Royal Thunder – CVI

Royal Thunder – CVI

Rough Trade / Relapse – 2012

Rock, Hard, Metal, Psychedelica

Rated: ****

Atlanta has become the epicenter of hard adventurous music thanks to frontrunners such as Mastodon and Kylesa. This hotbed in Georgia seems to breed an unending stream of good bands. And even though there is a definite amount of mutual points of contact between them there is absolutely no uniform quality. Royal Thunder is yet another outfit that goes its own way with a hybrid version of Neurosis and Heart. The promise that was made with their 2009 EP is redeemed with their full-sized album CVI. Strongest ace in the cards is without a doubt their singer and bassplayer Mlny Parsonz, who sounds like a sexy banshee, the result of a wild one night stand between Ann Wilson and Robert Plant. Charming during the sober passages and a true powerhouse once the registers go up and all the stops get pulled. Her vocals lift the mostly elongated compositions to a higher level and that’s one hell of a feat with music that already offers so much. And thanks to a very organic sound CVI is also a definite relief between the otherwise clinical produced metal of the times. Perhaps one of the best debut albums released this year?

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