CD REVIEW: WONDER DAYS by Thunder

WONDER DAYS by Thunder
(Ear Music)

British rockers, Thunder return with their first studio album in six years, 'Wonder Days'. Showcasing everything that made these lads so great. Daniel Bowes (vocals), Luke Morley (guitar, keyboards, harmonica, percussion, backing vocals), Ben Matthews (guitar, keyboards) Chris Childs (bass) and Harry James (drums). This is classic Thunder at their blues-rock best, the profusion of crunchy guitar and wailing vocals in the opening track setting the tone for the rest of the album. There are some wonderful up-tempo rockers like, "The Thing I Want", "Black Water", "The Prophet" and "Chasing Shadows". The album also offers up rock ballads like, "The Rain" and the heartfelt "Broken" that seems to make your heart beg for mercy. Everything about this album says special, in a way only Thunder know - Luke Morley's music and lyrics are as strong as they've ever been, and Danny's voice just seems to get better with time. 'Wonder Days' is not an album that says 'band who use to be good trying to eek the last few drips out of their talent' it says 'band who use to be good - starting to look great'. Thunder will probably never succeed commercially as well as they did in the early days, but I truly believe that with their back catalog of top notch songs Thunder have built up, and the fact that years later they're still producing songs of the highest quality, they have to be considered one of the greatest and most consistent bands this country has ever produced.  The bottom line: 'Wonder Days' is a highly recommended album for fans of classic well-crafted British rock 'n' roll, although inevitably overshadowed by the near perfect 'Backstreet Symphony', this album should be high on the list for those just discovering this excellent band. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine