Royal Thunder — Rebuilding The Mountain (Spinefarm)
The emotional heft at the heart of Rebuilding The Mountain is almost overwhelming.
Six years in the making, it’s a raw response to addiction and near-implosion.
And it’s a terrifically astute album that proves Royal Thunder remain acutely relevant in 2023.
The trio’s angular amalgam of stoner and psychedelic rock has never been so brazen.
But self-confidence is key to a band that had, to all intents and purposes, completely lost its mojo.
Here, MIny Parsonz, ex-husband Josh Weaver and the recalled Evan Diprima dig deep to deliver some of the most significant music of the year.
The decade, even.
This remarkable record’s more melancholic moments are pure, elegiac magic.
A familiar lyrical sharpness, married to Royal Thunder’s sonic cut and thrust, ensures Rebuilding The Mountain never loses its edge.
And if Parsonz’ vocal range — reassuringly rich in foreboding fury — could be stretched then its power to engage is never in doubt.
When 2017’s Wick was released to rave reviews it appeared that Royal Thunder had consigned the challenging Crooked Doors era to the history books.
That a global pandemic almost wiped out one of the 21st century’s most innovative bands is difficult to comprehend.
But Rebuilding The Mountain rises phoenix-like to re-establish the Atlanta rockers as masters of their trade and champions of chilling self-reflection.
Thunder claps for Parsonz and co.
My Ten’s brilliant bass line is just one example of Royal Thunder’s undeclared mission to mix things up. Bravo.
It provides a somewhat shocking change of tempo following the immersive, smothering groove of Live To Live.
And yet, like most things this adroit trio attempts, it works.
Royal Thunder is a band freed from convention and committed to change.
In fact, a stoic approach to current trends works a treat.
The jarring wordplay behind Now Here-No Where is a classic case in point.
And of the 10 songs here only the incisive indie pop of Twice hints at any play for commercial success.
Even then it’s hardly screams A-List playlist with its psychedelic nods and testing time signatures.
Parsonz pushes the envelope on Pull.
But it’s not as if she holds back anywhere, ever.
Given Royal Thunder’s talent for the progressive it’s a surprise that only two of the tunes here exceed five minutes.
The remainder are short, sharp shocks of innovative heavy rock, frequently reminiscent of former Spinefarm act Purson at their perspicuous best.
Rebuilding The Mountain represents a career peak. Experience it now.
