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With Sons Of Thunder the Italian band presents their 3rd album. First you hear spoken words, then some music in the background... Lightning, a galopping horse comes near... Then the guitar driven tune sets off - Chapter 1. An up-tempo track which is what fans expect, but this time mainman Olaf Thörsen has added some new elements and works with speed changes, etc. Musically Labÿrinth and Vision Divine are more different now. Still melodic and catchy, but already the first song with it's acoustic intermezzo shows that they got more mature. In the past I mainly criticized that the sameness of the songs. Here they proof with the first track that they learnt. The songwriting is better, more variety makes listening more enjoyable. Kathryn is based on a bass groove and is a mid-tempo tune. After a few moments the bass groove and the guitar riffing melt together. The keyboard adds some symphonic elements, but stays in the background. Some progressiveness shines through. I didn't expected this, I have to confess. Seems that the old rule about the 3rd album becomes more true here then ever - it's make it or break it - and they are on their way to make it. I know that fans might not agree, coz they love Labÿrinth for what they've been - and they changed. Well, always a matter of taste.
With the title track Sons Of Thunder they return to they old sound. A fast guitar-driven song, but here the vocals can't shine as bright as on the first 2 songs. The medium paced songs and the slow ones give more possibilities for the vocals. Even if the title track has some good moments... The instrumental part / guitar solo is too long in my opinion and can't keep the listeners interest.
Very emotional is Elegy which also combines different paces and elements. This is - I assume - the new sound of Labÿrinth. But instead of surprising the fans it seems that they try to keep the concept which worked rather good on Kathryn and Elegy. But on Behind The Mask I miss some surprising moments. And there are parts where they loose themselves in complexity. Not a bad song, but overdoing it could make it better. Its like they planned to make a change to progressiveness and just had that in mind instead of let this develop... The basic idea of Rage Of The King isn't bad, but again they should have polished it a bit... Take things away here and there... Keep it more simple... Well, this one is for me the weakest track on the album. Better should have take this one off. With Save Me they present a balladesque starting tune, but it becames up-tempo. A track fans of Return To Heaven Denied will love - I guess.... The ballad Love is an emotional tune based on the vocals. Not one of the ballads which gives you shivers or goose-bumps, but not bad. They should definitely work on this side of the Labÿrinth sound. Interesting is the cover version of Matia Bazar's Ti Sento which they present in English named I Feel You. The pop tune they metalized, even if it still has some pop attitude. The fast guitar riffing sounds a bit strange during the refrain, well at least when you know the original. But they had the guts to chose a track from a different genre and the adaption isn't bad. Not perfect, but good. Perhaps the vocals aren't emotional enough...
Beside the first 4 tracks you can check out Touch Of Rainbow and the cover version I Feel You.
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