Doomriders – Black Thunder / 2005 Deathwish / 13 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/doomriders / http://www.deathwishinc.com / Reviewed 04 October 2005

The beginning of “Black Thunder” really mixes together the straight-forward rock of the seventies (KISS, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy) and freshens the sound up to include a little bit of Kyuss and Corrosion of Conformity. The guitar work does tend to change styles between tracks; “The Long Walk” brings a little Helloween and Iron Maiden into the game, while the vocals present seem to elicit more of CKY than anything. “Ride Or Die” slows down the tempo of “Black Thunder” down for a minute before moving back into the general sound of previous tracks; this has a double benefit of referring back to previous successes and bringing something exciting and new to the table.

“Black Thunder” really just does not have much in the way of times to get ones breath; when a track like “Listen Up!!” kicks on, the break-neck tempo and the raucous guitars ensures that one will be rocking without stop. “Midnight Eye” seems to really take a right-turn from the traditional music captured on the disc; while it still has much of the seventies-rock crunch, the vocals present on the track really elicit comparisons to both “Rebel Yell”-era Billy Joel and “Helena”-era Misfits. The tempo of the disc really feels as if the Doomriders’ punk influences have really been allowed to dictate; “Worthless” has a very Spartan-punk type of speed to it that really is the most audible example of this. Hell, the follow-up to “Worthless”, “The Chase” really uses some of the same arrangements as Fugazi’s “Waiting Room”, something that is barely noticeable with the amount of shouting and crunchy guitar laid out over it. “Voice of Fire” is influenced with the same style of country that really predicated many of Doomriders’ influences, and really puts bands like The Outlaws to shame with the sheer amount of emotional content contained within the guitar/bass dynamic on the track.

While a great deal of songs on “Black Thunder” really seem to tap the same well, the Doomriders are smart enough to intersperse these tracks with those like “Voice of Fire”, which really refreshes and allows listeners to listen to the rest of the disc without experiencing anything in the way of ennui. Doomriders put a brand of metal out on the market that is innovative enough that it can weather the masses of similar-sounding metal acts while still pandering to a wide selection of listeners. This means that fans of Hydra Head, Victory, and even Metal Blade bands will find something that they can dig in Doomriders.

Top Tracks: The Whipcrack, The Chase

Rating: 7.0/10