It's always nice to get some variety on an album, but Thunder Tribe may need to cut back on the influences a bit.The thing about the retro craze is that most of it is fashioned after the grooves of the 70s, not so much with the 80s and 90s. And I'm not saying that this sort of music has no ideas of its own or anything, I'm simply trying to give you a feel for the sound of Kentucky's Thunder Tribe. But let me be more specific...
The music on their debut album has many different sounds in terms of influences - maybe too many, but I'll get to that. Tracks like Echoes of a New Day has a Pink Floydish intro that melds into something more melodic in the vein of Extreme mixed with Enuff Z'Nuff followed by a more traditional metal sound a la Savatage. But on cuts like the title track, and the Black Velvet-inspired Above The Blue, the Kentuckians give way to a more Southern style (and effective) metal groove that fits the Native American vibe you get looking at the album cover. And then you get a track like Believe with its NWOBHM feel that brings to mind classic Judas Priest. Ultimately, this is either something great or it collapses under the weight of its influences as a single cohesive album depending on your tastes.
The Bottom Line: Personally, I dig War Chant for the songs, but I think that if Thunder Tribe wants to have a shot at success, they need to sharpen their musical focus. They've got the goods, they just need the direction. All in all, an impressive debut.
- Genghis will keep an eye out for this band's stuff...