Royal Thunder is an American rock band from

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, founded in 2004 by guitarist Josh Weaver. Their style of

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

takes its primary influences from

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

and 1990s

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

with elements of

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

and

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' has described the band as "a bit like an alternate universe where

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

fronted Led Zeppelin." Their most recent album, ''Rebuilding the Mountain'', was released in June 2023.

Biography

After forming in 2004 with Weaver on guitar, Mlny Parsonz on vocals and bass, and Jesse Stuber on drums, Royal Thunder self-released a self-titled EP in 2007, after which the band was signed to Relapse Records. Relapse released their first full-length album ''CVI'' in 2012, featuring new rhythm guitarist Josh Coleman. In a review of the album, AllMusic noted the band's unique sound combining the heavy side of 90s grunge, classic hard rock, and alternative rock. Stuber left the band and was replaced by Lee Smith, who had played on one track on ''CVI''. Smith was soon replaced on drums by Evan DiPrima, and Coleman was replaced by guitarist Will Fiore, forming a lineup that would remain intact for the next six years. Royal Thunder released the album ''Crooked Doors'' in 2015. The album was themed around the breakup of the marriage between Parsonz and Weaver, with lyrics that critics compared to the Fleetwood Mac album ''Rumours (album), Rumours''. Some of the lyrics also described Parsonz's membership in a religious cult. ''Crooked Doors'' was noted as being more varied and progressive than its predecessor, while Parsonz's bluesy, waling voice and harrowing lyrics gained the attention of critics. The band's third album ''Wick'' was released in 2017 by Spinefarm Records. In a review of the album, ''

'' praised Parsonz for her "raspy, powerful wail [which] is one of the most moving voices in rock right now," and noted that the band "has found its sound." ''Classic Rock Magazine'' described the album as the band's most powerful yet, with "a shifting musical bedrock over which Parsonz... delivers the kind of vocals – sometimes armoured, sometimes vulnerable – that can emote, transport and illuminate in equal measure." Drummer Evan DiPrima left the band on good terms in 2018 and was temporarily replaced by Kent Aberle; DiPrima returned in 2020. Guitarist Will Fiore then departed and the band has continued as a trio. The band's fourth album ''Rebuilding the Mountain'' was released on June 16, 2023.

Discography

Studio albums

*''CVI'' (2012) *''Crooked Doors'' (2015) *''Wick'' (2017) *''Rebuilding the Mountain'' (2023)

EPs

*''Royal Thunder'' (2010) *''CVI: A'' (2013)

References

External links

* {{Authority control American hard rock musical groups Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from Atlanta Musical quartets 2004 establishments in Illinois