Crashing riffs that fall like giant breakers in the height of the storm, thick, sludgy parts that are almost too congealed to wade through, and soaring vocals that elevate to the heavens. This is After the Fall by Texans Thunder Horse. Comprising eight tracks that are surprisingly compact in duration, the third album by the quartet out of San Antonio rolls like thunder.
By the time you’ve immersed yourself in the title track that also opens the album, there’s no escape. The classic rock influences are littered throughout the album, alongside elements of psych, occult and of course, huge servings of doom that allow the clouds to roll, crash, and gather in ominous fashion.
Yes, there is the inevitable Sabbath riff, but also huge banks of gargantuan guitar that brings the likes of Mountain and Deep Purple to mind. It’s a brooding, hulk of an album, which slowly builds, providing atmospheric soundscapes that are gathered in one intense journey. The band have captured a live sound, each instrument working in harmony with its neighbour.
“New Normal” is anything but, with psychedelic fuzz emanating from the guitars, the slowly lumbering feel bringing the song into distorted focus. A cacophony of noise that roars like a disturbed behemoth, you can almost feel the ground shaking as the song slowly progresses. No rush, just absorb the immense power that Thunder Horse conjure up. It’s sheer filth in so many ways, at times almost too crushing in its relentless march forward. But it has groove too. The stoner vibes of “Monolith” with its grinding riffs and snarling vocals switches from the funeral pace of its predecessor, allowing the band to unleash.
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Unsurprisingly this is a band who endorse Orange amplifiers. Their sound is such that anything else would likely be wrong. And yet, there is a curved ball that drops into the middle of the album. An acoustic two-minute number called “The Other Side”. It provides a gentle interlude to provide sanctuary midst the punishment. But this last mere minutes before the grinding crush begins again on “Apocalypse”, a thick wall of sound that is both enticing and harrowing at the same time. This is a suffocating track that squeezes the air out of your lungs yet leaves you wanting more and more.
It doesn’t relent in any shape or form. “Inner Demon” provides more of the same, yet with a slightly different vibe. The shimmer of “Aberdeen” is haunting, a more classic rock blended with psych with an eerie, feel to provide a little more challenge. That just leaves the final track “Requiem”, which shifts again. Retaining its overall feel of impending doom, it’s dominated by yet another huge riff that crunches heavily throughout.
By all s, Thunder Horse are something special live. With their music as heavy as a bus full of elephants, it’s probably true. If they get over this part of the world, just make sure you pack your protective gear, for this is a band who are unlikely to take any prisoners.
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After the Fall is out on July 21st
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