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(Review from Poland)
http://www.oldmetalmania.dragonight.de
THUNDER RIDER "Tales Of Darkness & Light - Chapter II"
CD 2003. Produkcja w³asna.
Wydana wiele, wiele lat temu pierwsza czê¶æ "Tales Of Darkness & Light" nale¿y do grupy najrzadszych chyba wydawnictw Heavy Metalowych z Kanady. I przyznam szczerze, ¿e o ile nazwa Thunder Rider od lat by³a mi znajoma tak nigdy nie mia³em szansy po³o¿yæ swoich r±k na ¿adnym materiale tego zespo³u... Pierwsze co rzuca siê w oczy, to niesamowite wydanie tego
kr±¿ka: gruba ksi±¿eczka, obraz ilustruj±cy tekst ka¿dego utworu, oraz specjalne dodatki, które stanowi± bardzo sympatyczn± niespodziankê dla ka¿dego nabywcy kr±¿ka (cco jest w ¶rodku niech siê ju¿ dowiedz± tylko fanatycy Epickiego Heavy Metalu - dla nich bowiem przeznaczony jest ten kr±¿ek). Nie wiem, czy muzyka Thunder Rider zmieni³a siê na przestrzeni lat, gdy¿ jak wspomnia³em po prostu nie znam poprzednich wydawnictw - tak wiêc na ten moment mogê jedynie opisaæ zawarto¶æ "Chapter II". Na albumie znajduje siê 15 perfekcyjnych 'tworów, nie ma tutaj ani jednej nudnej sekundy. P³yty s³ucha siê w skupienia, ta atmosfera sprawia, ¿e s³uchacz doznaje wrêcz intelektualnego orgazmu! Wierzcie mi lub nie, ale od czasu kiedy po raz pierwszy us³ysza³em "And The Cannons Of Destruction" grupy Warlord czy te¿ "Crystal Logic" Manilla Road, w tym gatunku niewiele albumów wywar³o na mnie takie wra¿enie! Maksymalna nota i pe³na rekomendacja! (www.thunderrider.com) Bart Gabriel (100%)
THUNDER RIDER "Tales Of Darkness & Light - Chapter II"
Canada 2003. Production by Thunder Rider
Released many, many years ago, Part I of "Tales of Darkness & Light" probably belongs to that rarest group of Heavy Metal releases from Canada. And I can honestly admit that, even though the name Thunder Rider was extremely well-known to me, I had never been able to lay my hands on any of the previous materials from this group... The first thing that strikes me is the incredible edition of the album: a thick booklet, illustrations depicting the text of each track, as well as other special extras, make this a very appreciated surprise for anyone who buys the album (I leave it to the true fans of Epic Heavy Metal to discover the contents for themselves). I don't know if the music of Thunder Rider has changed over the years, as I mentioned before I have never before been able to listen to previous releases, so I can only mention to you my opinions on "Chapter II". On this album are 15 works of perfection, you won't find 1 boring second on any of the tracks. You can't help but listen in concentration, and through this atmosphere the listener will achieve an intellectual orgasm! Believe me or not, but since I first heard Warlord's "And the Cannons of Destruction" or "Crystal Logic" from Manilla Road, not many of these types of albums are worthy of giving me this impression. A maximum score and a wholehearted recommendation! (www.thunderrider.com) Bart Gabriel (100%)
(Interview from Poland)
http://www.truemetal.org/bardmusic/int.php?id=036
Bard MegaZine Interviews
Interview with Thunder Rider
(John Blackwing)
by Wojtek Gabriel, July 2004
BMZ: Let's start the talk from your recent CD. Your first mini-LP was out 15 years ago. Why it took so much time to record and publish a new album?
John: Fifteen years is a long time and a lot of things can happen in such a time span. The only thing I can say is that life has a way of sometimes deviating dreams. We grow older; we take on more responsibilities, like family and work. The fact that the Metal scene dropped for a while here didn't help either. What else can I say? To mention a quote form the song Galaxy from our debut album "Time has no wings, yet it can fly".
BMZ: You recorded the CD with a very low budget, thanks to Musitechnic. Could you tell me more about this school, and how did you get in touch with them?
J: The school is very well known in Montreal and I think there are actually three or four other schools that have similar programs. Bruce Corian had recorded some of his own demo material through the school. He liked the experience, so we jumped on the bandwagon and started the Thunder Rider project.
BMZ: As your influences you guys mention many rock and AOR bands. So, why your music doesn't sound like Black Sabbath, Rush or Alice Cooper, but is much closer to the epic metal legends?
J: Good Question. I think even if we love all these bands, we wouldn't want to sound like them. After all, we don't want to be clones of our influences; we want to be original.
BMZ: There are few extras included in the CD. I won't tell what, let the readers check on their own. Whose idea was it?
J: I wanted to show my appreciation to our fans. I also thought with all the pirating and downloading going on today, I had to make it worthwhile for people to buy the original CD instead of a copy or some MP3s.
BMZ: The CD is really great published, it doesn't look like an own pressing. 24 pages booklet, full color, great graphics etc. Have you got some sponsor, or you did it for your own money?
J: We are an independent band, and as executive producer, I funded the project from my own pocket, with a little help from the bank.
BMZ: And whose idea was the intro and stuff for PC users?
J: I like to surprise people, that's why there is no indication on the package that the CD is enhanced, so if or when people put the CD into their computer to listen to, they find a bonus for buying the CD.
Full version of the interview you can find in BARD MegaZine #7 (September 2004