Picture the scene it’s a hot sweaty club somewhere in the middle of nowhere and you’re crammed in like sardines and the sweat is dripping down the walls. There is a palpable sense of violence in the air, the whisky is going down like water and it’s about to hit the witching hour. And the madness is suddenly punctuated with the sound of some filthy heavy rock and roll screaming through the air.
It’s coming from a beat-up old Duke Box in the corner. A haggard old rocker is feeding the machine with coin and playing all the stuff that made his life what it is. That is the image I get when I put on the new Thunder Mother record. It’s good old-fashioned Rock n Roll, This all-female band from Sweden really know how to make tasty gritty guitar-driven music. There is something here for all people who love AC/DC and those who love Motorhead will get a blast out of this slab of heaviness also but that’s not the only influence not by a long chalk.
There are some really delicious grooves on their 4th studio album The title track Heat Wave Is so damned infectious I have not had it out of my head for some time now. But the stand out on the record for me is Dog from hell. It has one hell of a sing-along hook that keeps you singing it late into the night. I have to say that I am a big champion of all-female rock bands at the moment.
Quite often they make more entertaining and infectious rock n roll.
From Spain, we have The Lizzies and from South America we get Nightbound (now I know they have a male guitarist but you get the idea) and the stunning Jenner will blow your ears off. I Urge you all once you have listened to this record to find them and champion my equality in music.
This music will make your blood pump and your headbang so much you will have to put your Chiropractor on danger money. It has all you need see-sawing Chuck Berry guitar riffs, a whisky-soaked half pack voice and so much energy you will never age great rock is the fountain of youth. The album was produced by the legend that is Soren Andersen him of the Dave Mustain and Glen Hughes fame. It’s a match made in heaven as Soren is a master at getting the best out of the vocal track and he’s on form here as Guernica Mancini vocal mix on this record is one of the best I have heard in many years. He manages to keep the record sounding gritty and hard whilst also sounding polished and not overproduced.
For me, the future of Heavy music really is in good hands, long gone the misogyny that swarmed the industry in the ’90s. With Bands like this and pioneers Lita Ford and Doro paving the way we now have a much more balanced industry and So MUCH MUCH, MUCH more fun because of it…
Viva La difference
Release Year: 2020
Label: AFM Records
Category: Album
Country: Sweden
Reviewed by Tony Evans
