THUNDER RISING – Sole Freedom (2015)
Long time friends Frank Caruso (Firehouse, Arachnes, Strings 24) and Corrado Ciceri (Firehouse, Wine Spirit) founded THUNDER RISING in 2012, and they sought out Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen) as vocalist releasing a very interesting self-titled album already featured here on the blog.
However, with Boals busy touring schedule and commitments to other bands, Alessio Spini was recruited for touring.
Fast forward a little to 2015 and Thunder Rising are releasing today “Sole Freedom“, with Spini on vocals though Boals still appears on one song.
Perhaps Caruso’s name does not ring any bell for you, but Frank and his crew aren’t newcomers to the Melodic Hard Rock field at all. During the ’80s, Frank was part of the underrated (and quite unknown) Italian band Firehouse, and more recently Arachnes and 24 Strings, recording ten albums between these two acts.
Drummer Corrado ‘Nail’ Ciceri (also ex- Firehouse) played in Wine Spirit and for Glenn Hughes & Alvin Lee live bands, on second guitar we have Andy Ringoli from hard rockers Homerun, and together with bass player Gabriele Baroni (Arachnes, Strings 24), complete the very solid, sharp Melodic Hard Rock sound of Thunder Rising.
“Sole Freedom’ is a five-track EP, where the songs are even more melodic than the material of the band’s debut.
Opener ‘The Best Things Are Free’ is the track featuring Mark Boals, and is a straightforward old fashioned rocking tune.Comprised of contrasts between powerful rhythm section driven along by twin riffing guitars and more measured and tasteful laid back moments, Boals gives a consummate performance full of power and melody, and it’s easy to hear why he’s been in demand as a Rock singer for decades.
Following track ‘Let Me Breathe’ is the first studio offering from the band with Alessio Spini on lead vocals and while he has a different timbre to his voice, there is no noticeable drop off in quality, the guy can sing. this is harder than the opener with its insistent riff and slightly more modern feel.
Dropping off a little, “Blind Without You” is a toned down number that showcases Spini’s soothingly beautiful vocal tone. It’s a solid hard rock power ballad with some lovely tasteful guitar runs.
Track 4 ‘Break The Cage’ combines a dirty bass groove with some crunchy twin guitar attack, echoed deeper toned vocals and a quite catchy chorus. It has some really nice touches and does a good job of fusing that old hard rock vibe with some more modern sound overall.
Final cut ‘Lightning, Thunder And Rainbow’ is an instrumental guitar work out for Caruso to show off his skills. He is obviously a fine, fine player and covers a range of styles within the song. Starting with a quickly flowing guitar, the sound progresses and picks up speed until it tapers off into some ZZ Top/Texas style groove before jetting you back into speed guitar while the other plays in the background.
The first three minutes of this track are a lot like the headcutting scene between Ralph Machio and Steve Vai in the awesome movie Crossroads.
Thunder Rising’s ‘Sole Freedom’ definitely has some ’80s US Hard Rock flare that encapsulates the style of that era and brings it firmly into the present. As a big fan of that period of music, I am happy to see it getting a nod in the music of the present and getting some modernization.
Full of powerful vocals, technical and elaborate riffs, acoustic accompaniments and more, the only disappointment I have with this is that after five songs I was left wishing there were more.
Thunder Rising is a really solid outfit, and I am expecting bigger things from the quintet shortly.
Strongly Recommended
1. The Best Things Are Free (feat. Mark Boals)
2. Let Me Breath
3. Blind Without You
4. Break The Cage
5. Lightning, Thunder and Rainbow
Mark Boals – Vocals on 1
Alessio Spini – Vocals
Frank Caruso – Guitars (Arachnes, ex-Firehouse)
Andy Ringoli – Guitars (Homerun)
Gabry Baroni – Bass (Arachnes)
Corrado Ciceri – Drums (Wine Spirit, ex-Firehouse)
BUY
www.amazon.co.uk/Sole-Freedom-Thunder-Rising/dp/B00YFDF71A
