Polish stoner metal band The Black Thunder have two albums under their belts now, this being their sophomore one. They've been around since 2009, and have had only one line-up change during their existence, so expect something ready and tight. And dark... as the title of the album bestows. It's not about shroomies, steaming asphalt and hot desert sand, or bitches from Mars.

The rhythm guitars buzz and rumble like big bad motors, and together with the voluminous bass guitar, create a solid wall of stringed instruments. Together with somewhat muffled leads they sometimes end up reminding me of post-1997 Entombed (test drive 'Pain Inside My Head'). Otherwise, some of the stoner here is really a bit too typical, pretty much very Southern US style, like heard on the title track for example. The band sounds heavy and dark, but still they kind of miss characteristics that would make them real fucking good and jump out of the crowd. But as mentioned, this is still notable in its genre. The band count on exhaust tactics more than catchy brain-drilling riffs or melodies. They often work on one riff for quite some time, before throwing themselves into next part. Which still does not differ much from a previous one... More variety, especially tempo-wise, on 'After a Downfall - Rise!' works effectively, if you ask me: The best fucking song here! The closing track is partly influenced by gothic music, also bringing in something new.

The clean vocals remind me of Helmet's Page Hamilton, but the majority of them are distorted, and sound agonized and even though with some changes in notes, are rather monotonous. The production is generally very good. It is not stuffed but the instruments are well defined. It certainly sounds earthy and organic. And loud.

The cover art is bland and ugly, really not a thing that jumps out of CD rack and shouts "buy me, now" to every potential buyer. The Black Thunder could grab you, or then bore the shit outta you, I guess. They do not possess catchiness, but they could slowly linger under one's skin. It's for everybody to find it out...

Rating: 6 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
07/29/2022 18:54