Magnificent Seventh, The - Thunder

...not too displeased to have paid full price for the album. If the ending of this one and the evolution of the sound from "Giving the Game Away" to "Shooting at the Sun" to "The Magnificent Seventh" is to continue, then the next album is going to be immense!   ... more

In the Spring of 2003, Thunder released their first studio album in four years. For three of those four years, Thunder didn't technically exist, making the album one of their most eagerly anticipated releases. As throughout their career, Thunder didn't disappoint, announcing their return in traditional fashion; with some great pop-rock tunes and the underlying sense of humour that always made listening to Thunder such fun.

After so long away, it's essentially "difficult second album time" for Thunder again. The first time around, their second album was less catchy than the first, but musically and lyrically better. Perhaps the same will be true this time around, although "Shooting at the Sun" was a much more professional album than "Backstreet Symphony", with the benefit of an additional twelve years of experience and five albums of practice.

The success of the lead off single, "I Love You More Than Rock'N'Roll", proves that whatever Thunder do, their fans will always be loyal. Despite having no record label support, as Thunder don't have a major label deal, and the only marketing being through their website and message boards, it charted at an amazing number 27 in the first week of release, proving to be their second biggest hit ever, and their biggest in more than ten years. I will admit to having helped this popularity, as I bought both formats of the single the first chance I got.

Quite why this single should receive such an accolade is a mystery to me. It's one of their weaker single releases, being a mid tempo pop-rock ballad with little to set it apart from anything else, apart from Danny's vocals. It's got a stripped down feel, vaguely reminiscent to some of the track on their "The Rare, The Raw and the Rest" album, although when the guitars and chorus come in, it does evoke memories of their "Laughing on Judgement Day" album.

Despite the title sounding like the kind of track some dodgy 1980's hair metal band might release, "The Gods of Love" is all Thunder, if you can overlook the strange synthesizer effects at the start. It's another mid-paced pop-rock track, with a driving guitar that has undertones of Metallica's black album at a couple of points but generally sounds just like their own "Time to Get Tough".

There's an underlying Eastern tone to "Monkey See, Monkey Do" that recalls Aerosmith and parts of Def Leppard's "Euphoria" album. The overall tone once Danny's distinctive vocal comes in is definitely Thunder and it's a slightly darker and more rock influenced track than the earlier ones on the album and makes me think of the "Giving the Game Away album, both in sound and with the lyrical inventiveness that Luke Morley's writing has evolved into in recent years.

"I'm Dreaming Again" is the album's first ballad and a definite change of pace from "Monkey See, Monkey Do". It again harks back to "Giving the Game Away", with the chorus in particular sounding like the big ballad "Numb" from that album, although without being as lyrically poignant.

From the first listen, "Amy's on the Run" has been my favourite track. It retains the slightly rockier edge of "Monkey See, Monkey Do", but combines it with an almost stadium rock chorus which is the part of the track that really catches the ear and I can see this one being a great track to play live, as it's one to sing along to.

The rock theme continues with "The Pride" with the guitars driving the track along and even seeming to overpower the vocals in some points. It's perhaps the closest Thunder have come to a full rock track since 1995's "Behind Closed Doors" album, which wasn't one of their best. It's probably the weakest track on the album and certainly my least favourite.

"Fade Into the Sun" is the closest Thunder come on this album to what is almost their cliché - the "I'm leaving town" song. There's a very stadium rock feel to the track again, with the synthesizer making it sound very much like a Bon Jovi track for the most part. However, it's a bit more up tempo and more back towards the traditional Thunder pop-rock sound for the most part, but without ever really hitting the heights of what the band are capable of. It's not a bad song, but it's not one that stands out in any real way, either.

The album's second ballad, "Together or Apart", follows to provide a change of pace. It's quite close to the sound of the ballads from the "Giving the Game Away" or "Shooting at the Sun" albums. It's again nothing terribly special, nicely crafter, but not lyrically or musically anything new by Thunder's standards.

There's a funky bluesy guitar lead to "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down" that sounds a little like a rocked up version of Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits". It's one of the more up tempo tracks on the album and again a nod towards the old style Thunder pop-rock sound. It's one that I can see being a great live favourite or getting played at rock clubs as it's got a groove to it you can bounce around to.

This theme continues with "One Foot in the Grave" which, I'm pleased to say, is far more than a rock cover version of the TV theme tune. It's got another blues rock feel to it and the tempo stays high. It's not got as catchy a groove as "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down", as it's more of a track to rock out to, without the same slightly funky edge.

The album closes on "One Fatal Kiss", which has a wonderfully funky bass and guitar line running through the verses, and a huge stadium rock chorus, again not dissimilar to a Bon Jovi track. It's the one song that isn't written solely by guitarist Luke Morley, having had some input from Russ Ballard, one of the great 1980's rock songwriters, and his influence is obvious. It's a superb way to end the album, one that leaves you wanting to know what happens next and sure to be another live and rock club favourite.

This may be the least Thunder sounding of all Thunder albums. There's nothing here that has you listening to the lyrics and laughing, which is usually something you can bank on with a Thunder album. Although he still has that distinctive voice, there's little that really stretches Danny's vocal, although he is getting older and is maybe less able to do what he used to be able to.

What it is, however, is proof that the band is continually looking forward. The sound here is perhaps more rounded than on previous albums, with a decent mix of ballads or rockers and, even in the up tempo songs, a mix of more rock tracks and stadium pop-rock numbers. Unfortunately, there's also a mix of quality with a number of tracks that will be Thunder standards for years to come and others that are a bit of a disappointment. There are more of the former than the latter, though, which is always a good sign.

At 53 minutes long, it's a decent length for a Thunder album, even if the quality can be variable. Being a new album as well, cheap copies haven't really started appearing as yet, with very few available from either eBay or the Amazon Marketplace and not terribly cheaply, with £8.50 and £9.99 respectively being the best prices I've seen so far.

If you're a huge Thunder fan already, I'd recommend you buy this album quickly, as you're otherwise missing out on a couple of really classic Thunder moments. If you're not a big fan, then you'd perhaps be better placed to wait until it's available for less and if you're a newcomer to Thunder, you'd be better placed getting "Their Finest Hour", the band's Greatest Hits album.

They've done better, but as a huge fan, I'm not too displeased to have paid full price for the album. If the ending of this one and the evolution of the sound from "Giving the Game Away" to "Shooting at the Sun" to "The Magnificent Seventh" is to continue, then the next album is going to be immense!  

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