minutes long it's already got a big strike against it. This album should be all about the get in get out, next song please. Don't get me wrong the playing is top notch. There's some great Hammond going on that just says Deep Purple. There's also some great bass that really benefits from the great mix since it sits perfectly in there. Besides Nina's always impeccable vocals we've also got former Rainbow player Tony Carey dropping by to lend some keyboard prowess too. And the guitar is solid too but i'm just just not connecting to it. I think between the length and the overall slower tempo it would be a great song on The Lesser Key of Solomon but it just doesn't sit well on this one.

I like to think of it as a palette cleanser to prepare for what I like to think of as side two. Second Lives kicks off slow and moody and builds to a nice tempo. More great Hammond in here and another one with a Rainbow/Purple vibe. Not a bad thing in my book. But this one is just a runway to get to track 8 Els Segadors (The Reapers). Yes this one's slower but it's got a killer anthemic feel. Probably cuz it's a defacto legit national anthem for Catalonia (if your keeping score at home). If any band can pull off a metal version of a national anthem its A Sound of Thunder. This track has been an international success for them and deservedly so.

Back to the more uptempo with Tomyris. Been really trying to think what it is about this track that connects with me and I thinks its because it reminds me so much of their sound on Out of The Darkness blended with an extra flavor shot of classic metal. So now we're on the backside of this puppy with two more tracks to go.

I instantly liked Charles II. It's a four and half minute run through a bit of history. I could totally see Maiden covering this one. This one is a great example of the versatility of Nina's voice as she voices multiple characters and tonalities. Great soloing from Josh backed by some solid rhythmic backing. on this too.

Sadly this bring us to track 11 Fortress of The Future Race. I'm surprised that Mark Tornillo isn't on this one as it sounds like modern Accept meets ASOT with some fine contributions from the Thunder Choir.

So what's the score on this one? 10 tracks that I can give a solid 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘 out of five and one that although it's a 🤘🤘 I'm still not totally seeing it fit on this release. Most of the tracks meet Josh's stated mission. They are catchy and you'll find yourself singing them once they are trapped in your skull. We get Mark Tornillo guesting. The mix is top notch and really adds to the depth of the album and goddamn this really has some sweet classic metal vibes going on. I should also mention the stellar artwork from Dusan Markovic too.

The only real downside besides track 6 is that there's no Nina evil freak out song on here. I've always looked forward to the next "Kill That Bitch" or "Hello Nurse".

So my final takeaway? Buy this thing!!! If you're already an ASOT fan it'll be an instant classic for you. Otherwise it's the perfect gateway to discovering this killer band. Nina has stated that she can't wait to play this stuff live. Well Nina, bring it on cuz I for one can't wait to hear it live.

"It Was Metal" is currently available for preorder at all the usual spots plus you can get special formats including vinyl and  the "It Was Metal" comic at asoundofthunderband.com




Tracklist:
1. Phantom Flight (featuring Mark Tornillo)
2. Lifebringer
3. Atlacatl
4. The Crossroads Deal
5. It Was Metal
6. Obsidian & Gold (Desdinova Returns) (featuring Tony Carey)
7. Second Lives
8. Els Segadors (The Reapers)
9. Tomyris
10. Charles II
11. Fortress of the Future Race

Total running time: 59 minutes

       Vocals: Nina Osegueda
       Guitars & Keyboards: Josh Schwartz
       Bass & Keyboards: Jesse Keen
       Drums & Percussion: Chris Haren

  Produced by Kevin '131' Gutierrez
  Recorded at Assembly Line Studios

Website: www.asoundofthunderband.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/asoundofthunder
Twitter: @asotband
Instagram: @asotband

Review - "Tales From The Deadside" A Sound of Thunder (Mad Neptune 2015)

"A narcotic stew of vocal pyrotechnics, massive melodies and a haunting storyline combine to intoxicate and invigorate. A righteous way to binge on metal"

That's right on September 25th A Sound of Thunder  unleashed their fifth full length album on an unsuspecting metal public. Yep I said album, this puppy is available on blessed vinyl too.

Although the last few albums had some type of storyline to them this is their first true concept album and it's based upon Valiant Entertainment's "Shadowman" comic series. Now I've never been a huge fan of the concept album, an exception being made for Rush's 2112, but this one definitely has my ear. I'm not sure how they managed to pull off being epic and approachable at the same time but damn they have certainly served up something tasty once again.

Let's dig in to "Tales From The Deadside"

The opener is "Children of The Dark" a sprawling 7+ minute song. Although it starts slow at about 1:24 Josh's guitar starts a nice hypnotic groove that just grabs you followed closely behind by some powerful double track vocals from Nina. This track some stellar interplay between the guitar and drums in an almost call and response fashion. It clearly shows the level of fun that Josh and drummer Chris Haren had in making this. Also of note is some tasty bass lines from Jesse Keen. Toss in the prog break a little past the four minute mark and this one's a home run. 

"Sandria" is up next. Initially i thought this was going to be a straight up rocker. It starts off with a killer riff complete with classic Iommi style trills but it transitions to an almost avant garde freeform jazz deal. Kudos to Nina for being able to roll over the top of it with a solid melody line. That's followed by the solid rocker I was initially expecting. But the bridge reminded me a bit too much of White Wedding but maybe that's just me. Either way this one is still a thumbs up.

Whoa jazz organ warning on track three. Someone has broken out the Hammond. Not to worry it's all very tasteful. All in all this is a great tune and the guitar solo has a really cool classic almost Blackmore vibe to it. I realize that Hammond plus Blackmore equals Purple but I assure this track is far from Purple. How many times can i praise the vocals? Dunno but here I go again. Nina does a fantastic job on this one. If it was shorter "Can't Go Back" might be a great radio single…if radio had any taste.

Okay track four "Deadside" had me worried. It had a bit too much Doors flavor (ala The End) but by about the three minute mark this thing was sickly hypnotic. Nina and the boys have fed the Lizard King his own balls. As slow as this one starts by the end it's a runaway freight train. Hello big labels have you actually listened to this band? It slays all the pablum you push out. Simply Awesome.  

Track five "Tower of Souls", REALLY!!! I've run out of adjectives. From the first note this one grabs you. How many songs can do that with a narrator talking? Cannot stop listening to this track and you won't be able to either.

"Losing Control" is a real sleeper track. It's one of those tracks that slowly grows on you and it took me a few runs but I figured it out. It's the bass. Jesse has done a superb job on the bass work for this track and Kevin Gutierrez has masterfully mixed it such that rather than be blatant it's insidious in it's infection of your ear holes. Amazing stuff. Nice classic seventies inspired harmony solo from Josh on this one too.

Every ASOT release is not complete without the "Nina" song. Punk Mambo is that song. If King Diamond formed a punk band this would be their first single. Oh yeah cool jazz sax break anyone? Yeah it's in there.

I'm not gonna name names but I know that someone in ASOT does like country and track 8 Alyssa definitely has that kinda vibe. I honestly think it could be successfully played on a modern country station. I'm not a country fan but I'll admit it's a well crafted song and it's a nice showcase for yet another facet of Nina's abilities. I don't think we'll ver stop discovering what that woman can do with her voice.

Of we could ever have the privilege of hearing the almighty Dio sing a ASOT song I would pick track 9 "Tremble". Scenario number two would be to have Nina, Veronica Freeman and Leather Leone share vocal duties on this one. Ladies please make this small metal dream come true. Alright back to reality. If had to play just one track off the album to convince someone to buy it THIS is the track. Tower of Souls is a close second but this my friends is five minutes of pure blissful metal majesty.

This band really knows what it's doing. Concept discs can be a sequencing nightmare with sometimes less than stellar transitions but the closing track "End of Times" picks right up from Tremble and loses none of the power and majesty of the prior track. Although it's got many movements in it's seven minutes it's a great closer and clearly leaves you wanting more.

So how do I sum this up? Well the first thing I'll say is that A Sound of Thunder has shown they are fearless in their approach to writing. They don't follow trends they follow their instincts and the results are phenomenal. For me I've had the pleasure of living with an album that has nine tracks that earn such high marks that even the one country tinged track can't spoil it. Proof of that is that although I could hit skip I just keep it rolling.

If you haven't already figured it out…GO BUY  THIS!!! I know I know it's a concept album but it's not one of those tedious concept deals. This makes you feel alive even while being sucked into the Deadside. And you better hurry because I can assure that A Sound of Thunder is already brewing up another batch of insanely infectious music to steal your soul.

Nina Osegueda - vocals

Josh Schwartz - guitars/keys

Jesse Keen - guitars/keys

Chris Haren - drums

www.asoundofthunderband.com 

www.facebook.com/asoundofthunder 

www.reverbnation.com/asoundofthunder 

http://asot.bandcamp.com 

https://twitter.com/asotband

A Sound of Thunder on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 199 - A Sound of Awesome

This week A Sound of Thunder release their latest slab of awesome "The Lesser Key of Solomon" like Solomon you would be wise to grab yourself copy of this one. To get the word out Josh, Chris and Jesse make a return appearance on the show this week to talk about all things ASOT as well as give you damn good idea of how much you need to get this release.

Want more ASOT? Head to http://www.asoundofthunderband.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/ASoundOfThunder or https://twitter.com/asotband

Grab it now from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed or on iTunes

And as always Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Review - A Sound of Thunder Time's Arrow

Okay in the interest of full disclosure I do have to confess that I have been a long standing supporter of this band. I own every piece of recorded output I can buy from them and this new release is no different. I may have a free digital preview of the new release but you can be damn sure I've already preordered a physical copy long before I ever heard a note of this.

Alright let's get to the meat of this review.

Time's Arrow is the latest release from A Sound of Thunder. Their last,  2012's Out of The Darkness was completely brilliant and I couldn't imagine being able to follow it up. The incredible progression in just three albums is amazing. This is a band that has been able to mix old school sensibilities with some of the newer sonics to create a sound that is so damn approachable.

One of those old school sensibilities is sequencing an album. They don't write filler so they spend time figuring out how to sequence the songs. Even more so on this release since you can also get it on vinyl.

Another bit of old school is their attention to the artwork. Check out the cover art above. They have labored over every detail of the regular CD and the box set. Essentially they take all this on themselves. There's not some huge staff behind them. 

Let's go through the tracks:

Power Play - This is clearly the grab you by the nut sack opening track. Remember the first time you heard Steve Harris's bass? Power Play opens with this killer bass line from Jesse Keen that will take you back to that feeling. A few bars in and Josh Schwartz opens up with a killer dual guitar harmony. It's clear these guys have come to rip. Chris Haren keeps a nice tidy drum part behind it all just gluing it all together. At the 23 second mark they just shift gears and take it to a whole other level. It not until the 41 second mark that the mighty vocals of Nina Osegueda enter the picture. 41 seconds in and I'm already glued to the speakers. Once Nina hits it's all done. She has one of the best set of pipes in metal today and this release is a veritable showcase for her talents.

In this case her vocals hits strong and clean with just a touch of that raspiness she can inject at will. Adding to that is some great gang vocals when needed. Again some old school sensibilities in that regard. This track is so damn good. Great lyrics. Tasty solo. Hooks that will infect your brain and we are only one track in.

Time's Arrow- The title track as track two. A long time tradition carried on by ASOT. Okay my first impression was F*%K it's almost ten minutes long. Long time listeners know I have an issue with long songs. Personal bias, I know but that just how I'm wired. Alright let's dive in on this one.

So there's about two minutes of instrumental lead in. It's massive sounding and very well orchestrated. As I'm listening to it I'm just staring at the cover art trying to put the music with the artwork. Once the vocals kick in the first thing I notice is how tight the guitar melody and the vocal melody are. It really draws you in. There was also something else there. It took a bit but at almost 10 freaking minutes I had time to figure it out. There's almost this seventies vibe to the overall feel to this one. That's not a bad thing it just the vibe I got. All totaled even at ten minutes this is a great track. The amount of work that had to have gone into recording this song had to be huge. There's a lot going on and in true ASOT from the mix lets everything have it's moment to shine. It may not be my go to song on this one but I have a shit ton of respect for what they did on it.

I Will Not Break - A smoldering churning chunk of metal. Think of the tempo of Priest' Grinder. That's where this one sits. THe lyrics on this one are classic no B.S. from Nina. The choice line "I won't be silent but I might be violent". The guitar tone on the fills on is this just killer. Clean and searing. You can't ignore it. That's followed up by a solo with this cool middle eastern vibe in this nice copping of George Lynch's style. This whole track just says POWER in a very forceful way. The real secret on this one is the infectious lines that the rhythm section puts down in the background.

Broken Bridge - This one starts of slow and just lulls you into thinking that you are getting a bit of a respite. NOPE!! About 30 seconds in it kicks into a nice mid tempo rocker. I say this as a compliment, I can just hear Ronnie James Dio doing this song. With that in mind it just made Nina's vocals that much cooler. I don't know how Josh gets that thick massive guitar tone but I do intend to ask him about it. It's just this huge solid slab of tone behind the whole song. If that wasn't enough the wah infused breakdown four minutes in further solidified his axe cred. Once again that section with the classic keyboard pads behind it really beefed up that RJD vibe. To top it off a lesser band would have rode out on that but not ASOT they went back to a pastoral piano part to end the song.

Queen of Hell - I bought the Queen of Hell EP on both vinyl and CD and this song is just killer. I have had this cranked so loud in my car that you could hear it blocks away. The build up on this is freaking insane. Listen to the drums. They are just so pounding and yet Chris throws in these tiny accents on the brass when you don't expect them. The guitar is screaming and Jesse is just barely holding it all together with his bass line. What is truly cool about this build up is that once you have heard the song once the expectation of what's coming will just make it that much cooler. No shit, the hair on my arms go up when I hear the opening of this one. Why? Because this track shows Nina in all her vocal glory. She goes from sweet to evil in the space of four bars. Just insane. If you dig this one do yourself a favor and get the version with Veronica Freeman on it too.

One of my favorite tracks on the album and watch out for the roller coaster drop when it comes time for the bridge. 

Let's Start A Fire - Hooks upon hooks upon hooks. This one's another mid tempo rocker. Probably the most straight forward track on the album. Three minutes long and just put together nicely. My piece of advice on this one is listen to the lyrics. Nina has created some solid imagery hear so don't get distracted by the musicianship surrounding it. Even in what seems like a simple song Nina has crafted some choice lyrics. I also like the bit of amp sound at the tail end of the song. I'm glad they didn't gate it out it sounds perfect there.

I'll Walk With You - So this one has some shades of "One" to it. At this point I guess if you combine acoustic arpeggios on top of a snare cadence you get comparisons to Metallica and I guess I'm guilty  of doing it too. All that washes away when Nina opens her mouth. Anyone who has just considered her a "metal" singer will get schooled with this one. She displays a whole different facet to her abilities and I was blown away. This one the sleeper track of the disc. Besides the vocals Josh's guitar work on this is impeccable. He does some tasty acoustic interludes between the verses that are top notch. What makes them even better is that most people would have just blazed on electric on those spots but his abilities on the acoustic actually makes those parts sound heavier. It isn't until around 4 minutes in that he fires up the electric and just smokes. Interestingly I actually hear shades of Pat Methany in his solo here. Pat who? Yeah I know Pat Methany isn't often spoken of in metal circles since he's a jazzer and unlike someone like Chris Poland I don't think he would ever cross into metal territory but nonetheless guitarists can learn some cool phrasing from him.

My Disease - Spanish guitar. Monks chanting, WTF? Never mind, 30 seconds in and in comes a snaking bass line from Jesse followed by a crunchy doubling on guitar and then drums. Okay I'm not nervous anymore. Nice vocals. Okay I'm digging this one. Hey, who's the guy on vocals? Enter Blaze Bayley. This is a nice concept and it works well. The extra bonus here is Nina's lyrics. She clearly had a lot of fun with the words on this one. They may not be as over the top as Kill that Bitch or Hello Nurse but they rank right up there. The very English sounding breakdown around the three minute mark work so well with Blaze's voice. Jesse is also able to throw in some nice Geezer like lines in there while Chris pops in some very Bill Ward like brass work. That transitions to a very Dio era Sabbath sounding part. If that wasn't enough Josh then manages to transition into a classic ASOT sound before the vocals kick back in again.

Wastelands - If there is one thing ASOT is guilty of is never following a format. No long intro here. Josh does the riff and BAM Nina just launches in and the vocals don't stop for the next two and a half minutes. Then this jazz infused double stop section comes in. Who expect that? Even have a touch of Hammond B3 going on. Just some cool arranging here and ASOT has shown some big stones on this one. And yes after the jazzy part it does kick back in and just burns through the rest of the track.

End of The Road - Back to the mid tempo groove. This one has that slinky feel ala AC/DC's Nightcrawler. Honestly this one could almost qualify as a crossover tune into modern country. Even the very Tele sounding solo points it in that direction. Once again the playing is solid and even with the country feel it's a cool track. I also like the reverb ring out at the end.

Reign of The Hawklords - Those of us that were Kickstarter supporters got this one as a preview track months ago so I have a bit of time with this one. First point, there's Theramin on this one. Somehow Theramin always sounds cool on a track. This one definitely has a triply psychedelic vibe to it. When I first heard it I my first thought was crap I hope the whole thing doesn't sound like this. Then I heard the QoH EP and I knew that very cool shit was on the horizon. I applaud the fact that they were smart enough to put this as the last track. I think they knew that to toss this into the middle of everything else would be a buzz kill for most of their fans. I take this track for what it is. Another example of the breadth of ASOT's songwriting abilities.

So what's the score? 11 tracks and 9 solid metal tunes. A cool crossover that stand solid on it's own and one that comes in as more of a cool excursion but one that might get skipped on repeated plays. 

In metal terms that's a solid steel two horns up.

So once again ASOT has made an album on their own terms and delivered us one hell of a good album. I cannot wait to experience the physical copy at maximum volume. This a band you can feel good getting behind. They work their asses off. They give a shit about their fans. They are very approachable and are a blast to interview. AND they write some of the best new music out there.

To get you own copy head to http://asoundofthunder.bigcartel.com/category/cds while your there you really should pick up your own copy of the Queen of Hell CD too.