Nightfly Royal Thunder’s second album Crooked Doors, released in 2015, was an object lesson in how to release a hard rock album in this day and age by retaining a sense of originality without adopting tired clichés. Of course vocalist Mlny Pasonz immediately set it apart from the pack with her visceral emotive delivery marking her as one of the finest singers today in rock. Also of note was the clean organic guitar tone of Josh Weaver, prevalent much of the time, who despite the lack of effects still packed considerable punch into his intelligent riffing. Most of all though it was the great songs that made it such a compelling return to time and time again album. Packed with strong melodies and inventive riffs it was one of the best albums released that year.

Forward to 2017 and whilst Wick retains much of what made Crooked Doors so great the band have clearly tried to diversify their sound. The first thing you notice is that Wick doesn’t rock as hard, not necessarily a bad thing but with songs like Tied they have got a little more experimental with its swirling chorus and syncopated rhythm but its lack of a strong hook lets it down. The same can’t be said of We Slipped, Burning Tree and The Sinking Chair to name three, all songs with strong melodies and plenty of drive, in keeping with the best moments of Crooked Doors. Unfortunately about a third of the album just doesn’t connect with me, usually the mellower tracks as it happens. Crooked Doors had its share of these, One Day immediately springs to mind, its insistent hook making it an album highlight, but here some of these songs fall a little flat like Plans for example. When it’s followed by a song as strong as Anchor though it’s soon forgotten.

Once again Mlny Parsonz voice is stunning and the band all play well with some inventive drumming from Evan Diprima. Josh Weaver, this time aided by new man Will Fiore keep the guitars largely clean sounding but still kick ass when required. The production is clear but could do with more bottom end and the drums sound a bit boxy with the kick drum a bit low in the mix.

So whilst Wick has some truly excellent songs and whilst there’s nothing bad here its lack of consistency robs it of greatness. Nevertheless, if you enjoyed the first two albums then there’s still much to recommend, though sadly not quite the follow up I was hoping for.

Nightfly Three years on from their promising debut CVI, Royal Thunder return with their second album Crooked Doors. Whilst building on CVI’s strengths it shows the bands growth as songwriters and they have produced an even better album with 11 tracks of grunge inflected hard rock with psych and blues overtones.

Once again it’s the awesome vocals of Mlny Parsonz that initially draw the listener in, her visceral classic rock tones full of feeling and emotion make her one of the best singers today as well as a very capable bass player. The rest of the band are no slouches though, the guitars of Josh Weaver expertly weave (no pun intended) together forming sometimes hard riffs, often played with a fairly clean sound and resonating arpeggios along with some very tasteful soloing. Drummer Evan Diprima is solid as a rock yet slips subtleties in to match the dynamics that are a prevalent strength of Crooked Doors.

Highlights, of which there are many include the blues soaked Forget You, the driving hard rock of The Line and the slide guitar infused Glow. Forgive Me, Karma shows much light and shade with some subtle but clever time changes. Floor wins by its captivating riff, simplicity and strong melody and One Day’s melody likewise instantly grabs you. The Bear I and II are subdued and plaintive closers, part II in particular, being Parsonz on soulful vocals and piano and cello from guest Matt Jarrard only. An effective way to finish.

Crooked Doors is a remarkably mature second album which hits you fairly quickly but repeated plays reveal layers not immediately apparent making it an album you’ll want to revisit often. Highly recommended.

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)

UMUR "Royal Thunder" is the self-titled debut EP by US stoner/hard rock act Royal Thunder. The EP was originally self-released in late 2009 but has seen a re-issue through Relapse Records/Season Of Mist in November 2010.

The music on the 7 track EP (one intro and six "regular" tracks) is heavy stoner/hard rock with a female vocalist. The music is structurally very simple and without trying to sound too harsh it´s also a bit formulaic. While there are some pretty decent and hard rocking riffs on the album it´s the vocals by MIny Parsonz that´s the real asset in Royal Thunder. The musicianship is otherwise so and so (especially the simplistic drumming aren´t too impressive) but those vocals are just mesmerizing. I´m completely engulfed once MIny Parsonz starts to sing. I especially find her raw yet melodic vocal style enjoyable but she is not a one-trick pony and sings both more mellow styled vocals and harmonies too.

"Royal Thunder" is a well produced, decently performed and pretty well composed EP. Besides the strong vocals by MIny Parsonz there´re little on the EP that will surprise seasoned hard rock listeners though and personally I could have wished for a more personal instrumental style, but when that is said I still enjoy the EP as it is. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.