With a title like ‘The Magnificent Seventh’ it doesn’t take an Einstein to work out the this new Thunder opus is in fact their seventh studio album and the second since the bands’ reformation in 2002. As with its predecessor, ‘Shooting At The Sun’, Thunder have eschewed the normal record company route when releasing an album and instead opted to, not only record and produce the tracks themselves, but also to release and promote the album in the UK via their own STC imprint.  

When you try to review a band like Thunder, it’s like trying to review AC/DC. You love them ‘cos when they do what they do best, then they simply are the absolute best. Since the bands very inception back in 1989 Thunder have employed a signature sound that, whilst steeped in the finest tradition of blues based rock, a la bad Company, Free etc, is still all of their very own.  

A prime example of this just happens to be album opener and lead off single, ‘I love You More Than Rock And Roll’, a track that saw Thunder returning to the UK Top 40 singles chart. Built around a no nonsense dirty guitar riff, the number explodes into life after a slightly laid back first verse and chorus. The bass and drums patterns put down by Chris Childs & Harry James respectively enthuse the song with a slightly dirty groove and rhythm, whilst Danny Bowes vocals still have that essential soulfulness about them that have become synonymous with the Thunder sound. 

There always has been, and still is, a very loose formula to Thunder albums, with unashamed ballads sitting comfortably amidst rockier, more up-tempo tracks.  In ballad territory this time around ‘The Magnificent Seventh delivers ‘I’m Dreaming Again and ‘Together or Apart’. Whilst both songs are fine examples of the genre, ‘I’m Dreaming Again’ proves to be the slightly better of the two, blessed with a beautiful melody backed by a sympathetic musical arrangement. A future single perhaps?.  

Looking at the up-tempo numbers 'You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down' and 'One Foot In The Grave' will surely be future live favourites. The former employs yet another swaggering guitar riff, adding in some suitable honky tonk piano courtesy of Ben Matthews, whilst the latter takes inspiration for the guitar riff straight from Van Halen's 'Hot For Teacher', without descending into the infantile lyrics that particular number enjoys. Special mention must be made however of 'Amy's On The Run'. Lyrically a distant cousin of Bon Jovi's Runaway crossed with Lola by the Kinks, this song is simply put one of the best songs ever to emerge from the pen of Luke Morley. As with the rest of the album the production is flawless, but it is the combination of a massive sing-a-long chorus and instantly memorable guitar riffs that make this song special. Add in the superb multi-harmony guitar tracks during the outro and Amy's On The Run' is surely a classic in the making. if this song is released as a single and a video gets some serious airtime on the Kerrang/Scuzz satellite channels then it will surely turn some heads.

Thunder are, and always have been a quality act and ‘The Magnificent Seventh only serves to redefine that very fact. That the band  can sound so fresh and yet familiar, is to their collective credit. The songwriting has definitely grown deeper and more mature over the years which highlights the band’s confidence and strength, yet when crank it, they crank it with the best of them.

For those who are already Thunder fans, you will love 'The Magnificent Seventh, and for those who aren't, well this album will serve as a damn fine introduction to the band if you are open minded enough to give it a listen. Ultimately only time will tell where 'The Magnificent Seventh' will sit in Thunder's pantheon of work, but for right now, this is feel good, Rock ‘n’ Roll, done by the masters.

'The Magnificent Seventh' is released via STC in the UK on February 21st and in Europe on February 22nd through Frontiers.. Check out www.thunderonline.com for more details.

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Track List

I Love You More Than Rock 'n' Roll
The Gods Of Love
Monkey See, Monkey Do
I'm Dreaming Again
Amy's On The Run
The Pride
Fade Into The Sun
Together Or Apart
You Can't Keep A Good Man Down
One Foot In The Grave
One Fatal Kiss

Line Up

Danny Bowes - Lead Vocals
Luke Morely - Guitar
Ben Matthews - Guitars/Keyboards
Chris Childs - Bass
Harry James - Drums