Simon RushworthThe Georgia Thunderbolts – The Georgia Thunderbolts EP (Mascot)
Bullish enough to call your band the Thunderbolts?
You must deliver.
It’s a bold name that screams raw electricity and crackling riffs.
A statement suffix that imagines bone-shaking blasts of classic rock.
And an eye-catching moniker that conjures up amplified power and roaring self-confidence.
That the Thunderbolts are prefaced by Georgia reveals their Southern rock roots.
And this self-titled debut EP is a heady mix of heavy blues rock and Skynyrd-styled cool.
It does exactly what it says on the tin. And more.
At their heaviest, The Georgia Thunderbolts evoke label mates Black Stone Cherry.
At their swaggering best they’re on a par with Blackberry Smoke.
But somehow, from somewhere, this fast-emerging quartet has claimed a sound all of their own.
And that’s credit to the band’s visceral vocalist.
TJ Lyle’s is a frontman to believe in.
He’s passionate, powerful and precise – putting the thunder in Thunderbolt.
Looking For An Old Friend is the first song TGT wrote.
And it’s the last song you’ll be humming after giving this fantastic five-tracker a whirl.
The expansive Set Me Free could anchor any stadium show.
But it’s Spirit Of A Workin’ Man that’s the catch-all, signature sound of the brilliant ‘Bolts.
It’s easy to imagine Lyle and co. larging it live.
And that’s all we can do for now.
But if there’s one band primed to explode out of the coronavirus pandemic then TGT is that band.
Here’s hoping.
