Near the beginning of 2024, US post punk band Sun Atoms broke a near three year silence when they released the single ‘Ceiling Tiles’. That track provided the perfect reminder of their great sound with its angular riffs, pulsing rhythms and light gothic tones. In a little over five minutes, the music transported the listener back to the early 90s with its alternative feel, but Sun Atoms’ music still played very well in the present.
Author Archives: Real Gone
THUNDER – The Complete EMI Recordings 1989-1995
When it comes to rock bands, Thunder are a British institution. Their classic rock sound has long conveyed a timeless style, and in the live setting, Danny Bowes, Luke Morley and company are second to none. What’s even more amazing is that Thunder’s greatness was evident from the very beginning. Whereas some bands work hard to hone their sound and have to learn to win over a crowd, Thunder displayed a natural ability the moment they arrived. Part of that was obviously due to Danny and Luke warming up with their former act Terraplane, but Thunder’s live presence was much greater than their predecessor. Almost perfect proof of this can be heard during their very first Donington Monsters of Rock appearance. It’s a difficult task – sometimes even thankless – being the first band on at a festival, in front of a demanding audience, but on Saturday 18th August 1990, Thunder played a blinding forty minute set that proved they were more than “just another band”. They gained an army of fans that day, and it’s a festival show that still got talked about many years after the event.
MIKE TRAMP – Songs Of White Lion II
Back in the late 80s/early 90s, White Lion released four enjoyable but hit and miss albums. Their 1991 swansong ‘Mane Attraction’, in particular, captured the band in top form, with the epic ‘Lights & Thunder’ and the rocky ‘Leave Me Alone’ showing off the Mike Tramp and Vito Bratta musical partnership at its finest and arguably most intricate.
Listen: Mammoth Volume share new single ‘Lisa’
In tandem with the release of their new album ‘Raised Up By Witches’, Swedish stoner prog band Mammoth Volume have also shared a new digital single ‘Lisa’, which explores an even more interesting aspect of their varied sound.
Watch: HollowKin release new video for ‘Leech’
A new arrival on the metal scene in 2023, Bath based metalcore act HollowKin’s have a sound that doesn’t pull any punches, and their current track ‘Leech’ finds them applying a very aggressive sound to an interesting, complex arrangement which pushes their chosen genre forward.