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Song

Thrillseekers

Artist

Juliet’s Not Dead

Juliet’s Not Dead backstory

A new player on the NWOCR scene? Yes and no.

Juliet’s Not Dead is Twister reborn. A new name, a new era and a new-ish sound.

On the face of it a surprise rebranding appears brave, bordering on the foolhardy.

It’s taken frontman Stevie Stoker several years of blood, sweat and tears to establish County Durham’s Twister as proven purveyors of quality hard rock.

And swapping the band’s undeniably catchy monicker for Juliet’s Not Dead — the rebrand hardly rolls off the tongue — is a gamble.

But as long as the message is loud and clear — that this is Twister MkII — then the music’s all that matters.

And Stoker has a track record for creating pulsating, radio friendly hard rock that gives US heavyweights Black Stone Cherry, Shinedown and Alter Bridge a run for their money.

Twister’s 2020 debut Cursed And Corrected bristled with raw potential and riff-fuelled energy and only the pandemic prevented more rapid progress.

But when touring returned the band doubled down on their reputation for incendiary live shows… laying the foundation for 2024’s Juliet’s Not Dead rebirth.

With their Romesh Dodangoda-produced record due for release early 2025, Thrillseekers teases an exciting future with a telling nod to the past.

In frontman Stevie’s own words

“It feels so good to release Thrillseekers.

“It sets the tone for where we want to take this album.

“As it’s the start of a new era for us as a band, we approached this album with a view to accentuate everything we are about.

“This is the song to set things off with a bang!”

The verdict on Thrillseekers

If Thrillseekers really does ‘set the tone’ for Juliet’s Not Dead’s debut then expect hurricane-level Twister.

Faster, louder and fiercer seems to be the mantra with Dodangoda behind the desk.

But the beefy production still comes pre-packed with trademark polish.

Nevertheless, it’s not entirely clear whether the juxtaposition between processed and clean vocals works — the former often sounds like the rock equivalent of  ex-England manager Steve McClaren’s infamous ‘Dutch’ accent.

It’s a minor quibble.

Elsewhere Stoker and Dan King tear things up with masterclass in fret-burning fireworks.

And it’s that newly expansive guitar sound that draws the line between Twister and Juliet’s Not Dead.

Thrillseekers is a rollercoaster ride of raucous rock and roll.

If the rest of the album’s this good then strap in and hold tight.

What’s next for Juliet’s Not Dead

The band’s ‘debut’ is slated for early 2025 with further single releases expected before the release.

An autumn 2024 UK headline tour kicks off in October.

Juliet’s Not Dead play Bradford’s Nightrain on October 4 with the tour wrapping up in Newcastle on November 30.