THUNDERMOTHER – Heat Wave (Album Review)

Thunder

To say Swedish hard rockers Thundermother have had a bit of a makeover would be somewhat of an understatement. Founded in 2010 by guitarist Filippa Nassil, and after the release of two quality albums, 2017 proved to be a watershed time.

All the band members decided to leave (did they fall or were they pushed? Who knows…) apart from Nassil who recruited a brand new line-up.

Things have seemed settled since then and hot on the heels of 2018’s Thundermother comes Heat Wave. As well as Nassil we have Guernica Mancini on vocals, Emlee Johansson on drums, and Majsan Lindberg on bass. All band members have contributed to each track in some way, which in my eyes is always a positive move and shows cohesion within the unit.

Raw

Heat Wave, out now on AFM Records, was recorded in three weeks in Copenhagen and you can definitely feel the rawness and enthusiasm in the finished result.

Whilst the band’s own website refers to their sound as AC/DC and Motorhead it is mostly the former. Having said that, there is a lot more variety than your average AC/DC album (at least with their last few albums). There are barnstorming rockers such as “Loud and Alive”, “Dog From Hell” and “Into the Mud” (with resplendent bass break) plus foot-stomping anthems like the title track and “Driving in Style”.

Thundermother can also take it down a notch or two with the exquisite “Sleep” or the intense “Purple Sky” (with great driving keyboards).

Gem

If it’s AC/DC-plus you’re after, look no further than “Free Ourselves”. The intro is straight out of the “Thunderstruck” playbook.

In vocalist Guernica Mancini they have a gem. Powerful and bluesy she fits the music perfectly. As for any AC/DC comparison, well there is none. She can sing, and sing bloody well.

Bright Future

Thundermother already have a number of notable support slots under their belts, and have also appeared at the Sweden Rock Festival. I can only see good things in the future for this band and rate Heat Wave highly.  

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