THUNDERMOTHER – Thundermother (Album Review)

THUNDERMOTHER – Bio

Thundermother are an all female rock and metal outfit hailing from Stockholm in Sweden. They have two previous albums, which are full of AC/DC style riffs and songs. This, their third, is self-titled and is different from the previous outings inasmuch as it is really a brand new band. Only guitarist Filippa Nassil survives from the original incarnation. The band has also dropped from five members to four on this.

It still has lots of AC/DC influence, but seems a bit darker and not as anthemic. Some of the tracks hint at perhaps it not being the best of splits band wise, especially in the lyrics of “Whatever”, “Quitter” and “I Won’t Back Down”. On “Hanging At My Door”, there is a real nod towards the late great Randy Rhoads with the guitar playing. On “Follow Your Heart”, there is a touch of Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynryd. Therefore, perhaps they are slightly branching out musically and allowing other influences to be displayed. Then again, with three new members, there was always going to be new ideas brought into the music.

Recording details

The album Thundermother was recorded in 10 days, with everything apparently recorded live (including vocals) in the studio, like it was in the 1970’s. This helps giving it a raw and authentic sound. Most of the versions on the album are, according to interviews, first takes, which is also impressive.

THUNDERMOTHER – Thundermother

The best tracks for me are the faster more rocking material. “Whatever” sounds like a feminist anthem in one sense and perhaps a dig at previous band members, depending on how you want to read it. The lyrics of “I don’t need you, I won’t feed you, I will rock n roll forever… whatever” make this a fuck you type song. It has plenty of energy and a catchy chorus, which should be one of the better songs live.

“Racing On Mainstreet” is an infectious piece, with a very nice lead break and gives an opportunity for new bassist Sara Pettersson to shine, as she takes centre stage at one point.

“Quitter” is one of those AC/DC, Airbourne, Rose Tattoo type songs that are always crowd pleasers. There is nothing too taxing, just a straight, hard rocking song that is easy to groove to and sing along with. It suggests from the lyrics that, being an original member, Filippa has no intention of changing direction musically.

The next song ,“Fight For Rock n Roll”, stays in the very same vein (well, it didn’t do those other bands mentioned any damage). This is another easy song that could be joined in with live in concert.

As previously mentioned, “Follow Your Heart” has a Zeppelin-type opening and is the best of the slower tracks (or ballads). This is an encouragement to follow your dreams and do what you want to, to achieve if you strive and keep going. It then goes into a Skynyrd type guitar work out at the end of the song.

The last song on the album again follows a similar theme of staying strong and doing what you believe in. “I Won’t Back Down” is a decent closing track. There is a slighter slower groove and riff. Once again, there is a bit of Randy Rhoads, with a fairly good guitar solo over an interesting riff. A pretty good ending to the album.

Final thoughts

This may be not the best album of the three released under the name. However, it is, to all intent and purpose, a new band finding its feet. This means it is almost a debut. There are some pretty good songs that should impress live. There are songs that kind of go past without leaving too much of an impression, but again, given time to work and write together, there may be less of next time. The best of these will definitely hold their own in live performance.

Buy the album…