Band: A Sound of Thunder
Genre: Power metal
Album: Time’s Arrow
Label: Mad Neptune Records
Tracks: 11
Total time: 64:38
Language: English
Rating: 10 out of 10

From the time A Sound of Thunder first formed in 2008 and recruited vocalist Nina Osegueda in 2009, they have released 2 EPs, 2 albums, and their 3rd full-length album, Time’s Arrow, makes its assault on the metal world on June 4th. In fact, no sooner than my review of their Queen of Hell EP was posted here on Sonic Cathedral did the time come for me to get started on the Time’s Arrow review. In the accompanying interview with Nina and bassist Jesse Keen, they revealed that they were already working on songs for the next album, of which they plan to release in 2014. Keeping to their reputation of “kicking it old-school”, A Sound of Thunder’s unrelenting work ethic is reminiscent of the days of “album rock”, when bands were known to release new material on a consistent basis; churning out albums as much as twice or three times a year. So needless to say, this is not a band known for resting on their laurels.

Just within the few short months I have come to make my acquaintance with both the music and the band members, I have come to notice that they are constantly spending their waking hours either working on music, playing gigs, coming up with ideas on how to better market their material, promoting their album and live shows, or interacting with their “Legion of Thunder” (their devoted fanbase). This is definitely a band that lives and breathes for their music. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that when they do sleep, they undoubtedly dream about ways to better execute their mission of world domination.

Not only was the band “doing it for themselves” and releasing the album through their own label (Mad Neptune), but their Kickstarter campaign raised enough money to fund both the Queen of Hell EP and Time’s Arrow as well. Once again, the band enlisted the help of producer Kevin “131” Gutierrez, and went to work. The first single, “I Will Not Break” was released on April 8th to a most enthusiastic Legion of Thunder.

Being a band that impeccably fuses the old with the new, A Sound of Thunder kept things exciting and fresh by doing something a little more than writing your typical lengthy metal epic: the title track would also feature a short story written by drummer Chris Haren, a story of which inspired the song. From songs about the television show The Walking Dead to duets with former Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley, A Sound of Thunder was set to unleash their sonic boom on the masses as only they can.

The sound of wind blowing followed by a toe-tapping bassline kicks off the first track, “Power Play”. Some wailing guitar work and strong vocals from Nina. The chants in the chorus will make for a nice sing-along at live shows. More of Jesse’s funky bass riffs in the middle of the song, as well as some militant-style drumming from Chris before taking us to Josh’s no-holds-barred guitar solo. “Scream the battle cry!” Nina rallies the troops as the song ends.

“Time’s Arrow”, the title track, is nearly 10 minutes long; starting off slowly and then working up to standard power metal riffing. Nina jumps in at about the 2-minute mark, her vocals strong and clear as she recants the story behind the lyrics. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the short story written by Chris Haren, but it shouldn’t keep you from enjoying the song by any means. This ambitious track from A Sound of Thunder shows they can hold their own with any of their contemporaries on the scene. My personal belief is that a song can never be too long when it’s a good one, and A Sound of Thunder definitely proves that here! What I like about this song is that it is not your stereotypical “prog-metal epic”; there’s not a bunch of extensive solos from each instrument in the band, the song flows naturally and the band is not playing as though they have to fill in the time by throwing in some unnecessary instrumentation that makes no sense in the context of the song. There are definitely “prog/power” elements, but not in such a way that listeners who are more into A Sound of Thunder for their traditional metal components are feeling as though the band has “changed horses in mid-stream” or if they are listening to another album entirely.

Track three, “I Will Not Break”, is the band’s first single, and starts off with some more tough bass grooves from Jesse. The guitar parts are brutal, and Nina’s vocals are equally aggressive as she sings the lyrics, “I’m not a fool, I make the rules!...I will not break, I am the only master of my fate…you can’t control me, nothing in this world can hold me…I am the voice, how and when I use it is my choice...I won’t be silent, but I might be violent!” Once again, Jesse gives us some tasty bass riffs before Josh just lays it on us with the solo. After that, Nina lets loose vocally before coming back around to the chorus. A fine choice for a first single, and the perfect showcase for what Time’s Arrow is all about.

Lovely acoustic guitars open up the fourth song, “Broken Bridge”, but don’t think we’ve stumbled onto a ballad here! Just when you think we’ve hit upon a mellow moment in our sonic journey, Chris’ drums and Josh’s guitar come in with all guns blazing! Intense vocals from Nina, turning impassioned and earnest in the chorus. A frenzied guitar solo from Josh. For A Sound of Thunder, this would probably be considered one of their “mid-tempo” songs, but it is no less rockin’ and certainly doesn’t lack their take-no-prisoners approach. For a lot of bands out there, A Sound of Thunder’s “mid-tempo” would be their idea of “extremely heavy”! The riffing and fast drumming fades out into some beautiful piano work that takes the song to its end.

If you read my last review, then you’re already familiar with track 5, “Queen of Hell”. This is the “album” version that was featured on the EP; since there is no difference from this version and the one I reviewed, I hope you will not think I am cutting corners by repeating what I said before! If you already read this in my last review, then skip to the next song. If not…Chiming keyboards slowly start the song, as chanting fades in. “Hail, queen of hell! Hail, queen of hell!”, growing louder and louder until all that is heard is the chanting, the crunching guitars, and the pounding drums. Then, just in case you weren’t sure this song was going to kick ass, in comes Nina with a scream that implies that perhaps she is the Queen of Hell! “Welcome; brothers, sisters, I am the Queen of Heeeeellll!” she introduces herself to the listeners. And then the song proceeds to rock hard for the next 6 minutes, chock-full of ripping guitar riffs, ball-busting drum beats, and vocals that grab you by the jugular and hold on tight. An awesome guitar solo in the middle, dispelling the myth that no one does guitar solos anymore. “Bow down before me, the Queen of Hell!” Nina demands in the chorus; and by the end of the song, if you haven’t complied, you are either deaf or have more guts than brains! Nina’s maniacal laughter brings this song to a twisted little close.

“Let’s Start a Fire”! No, I’m not promoting arson, that’s the name of the next song! The song gets off to a rocking start, and Nina tells us what to do: “gather the kindling, I’ll bring the flame!...Let’s start a fire, let’s watch it burn!” As the song goes on, we hear about “houses smoking” and forests turning to ashes. When A Sound of Thunder starts fires, they don’t mess around! Good thing the music matches the incendiary imagery! A guitar solo that is nothing less than smoking-hot, accompanied by Nina’s fiery vocals and a blistering rhythm section. The song ends with the sound of flames crackling, so perhaps we should leave A Sound of Thunder to their bonfire now.

Slow acoustic guitars and cadent drumming bring us into the eighth song, “I’ll Walk With You”. Nina shows the diversity of her vocal chops here; she’s not just a fierce Queen of Hell, she’s also a seductive siren who will serenade you with her lyrics of lost love…oh, wait; this song is actually about zombies! No really, it is. “We held each other through the chaos, never thinking we could die.” Her vocal delivery on this song can bring a tear to your eye as much as any of the sweet-voiced divas on the femme-metal scene; except that Nina’s lyrics always have an unexpected twist that you won’t ever hear from any of her symphonic or gothic counterparts! Who else could write about The Walking Dead and make it sound like a timeless love song? The emotional range of her voice transits from melancholic and heartbroken to wrought with agonizing pain. This is only punctuated by the crying guitars in the solo. This song clocks in at a little more than 6 minutes and so far I’d consider this to be my favorite song on the album.

“My Disease”, the ninth track, starts off with slow, melodic guitar work that slowly works its way to heavy riffing and the voices of Nina and Blaze Bayley. At first, his voice feels out of place to my ears, but once he and Nina join together, they complement each other so well. Blaze really hits his stride after the chorus, as he and Nina trade off vocal lines. The song slows down to give Blaze his moment in the spotlight. Then the heaviness makes a return, and the band jams like hell! Blaze and Nina return, belting it out as the band quickens the pace as the song ends on their voices. “You…are my…disease! You…are my…disease!”

A crunchy guitar riffs starts off “Wastelands”, and Nina’s voice is not too far behind with lightning-fast vocal work. This is the third song in a row to take us past the 6-minute mark, and as Nina belts out one of her characteristic high notes, we hear another solo, this time soulful and harmonious as Jesse’s bass steps in right alongside to keep the groove going. Nina’s vocals return more slowly and smoothly now, the music building back up to the earlier heaviness of the song. More solos prevail as Nina brings us back to where we started, as the song comes to an end.

Awesome drumming brings us to “End of the Road”, but not quite the end of the album. “I can taste the end, whiskey-sweet!” Nina sings to us, as we hear some bluesy guitar work. This seems like it would be a great song at live shows, as only punctuated by the chants and Nina’s lyrics of “kick them down, kick them hard!” Josh’s guitar solo gets down and dirty before we meet back up with Nina’s high notes, and then some more jamming from the band. Yet another 6+-minute song, and another song I would deem as a favorite.

The final track, “Reign of the Hawklords”, starts off with some serious riffs that are unquestionably old-school metal! Nina shows us her softer vocals again; hypnotic and sultry as she lures us in with lyrics about chaos and masters of the universe. This is another of the more “mid-tempo” songs, but after such brutal heaviness throughout the album, this makes a nice closer. And A Sound of Thunder is not the type of band to take it easy on even the mid-tempo songs; they are rocking it out ‘till the end, even as the song fades out on some eerie radio antenna feedback-type sounds.

Overall opinion: After hearing Queen of Hell and knowing it was an introduction to what Time’s Arrow would be, I did not expect to be disappointed, but even this exceeds my expectations! Now that I have had the chance to hear a full-length album from A Sound of Thunder, I am able to hear the full range of their musical diversity; their ability to go from slow and melodic (“Broken Bridge”) to fast and furious (“Let’s Start a Fire”). As a fan of progressive and power metal—and therefore a fan of long songs—several tracks on the album were within range of the 6-7 minute mark, so my appetite for lengthy songs with intricate solos was adequately sated. But A Sound of Thunder doesn’t only shine on the longer tracks; they manage to pack just as much of a wallop in the 3- or 4-minute tunes as much as they do in the 10-minute title track. And as proven with “My Disease” and Blaze Bayley (as well as previously proven with the alternate version of “Queen of Hell” with Veronica Freeman), they know how to share the spotlight with other talented musicians, and are able to effortlessly incorporate their guest vocalists into their sound without compromising those qualities that make up that respective singer’s own individual style. All four band members bring their special talents and contributions to the table to make a well-rounded sound; flawlessly combining the elements of classic metal sounds along with progressive sensibility, and the melodic fury of power metal. Their talent lies in having a definitive sound without being repetitive or predictable. If your first introduction to A Sound of Thunder was through the Queen of Hell EP, then it’s worth your while to use Time’s Arrow as an opportunity to better acquaint yourself. As prolific as a band as they are, it won’t be long before they’ve moved up to the next level, and Time’s Arrow is quite indicative of how high they are aiming.

Photos provided courtesy of A Sound of Thunder

Special thanks to Jesse Keen, Nina Osegueda, and Josh Schwartz. Extra-special thanks to Tim Borzi.

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