THORNS - Song By Song

[Zzzptm]

Several of us are wanting to do this - just one question, are we ready for it? Specifically to KDC and Charger who I know had been awaiting delivery on the vinyl. We good to start this thing or do we want to come back to it in a few days?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I've got the MP3, just waiting for the CD (next Mionday).

Tony posted on FB that the vinyl won't be available until later this year as the record company want to realease it as a double album... so Tony has to record a few more tracks! Thorns is only about 48 minutes long, I have vinyl longer than that on a single disk! In fact I have Hysteria by Def Leppard which is a single disk and is 62:30 minutes!

[Zzzptm]

Ah, but cramming all that stuff on on disc means possibly losing a good deal of sound quality. Spreading it out makes the sound happy.

And if it's a double album, do the CD/MP3 purchasers get an update when new tracks come out???

[Charger]

I hadn't noticed that thing about the vinyl...would be cool to have a vinyl too. And I wouldn't mind extra tracks.


With the olympics and all the curling I don't have much time to listen to the album...in fact I've only been able to go through it once now....just don't have the time...

So maybe push this back for a week or so?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

My bad it wasn't TMs FB page I saw it on, it was Joe's Fan page, although he was quoting Tony at the time.

[Zzzptm]

Waiting a week works for me... those of us with MP3s can use those, those of us with CDs may elect that format.

[Zzzptm]

Week has come and gone!

AS THE WORLD BURNS

The way Tony sings "burns"... so very Dio in how he forms that word, love it. This album could almost be an elegy for Ronnie James Dio not only because of how Martin borrows from Dio, but in how he repays those borrowings with interest. This is not a hollow mimicry, but a solid, strong artistic effort in and of itself with the nod to Dio not being necessary, but also not distracting. It's a complimentary decoration that adds to the overall enjoyment of the piece.

Instrumentally, the crew backing Tony Martin has paid their dues and done their homework. We've got a great band here. I'm excited to listen to them and not rolling my eyes at yet another metal band. Vocally, this is the Tony Martin I remember from the late 80s when I first heard Eternal Idol. While there were albums that got close to EI, none with Sabbath got back to that level, at least for me. This opening track got me to sit up and take notice that maybe the proper follow-up to the potential hinted at in EI wasn't with other Sabbath albums, but with Tony Martin solo.

This song drew me in, but it left me with a question: will the rest of the album hold up? After each song, I had to keep asking the question, as Martin has produced hit/miss affairs before. No matter what, though, this song for me is a huge hit!

[Charger]

AS THE WORLD BURNS

This is THE heaviest track on the album and probably one of the heaviest tracks Tony Martin has ever done...and it's damn near perfect and a fantastic album opener.

Tony's vocals are nothing short of suberb on this one and Scott McClellan's guitar work is top notch as well. His riffing style is very different from any other guitarist that Tony has ever worked with but it works perfectly. I've been facebook buddies with Scott for years and I've followed his work way before he got the job with Tony and I was super happy for him and he surely got the job with his merrits.

The lyrics are also some of Tony's finest...telling a story from the perspective of the Devil and not being overly cheesy about it either, instead it has a nice twist to it.

This might very well be my favourite tune on the album but there is some stiff competition for it let me tell ya.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I will join in but may have to catch up, I've been busy listening to other stuff and haven't played Thorns for a month!

[Charger]

Catch up you must. We shall wait.

[Zzzptm]

I will join in but may have to catch up, I've been busy listening to other stuff and haven't played Thorns for a month!

Do you have a timetable on when you'd be able to listen to that first track?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I'll try and get to it by this evening...

[Zzzptm]

I'll try and get to it by this evening...

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

As the World Burns


A great opening track for the album. As has been said it is the heaviest song he's been involved with. As it's the song I'm most familiar with I don't want to yet suggest it is the best on the album, but I think it will be right up there in the final analysis. Tony's vocals haven't lost anything over the years, which I'm a little surprised about given some reports of his live shows from a few years back.

[Zzzptm]

BLACK WIDOW ANGEL

Heavy tune for sure, slower than the opening. Just noticed the 3/4 beat to the verses that becomes 4/4 in the chorus, cool! Bass solo cooks along in 4/4 or something divisible by 2... could be 16/16 for all I know.

On its own, I think it holds up all right. Not as good as the first track, but I still like it, especially the bass solo part. Martin's delivery is more his own style here, which goes to show his versatility. And how old is he? My gosh, I should sound so good at that age. He's taken some very effective steps at preserving his vocal instrument.