Classic Rock Bottom

Artist: Royal Thunder

Genre: Doom Metal

Nationality: American

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: No

Album: CVI

Producer: Royal Thunder/Joey Jones

Release Date: 2012

Running Time: 63 Minutes

RIAA Certification: Iron

Peak Billboard Chart Position: #1659

Singles: Unknown

 

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it). 

For the final March Metal Madness posting, I will expand a bit on the theme of "metal's future" that Scott started earlier in the week with his SHT post.  I have a definite unknown for you.  It's Royal Thunder's full length debut called CVI.  Royal Thunder is from Atlanta, Georgia (my neck of the woods) and this, in my opinion, is a pretty cool album.  I haven't been able to spend much time with it as I just got it, but hopefully that will change.  I will say it's a bit different than what I typically like, but sometimes that just happens. I will also mention that MLny Parsonz has a killer voice (and she plays bass).  Here is a band biography lifted from the Relapse Records website:

Royal Thunder is a four-piece rock band based out of Atlanta, Georgia that seamlessly blends the timeless elements of heavy classic rock, 90's grunge and forward thinking progressive rock. Propelled by the powerfully emotional voice of frontwoman Mlny Parsonz, guitar heroics of Josh Weaver and dynamic drums of Evan Diprima, Royal Thunder has been described by NPR as “a revved-up Southern hard-rock that howls like Led Zeppelin astride a psychedelic unicorn.”, "magnificently compelling rock music" by Decibel Magazine. Formed in 2004 by Weaver his brother and his best friend, the band went through several lineup changes over the years until settling on their current lineup which also added second guitarist Will Fiore as of 2015.  
 
Since Diprima joined in October 2012, the band has been heavily touring the world including full North American / Euro Tours with Baroness and North American Tours Monster Magnet, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Pallbearer, Enslaved, Corrosion of Conformity, O'Brother and many more.  The group has also played high profile festivals including SXSW, Bonnaroo, Scion Rock Fest, Bragg Jam, Roadburn, and numerous others.  
 
In 2007 Royal Thunder self-released their debut EP and started touring with Jesse Stuber on drums.  By 2010 Relapse Records took notice and signed the band starting with an official re-release of their self-titled EP and later in 2012 releasing their full length debut, CVI.   Stuber left the band after CVI was complete and Lee Smith joined at that time on drums and also played on the last track of CVI, "Black Water Vision". The band toured with Lee Smith and Josh Coleman (who also joined during the making of CVI on second guitar) for a few US tours. 

CVI was widely praised by critics including Rolling Stone's David Fricke who said Weaver’s playing has “the meaty, base elements of early-Seventies British blues” and Metal Hammer Magazine who stated "Through the powerhouse vocals of Mlny Parsonz and a refusal to keep their sound boxed, Royal Thunder look set to be the underground's next big breakout stars”.  Other publications like SPIN called the album "stunning" while Revolver Magazine described it as "essential" and The Guardian called them "elegantly powerful" and compared them to prime Led Zeppelin. 

In between a heavy touring schedule during 2013 the band recorded CVI: A; an acoustic rendition of three songs from CVI. The band then entered the studio once more in January of 2014 to begin their sophomore LP, Crooked Doors which was once again recorded, produced, and engineered by Joey Jones of Aria Recording Studio; whom the band has a long standing working and personal relationship.
So there you have it.  The good news from my point of view is that Crooked Doors is due out on April 7th.  It will arrive at my home on that day and will make an appearance in NMC that weekend.
 
What do you think?  Can this band help keep the metal fires burning well into the 21st Century?

1. Parsonz Curse

2. Whispering World

3. Shake And Shift

4. No Good

5. Blue

6. Sleeping Witch

7. South Of Somewhere

8. Drown

9. Minus

10. Black Water Vision

***I'm gonna add a live performance video below of Whispering World***

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This is pretty much a plodding album and is almost a chore to get thru. Most tracks sound the same, the same plodding beat. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel with "Blue" which starts of really nicely but then gets messy, back to nice and then messy again. "Drown" is another cool song (but with some messy parts) and is that a Rush riff I hear? I swear there's the riff from "Freewill" in there. "Minus" is a nice song, quite mellow. There's a mix of Zeppelin, Sabbath, Drain STH and AIC that I hear.

Wonder if wind chimes will be the new cowbell?

Other than the ploddiness, there were some good songs on here. Overall I must say I'm not too big on this band. Maybe the new album will be less ploddy? 

A total unknown for me!  And since you classified it as Doom Metal, can't say I'm overly excited either, not a genre I have much experience with...

Seems to me that there would be more emphasis on the drumming and the drum sound, these sound weak in the mix.  Could just be a production thing though.  Definitely getting the early Sabbath feel, at least up front.  That droning sound at the start of Shake and Shift is truly annoying.  Reminds me of my kids playing those stupid recorders in elementary school - though the song actually turns into a pretty decent listen, the geetar work isn't overly impressive.  I don't hear the Doom metal much, maybe I was expecting worse... What I do hear is a band who needs more experience to tighten up, and get more mature at the songwriting.  These do begin to sound like the same run on song.

Good month of Metal boss!!!

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