THUNDERSTONE – The Burning

The Burning is the second release from Finland’s Thunderstone. The album hit the streets in January, and has since then been spinning quite a few rounds in my cd player. This is metal, so close to the definition that I won’t stretch the description any further. They play well, they are tight and the compositions’ level is high, but still I am not sure what these guys can add to the already existing metal scene.

The Burning offers little more than standard metal. That isn’t bad for a start, but sadly enough is Thunderstone the kind of those standard metal bands where way too much keyboard is used! Even though the album is powerful and punching, it sounds out fashioned, and the keyboard sound is mostly to blame. For those of you who don’t mind a lot of keyboards, this might be a great album. Me, I’ve never understood this exaggerated keyboard thing in metal. Give me more guitars!

Still, the album has, despite its number of anonymous tracks, got several good songs, e.g. the opener “Until We Touch The Burning Sun” and “Tin Star Man”. The slowed down “Sea Of Sorrow” is good as long as you forget that singer Pasi Renate way too openly gives away his David Coverdale-inspiration. The track even brings my mind back to both “Judgement Day” and “Sailing Ships” from Whitesnake’s Slip Of The Tongue album. If Pasi Renate on some of the other tracks doesn’t sound like Coverdale he chooses a more Ronnie James Dio-ish approach. However, his voice carries a lot of the weight on The Burning. The drummer, Mirka Rantanen does as well.

Guitar player Nino Laurene is the band’s founder and main composer. He should therefore have used his position to make a more guitar-oriented album. That would have suited them, and me, and you, just fine.

Despite all this, Thunderstone’s previous album, one still unfamiliar to me, will certainly be something I’ll check out as soon as I’ll get the opportunity. Because Thunderstone does a lot of things right. After all, last year they where given the title “Newcomer of the year” by the readers of German Rock Hard Magazine. (Another example: The Burning consists of just ten tracks, and that’s perfect. Too many bands tend to include too many tracks on their releases these days.)

Thunderstone planned to be touring in Europe with Iced Earth this March and April, but sadly enough the tour is cancelled due to health problems within Iced Earth.