UMUR "CVI" is the debut full-length studio album by US hard/stoner rock act Royal Thunder. The album was released through Relapse Records in May 2012. The band released the "Royal Thunder" EP in 2009, which Relapse Records/Seaon of Mist picked up for a re-release in November 2010. The EP showed great promise and especially lead vocalist Mlny Parsonz stood out with her strong and badass raw vocal performance. The instrumental part of the music wasn´t completely up to par with the strong vocals though, but that has certainly been changed on "CVI".

The music on the album is female led hard/stoner rock. The band´s music isn´t easy to tag, as it might be hard/stoner rock at it´s core but it also steps out of those genres a couple of times, which is great for the variation. It´s especially structurally the band challenge their listeners. The tried and true vers/chorus formula might be the basis, but there are several excursions into other structural territories on the album (an intro here and a section there). The longivity of the album is thereby secured. This is not an album you listen to once and imidiately grasp and all for the better if you ask me. When that is said it´s still the raw and positively badass vocals by Mlny Parsonz that runs the show. What a fantastic vocalist she is. There are many facets to her singing and the details provided by backing vocals/choirs are also quite impressive. The rest of the band are well playing too. I had a slight complaint about the simplistic drumming on the EP, but I have no complaints this time around. I don´t think much has necessarily changed but it just works better this time.

The 9 tracks on the album are well written, catchy, and as mentioned above, some are challenging too. The band have opted to include "Sleeping Witch" from the debut EP and I can only applaude that choice. It´s definitely the track from the EP that stands out the most. Featuring a powerful organic sound production "CVI" is actually an album that has it all and I can highly recommend a purchase of this badass rock´n´roll album. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

Time Signature Parsonz' voice...

Genre: doom/sludge rock

A lot of hard rock is admittedly uplifting and all about fun and good times – and nothing wrong with that – but every now and then a hard rock band comes by and reminds us that this genre can indeed be a vehicle of expression of darker emotions. Royal Thunder is one of those bands, and in CVI they have created an authentic piece of heavy and dark southern hard rock.

On this album, Royal Thunder play dark hard rock with a certain retrospective feel to it, looking back to the psychedelia of the '70s, but without all the flower power. It is more like doom power. The tracks on the album are, you see, generally quite heavy, at times nearing doom metal tempos, and consistently having a sludgy touch to them, drawing primarily on crushing old school heavy rock riff. I guess that doom rock or sludge rock would be a suitable description for the dark and heavy hard rock on the album. Tracks like 'Parsonz Curse', 'South of Somewhere', 'Drown', and 'Blackwater Vision' are oozing with doom-laden darkness, and 'Sleeping Witch' is a wonderfully heavy and dark blues song with references to the mighty Black Sabbath, while 'No Good' is a groovy hard rocker full of whiskey-induced swagger and trippy aggression. This is not to say that CVI is completely void of melody, but just that heaviness is in focus. Check for instance 'Shake and Shift' or 'Blue' for a sample of Royal Thunder's approach to melody.

With a touch of psychedelia and songs often clocking in at seven, eight, and nine minutes, CVI definitely also has a progressive touch to it, and there are also sections that remind me of the introvert alternative rock and alternative metal of the 1990s. On top of that, the album is full of hard rocking swagger and southern grooves. The musicianship is impeccable, and the heavy drumbeats and bluesy guitar figures go hand in hand with Miny Parsonz' powerful and raw vocals.

Simply a near-masterpiece of southern darkness, CVI should appeal to fans of doom metal, sludge metal, southern rock, psychedelic rock, alternative rock/metal and dark and heavy blues-rock along the lines of Dickie Peterson's Child of Darkness. Do not hesitate to buy this album and immerse yourself in the darkness of its heavy grooves and long songs.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)