Search - Thunderstone :: Tools of Destruction

Great Album, from Start to Finish

Sean A. Harrison | Snellville, GA USA | 07/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a fan of this band since last year when I bought the previous release "the Burning." I thought that album was a good album, but was mainly carried by four songs (especially Forth Into the Black). But this album is so much better. I bought this one and was completely blown away.



1. Tool of the Devil - the Single off the album and perhaps the best song the band has done to date. Hell, it's one of my favorite songs from anyone.



2. Without Wings - A fast number with some brilliant guitar work.



3. Liquid of the Kings - Pretty much done in the same vain as Without Wings.



4. I Will Come Again - An obvious highlight of the album with a real good message. It's sort of a mid tempo song, along the lines of Crusader's Anthem by Dream Evil or Children of the Damned by Iron Maiden.



5. Welcome to the Real - Kind of a semi-ballad, notable for the catchiest guitar riff on the whole album. Overall, one of the highlights.



6. the Last Song - Kind of a neoclassical number, thanks to the keyboards. Another highlight.



7. Another Time - The ballad on the album and one of the weaker tracks but still good.



8. Feed the Fire - The fastest track on the album. It's another highlight and likely to get stuck in the listeners head.



9. Weight of the World - It's another fast song, one of the weaker tracks (still enjoyable though).



10. Land of Innocence - The only song that comes close to Tool of the Devil. It was written for the late Dimebag Darryl and is the epic on the album. It also has a very infectious chorus."

Grab The Tools Of Destruction

Ken Pierce | Brooklyn,, NY USA | 08/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thunderstone not only has a fantastic name but also a very solid stand on the Heavy Metal genre. Their sophomore release of "Tools Of Destruction" on Nuclear Blast Records really has some key moments to it. Hailing from Finland a Country that seems to be responsible for most of the worlds Power Metal these days; the group takes a slightly different direction with their music. They did not follow the gruff vocals and intensity of Children Of Bodom or the Operatic Adventures of Nightwish and instead deliver a "Traditionally" styled opus that is full of clean vocals on top of truly solid guitars and drums. There is a fair amount of technical precision displayed in such tunes as "The Last Song" which has a nice keyboard riffs over an impressive double-bass drum run and it just draws you into it. When the song "Without Wings" plays you almost feel like you are listening to Sonata Arctica since it could pass for one of this bands tracks. I felt this record was almost like a safe introduction to the world of Power Metal music and I mean this in the most positive way because this was very user Friendly stuff. Great hooks with a nice vocal mix and easy to remember tunes overall. I think this must have been hard on the band to decide which avenue to follow because their fellow Countrymen have achieved amazing success by testing the limits of the Metal genre and instead Thunderstone decide to stick with a more conventional delivery.



The lineup is Pasi Rantanen - vocals, Nino Laurenne - guitars & backing vocals, Kari Tornack - keyboards, Titus Hjelm - bass & backing vocals, Mirka Rantanen - drums. Each member really seems to show their level of talent on the CD and while I don't have their first release "The Burning" (also on Nuclear Blast Records) it is most probably a lot more of this type of stuff. Either way I shall be looking into it. There are some other tracks that stood out for me, and "Liquid Of The Kings" is one as well as the slow and trudging "Welcome To The Real". I found that the more I listened to this CD the more that I felt that Century Media's Nocturnal Rites are a perfect companion band to this one. Fans of Whitesnake and Dio and even Deep Purple will appreciate this release. It's a high recommendation for those seeking a familiar style brought to you by a new face. Check it out.



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