Royal Thunder: Crooked Doors

Now two albums in, Atlanta's Royal Thunder really seem to be hitting their stride judging by the success of their new platter for Relapse Records, Crooked Doors. Like some sort of bizarre mash-up of Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, and Janis Joplin, Crooked Doors delivers 11 tracks of pure emotion and a splattering of heaviness. Led by the sensational vocals of bassist Mlny Parsonz, the band also features the twin guitars of Josh Weaver & Will Fiore, plus drummer Evan Diprima. It doesn't get much better than opener "Time Machine", a real classic rock throwback that starts off as a moody yet melodic take on Fleetwood Mac's Rumours era before blasting into a Zeppelin styled heavy blues rocker, and "Wake Up" contains some of Parsonz' most sensational vocals on the album. Overall Crooked Doors isn't as heavy as its predecessor, but it's certainly more textured and melodic, evident by instantly memorable tracks like "The Line", the upbeat Southern rocker "Glow", and the bluesy two part "The Bear". As solid as this album is, I'm missing some of the thunder from their debut, and I'm wondering if a lot of fans will feel the same way. Still, there's no denying some very strong songwriting here, and Parsonz' vocal performance is off the charts good, so it ultimately adds up to an enjoyable album that sees the band veering off into a slightly different direction that might open them up to a even larger audience.

Track Listing

1. Time Machine
2. Forget You
3. Wake Up
4. Floor
5. The Line
6. Forgive Me, Karma
7. Glow
8. Ear On The Fool
9. One Day
10. The Bear I
11. The Bear II

Added: April 11th 2015
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1796
Language: english

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