ALBUM REVIEW: Pounder - Thunderforged

-
Pounder - Shadow Kingdom

Eighties metal revivalists Pounder release their third album, Thunderforged on the 25th October via Shadow Kingdom Records. As a trio from California, they’ve been playing music mainly influenced by NWOBHM bands like Diamond Head and Angel Witch, American metal bands like Night Demon, Haunt and Fatal Curse, and pay a massive debt to Accept. 

Pounder

The band members actually have history in other bands, in fact the lead singer/rhythm guitarist Matt Harvey is also the lead singer of death metal/grind band Exhumed. Lead guitarist Tom Draper has previously been a live guitarist for Carcass and Angel Witch, and bass player Alejandro Corredor is currently in Nausea (not the punk band, but the LA grindcore band). Joining them on Thunderforged is session drummer Mike Heller. 

As soon as you see the album cover, you know exactly what you’re going to get. Driving rhythms, classic guitar solos, speeding into the night chargers, a bit of sunset strip flash and AOR accessibility; basically, a pure heavy metal album like you’ve gone back to 1985. The track list reminds me of checking out an Anvil album, with cliched song titles like Sound & Fury, Metal Eternal, Line of Fire, and dodgy song titles like Get Pounded and Wet & Wreckless. The question is, does it sound any good? 

Pounder

Musically it sounds brilliant, the production is fantastic. Sometimes I find with albums of this style that the bass guitar is low in the mix, it all sounds a bit tinny, but with this album that’s definitely not the case. The bass rumble gives the songs a much meatier sound, and the guitar work and drums are top drawer, at a live gig they’d sound amazing. 

There is one problem with this album, as well as their other recorded output, and unfortunately, it’s very noticeable. Matt Harvey sings for a death metal/grind band, nothing wrong with that, but vocally he’s not capable of singing in this style. I suppose at a live gig he can get away with it to a degree with the fast songs. On the first album, Uncivilized, there’s a couple of ballads which are not great to listen to. Someone must have told the band, as on the second album, Breaking the World, there are no ballads at all. For some reason, on Thunderforged they’ve decided to slide a ballad back in, the excruciating to listen to Deeper Than Blood where the vocals are a real struggle.

For Pounder to get to the next level, they desperately need a different vocalist. Maybe the fact that he already sings for another band has influenced the decision. He could still play rhythm guitar, but with a great singer, I think they could be brilliant.

Thunderforged is out on 25th October via Shadow Kingdom Records
Review by Mick Simpson

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LIVE REVIEW: Magnum - A Passage in Time KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton 25th January 2025

-
Image
If ever there was an evening that personified the phrase ‘Bitter Sweet’ then this would be pretty close to the top, if not the peak itself. The penultimate gig of the short UK tour celebrating the genius of Tony Clarkin: founder, guitarist, songwriter, producer, etc. of his lifelong project, Magnum. A melodic hard rock band from Birmingham, formed sometime in the early 1970’s (even Tony himself wasn’t 100% sure exactly when).  The fact that this run of gigs has happened at all is astonishing, as Tony’s cohort for the entire 50 years plus of the existence of the band, the ever-youthful Bob Catley, announced in a heartfelt post last year that his heart was broken, and that it would be impossible to continue with his mate. Well thankfully after a tour with power metal supergroup Avantasia, Bob’s Magnum heart was healed somewhat, and he decided to put together this tribute tour to give Tony the send-off he deserved.  I’ve been to many gigs at KK’s Steel Mill, and this was the most...
Read more

ALBUM REVIEW: UFO - Obsession (Deluxe Reissue)

-
Image
1978 saw the seventh album by UFO and the final release by the classic line-up of Mogg, Way, Parker, Raymond and Schenker (until their reformation in 1993). Chrysalis records present the album in a newly remastered package which includes a previously unreleased 2024 mix of Live at The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, originally featured in parts on the seminal Strangers in the Night live record. Mixed from the original multi-track tapes by engineer Brian Kehew, this is the most sonic version of the recordings to date. Kehew comments that, “Our new mix of the Cleveland show is definitely a bit more aggressive than the original Strangers LP, sounding more like a front-row seat than Row 50 position.”  But let’s drop back into the album first before getting to the live tracks. Having released the brilliant Lights Out in 1977, UFO were on a high and returned to the studio to record Obsession . It was on the subsequent tour that Strangers in the Night was recorded. Obsession may not have h...
Read more

ALBUM REVIEW: Masters of Reality - The Archer

-
Image
2009 was the last studio release by this seminal band, whose debut album in 1989 is rightly regarded as a classic and still gets regular airtime in this house. With Chris Goss the only original member, the elusive genius now brings the band back to life once more with their latest album, The Archer .  Masters of Reality has always driven their own course. Rightly credited as a major influence on the desert rock scene, the band’s canvas was spread much wider. The Archer comprises nine tracks that span just under 40-minutes, making it an easily digestible record but not one that diverts from the quality that Goss has always crafted. Here he’s in fine form, the sprawling songs take their own shape and form, nothing rushed and much mellowness as the bluesy vibes cascade across the songs. Barstow , which sits in the middle of the album is a perfect example. A sleepy gentile track that oozes relaxed quality, it’s nonetheless a fine example of the laidback approach which makes this album...
Read more