The Burning

Iced Earth will be on European Tour with Primal Fear and Thunderstone in March/April 2004. This gonna be for sure an explosive show. I saw last year Thunderstone with Symphony X and Stratovarius. This year, Thunderstone tours again with the bests, which proves Nuclear Blast has special plans for this Finnish heavy/speed metal band. If you still didn't have the chance to hear Thunderstone, I invite you to whip away their first record and to also check their new album ... especially if you are a fan of Sonata Arctica. After their excellent first album, Thunderstone are back with The Burning, their second album for Nuclear Blast. I like to say that the potential of band lays in the second album ... a "place & time" where the character of the band must show on, where the pressure is building on the shoulders ... where you must deliver. It is "quite easy" to release one studio album. It is much more difficult to confirm your potential with the second one. The hope we placed on Thunderstone has been fulfilled with The Burning. Somehow Thunderstone's second album reminds me Silence (Sonata Arctica). After the first spin, you have the feeling something is missing, that nothing has really changed from the previous record. But spin after spin, you discover here and there new things, new ideas and the emotion grows after each new play. Tracks like Break The Emotion or Side By Side - with the accentuated bass for the tempo - is one of these new ideas that makes all the difference. On Mirror Never Lies, the tempo varies many times and where Pretty Maids was recognizable on the first album, this time Europe passes through my mind. Between the excellent vocals, the melodic guitar and the wonderful keyboard, the song writing "explodes" in your face like Europe's songs were using to do ... when Europe was at the top of the mountain. Thunderstone also shines when the tempo goes fast. Tin Star Man - the fourth track - is a lesson of melodic speed metal like Helloween or Stratovarius used to deliver. The song writing is at the "rendezvous", with many different tempo, top-notch bridges & epic choruses. Through out The Burning, Pasi Rantanen (the vocalist) delivers an astonished singing lesson. His favourite singers are David Coverdal, Eric Martin, Ian Gillian ... and Michael Kiske. I would have discovered the last one (Kiske) as being one of his favourite singers as Pasi reminds you many time the German mastermind singer. Spire, cleverly written, is one of these tracks that reminds you Silence (Sonata Arctica). Sea Of Sorrow - the wonderful ballad - Drawn To The Flam - with a Symphony X flavour and great vocals - Forth In To The Black - the heaviest track - or Evil Within - with a Sonata Arctica zest - are other pearls that complete this melodic heavy/speed jewel. Three words : buy or die ! The limited edition contains 6 bonus tracks (3 killers & 3 demos version of the first album). The first bonus track is heavy as hell - Welcome Home (Sanitarium) - and shows another facet of these genius musicians. These bonus tracks are a gift for their fans. Thanks friends! With or without these additional tracks, The Burning stands as one of the excellent release of January. Don't miss this record .... don't miss Thunderstone on tour. I mean if you go to see Iced Earth on tour, be sure you will be there when Thunderstone starts to play ;)