Blindside Thunder’s third album 100 proof is chockfull of hard rock idioms spawned from the late 1980s until the present time. Swaggering lead vocals, aggressive guitars and bass, and chugging, pounding drum work are the order of the day. Recent nominees at last month’s New England Music Awards, these Providence, Rhode Island boys prove their metal on this album. This is the stuff you want playing on your car stereo as your cruising down the highway or coming out of a home stereo system during a knockdown, drag out house party.
Blindside Thunder’s current line up is John E. Wilde on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Mike “GunSlinger” Green on lead guitar; Double D on bass; and Andy K on drums.
While these boys don’t reinvent the hard rock wheel, they do play with an energy, tightness, and finesse that puts them far above a lot of other bands with a muscular sound. Opening track “Rock And Roll Junkie” has it all: tough, swaggering lead vocalist with raw, raspy voice; bracing guitar rhythm that pushes everything out of its way while being supported by a tight, solid, hard-driving rhythm section. The boys take it slow in one section of this cut while the lead vocalist belts like a rock anthem circus barker. He’s in a good place and wants to invite everyone to the party. There’s also an incendiary lead guitar phrase here that lights a fuse, heightening the suspenseful energy crackling all around.
“Bad Reputation” rides ruggedly through the jungle terrain of thick bass lines and pulsating drum beats. This singer delivers with action packed stamina during the punchy chorus. A lead guitar phrase sounds like it’s running for its life, taking twists and turns in its melodic line, making its way through the propulsive groove with fearless, reckless drive and determination.
Coming in stylishly with punchy, snappy, thumping drum work, “Tequila” is loaded with audacious rhythms that keep us listening. Solid rhythm guitar playing pushes it all along with muscular authority until a lead guitar phrase gets loose, threatening to scorch the walls with its fiery passion and incisive edge. This singer knows his job and does it well. He belts with a raw passion that makes one picture him grabbing the microphone with a grip that could strangle someone while emoting with the kind of fury that this song requires.
Blindside Thunder earns its band name with the stomping groove of “Takes My Breath Away.” It combines flinty rhythms with a gruff, macho lead vocal to create what hard rock dream bands are made of. The singer lurches over a marching groove like Godzilla lurching over Tokyo, menacing with the potential of all a voice so tough and ominous could do. There is something special going on in the way the rhythm section keeps pumping out a steady groove, maintaining a control over colors and tones as well as functioning as the locomotive engine.
“Daddy’s Farm” finds its way into the listener’s consciousness with a different twist from the rest of the album. The boys take it down low, low key, low guitar notes, low, flowing lead vocal. After intriguing with this alluring intro material, the Blindside Thunder boys jump into propulsive rock anthem. There’s enough bass drum, solid four string work, and bracing rhythm guitar to take down an elephant. This song doesn’t move to a beat and meter as much as it kicks its way forward with one of the best hard rock attacks heard at the local level in years.
Pulpy bass lines, thumping drum smacks, and jumpy guitars turn “Rebel Revolution” into what its title implies. It sparks up with contrasting lead and rhythm guitar parts as the lead vocal, with overlord reach and tone, commands attention. Just after the guitars scream out brief bits of phrase and groove, lead vocals make a dramatic appearance, pacing the song like a well written scene from a dark themed movie or cable TV program. A plethora of bass nudges, drum pushes, and guitar eruptions inspire the imagination, making one picture ominous action playing out to this well scored rocker.
Sounding off with radio ready riffs and rock anthem size, “Human Race” buzzes and hums with steady authority. Tight ensemble playing here could knock down doors and walls while impressing with nuances from each instrument. Every nice touch comes together just right, weaving a hard rock wall of sound that envelopes all around it. Guitar phrases soar by like missiles and the lead vocal is as gruff and rock steady as usual.
Blindside Thunder close out their album with “Burn.” And burn it does, slapping out riffs and drum smacks with a persistent oomph. You can feel every one of the bass notes that, along with the steady stick work, shoves this song forward like an intimidating force of nature.
Blindside Thunder live up to their hard rock reputation with this third outing. With three discs to their name and a recent NEMA nomination for Metal Act Of The Year, they should gain a larger share of the local hard rock audience in 2015. They also have a down to earth demeanor that many found charming at New England Music Awards. Part humble, part honored, and part WTF, I can’t believe we were actually allowed into this place, they made quite a few new friends and admirers.
http://www.blindsidethunder.com/
