THORNS - Song By Song

[Zzzptm]

NO SHAME AT ALL

Opens with a strong metal groove. Martin's vocal delivery is less Dio and more his original style, which works great with the groove.

Damn but this fires on all cylinders! Totally works as a stoner rock tune.

No solos at all would also have been a possible title. Even so, I like this singalong rocker.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

NO SHAME AT ALL (4:47)

This ia an okay song, I quite like it, but not challenging for the top spot. The lyrics are quite clever coming back to the ame scene "in the mall" from different angles! The quick descending repetition of the title as a chorus reminds me of another song (but I can't think which!).

[Charger]

NO SHAME AT ALL

The intro riff is fantastic Tony's vocal melody again has something very The Cage-like in it which is cool.

The chorus is catchy and Tony pushes his vocals to the limit without going over it though. I could however do without the repetetive middle part and the outro.

Another very good rocker.

[Zzzptm]

NOWHERE TO FLY

Quiet start after the big rock before it. Will it turn into a louder, mid-tempo ballad? Let's watch and find out!

Yep. That was a bit predictable... but it's not a half-bad song for it, as the ballad isn't being whiny or sappy.

Bridge section is very slow with a minimalist guitar part.

Second song with no solo, so it's all on Martin's voice and lyrics to shine, and I think they do. As a slow song, it works. It's not one that I want to skip, not at all.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

NOWHERE TO FLY (4:47)

It's a run-of-the-mill doomy song, not bad, but has some good points to it. Martin's vocals are pretty good, and the lyrics are interesting (guy dies, devil takes his wings, and he can't fly back to his gal who has moved on anyway...)

[Charger]

NOWHERE TO FLY

There's a nice doomy feel to this song indeed even though the guitar isn't super heavy. Tony's vocal melody is a nice mixture of soft and heavy.
Lyrically this is great and bit different.

I wouldn't go out and categorize this as a ballad more like a doomy emotional tune...kind of like Samarithan from Candlemass. The near 5 minutes actually flies by (no pun intented) with this song mainly because of that great middle section.

Another great song on this great album!

[Zzzptm]

I agree, Charger, that this song went by much more quickly than the track time would have me think. I've heard some songs that are timed a minute shorter, but which seem like hours.

[Charger]

PASSION KILLER

Another stellar intro riff. Has a bit of Zakk Wylde in it...not just the little use of pinch harmonics but the overall feel. Tony delivers yet another stellar vocal preformance especially on the chorus.
 And the drums deserve a special mentioning on this one..they are heavy and on the money.

This is also a surprisingly complex tune with a lot of small tempo changes and melodies. But this is a drum track for sure...

Another one for the kick ass section...which is getting crowded as far as this album is concerned...

[Zzzptm]

PASSION KILLER

Great rocker with a delightfully ironic lyric. Makes 5 mintues seem like 2, it's so much fun to listen to. And yes, Mr. Martin seems incapable of producing crap on this album thus far. I'll take it!

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

PASSION KILLER (4:49)


Musically wonderful, vocally solid, another heavy song, it reminds me of Soundgarden in places and the "Passion Killer, Passion Killer, Killer" reminds me of Halford, none of which is a crticism. The funeral melody just after the first chorus is clever in the context of the lyrics.

... and it flies by for a song that is nearly 5 minutes!

[Charger]

RUN LIKE THE DEVIL

A great fast heavy rocker. The riff has a slight Neon Knights feel to it. But it's not Tony trying to do Sabbath...it's very much his own tune with his own style.

Some great vocals on this one...he uses pretty much his entire scale here which is amazing. Vocally this might very well be the best track on the album. Such a great preformance.

The guitar solo is also something worth mentioning. It's got a very interesting quirky tone to it...I like it a lot! Might be the favourite solo on the album.

A stellar track this one.

[Zzzptm]

RUN LIKE THE DEVIL

Oh hell yes!



Very much a classic 80s metal style of tune, fresh and clean. This has to be one of the top tracks of the album so far... but what's next? 

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

RUN LIKE THE DEVIL  (3:56)

A very 80s sound and made using the Neon Knights blue-print.

Another really heavy song, some very good vocals, maybe a the song is a little "by the numbers" but it doesn't lose anything because of that, a pretty good song.

[Charger]

THIS IS YOUR DAMNATION

The odd ball track of the album. Country western meets rock 'n roll meets doomy funkyness meets Tony Martin.

This is probably one of the strangest songs Tony has ever done and hands down one of the best ones too. This is proof that sometimes oddness works wonders. What an absolutely amazing track. The vocal melody is absolutely suberb and the guitar work is stellar.

I guess the closest thing to this song what comes to mind is Anyone's Daughter from Deep Purple...Tony's vocalization even reminds me of Ian's...I remember when I commented on that on Facebook Tony replied that it was the first time anyone ever compared him to Ian Gillan! Took it as a compliment though...as it was intented obviously.

What an amazing song this one...I might even go and say it's my favourite on the album. Without a doubt one of those songs you either love or you don't...but I do...oh god I do.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

THIS IS YOUR DAMNATION (3:09)

Not sure I can be as effusive as Charger about this one, but I do quite like it. It's quirky and completely unlike anything he's done before (that I know of anyway).

I think Anyone's Daughter is about as close that I can think to compare it to.