A Sound of Thunder
w/ Valhalla/Thundershield
(supporting Theocracy)
December 7, 2013
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade
I first got turned onto A Sound of Thunder after seeing their name show up in my Facebook feed one fateful day. As I clicked on the video like for the song “Queen of Hell” I was so floored that I couldn’t wait to hear more and even see this band live. As fate would have it, they had played a mere two nights before I had heard of them. Talk about so close yet so far indeed. Well, I must’ve been a good boy because for Christmas, Santa (ok, actually it was Hoyt) brought A Sound of Thunder to Atlanta, GA as support for Athens, GA based Christian metalers Theocracy. Now let me start off by saying that I am actually not reviewing Theocracy’s show because of having to miss chunks of their set due to having another show to attend upstairs. I did manage to catch both of the bands that went on before A Sound of Thunder. I purposely went into the show not knowing a thing about either Valhalla or Thundershield so I was very eager to see how these bands would go over with this unbiased mind.
THUNDERSHIELD
Thundershield was up first and all I knew about these guys was that they were “up and comers” and from the looks of the audience they had a lot of friends/fans. As these young fellas took the stage my first thought was, “What the fuck are they wearing?” Decked out in skin tight spandex, headbands, and pointy guitars, Thundershield looked like they jumped right out of an issue of Metal Edge magazine from 1987. I wasn’t going to let this phase me as I was truly waiting to hear what they would sound like. As the band launched into their first song it was all I could do to not make the biggest stink face known to man. Was this a joke? Were they really playing like this? These guys who have to be at least 21 since they were drinking had the stage presence of a junior high band performing at a talent show with about 1/3 of the talent. I really just couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing.
For starters, the guitars were horribly out of tune with each other neither guitarist Sam Bryans or Chris Holter seemed capable of pulling off a complete solo while their bassist Austin Dix made the most outrages “bass faces.” That dude was actually a pretty decent bass player but he could sure learn how to tune the damn thing. Their singer Mikel Hutchings also seemed to be the one with the most promise of any of them. His vocals were a bit pitchy at times but if this guy was working with a band that could actually tune and play I’m sure he would grow to be a pretty decent vocalist. Their drummer pretty much sounded like he just started playing drums that morning. With all that together, you have Thundershield. In all honesty, it was downright painful to sit through such an amateur display of mediocre music. If these guys spent as much time actually practicing their instruments and writing decent songs as they did hamming it up on stage for their friends and striking their rock poses and choreographed rock moves they might have a chance. The songs were poorly written, poorly executed (don’t get me started on them butchering Judas Priest) and by the end of it I felt really embarrassed for them. The fact that they obviously didn’t even seem to notice just how horrible they were sounding says so much about this band.
My advice to Thundershield is that if you want to entertain your friends and have them cheer you on like you’re awesome, do that in the storage shed. On stage in front of an audience it was just plain sad and embarrassing. I would also recommend that they spend less money on clothes and maybe invest in some tuners which they could desperately use. Pointy guitars, good hair, spandex and headbands do not make you a good metal band. Thundershield is by far the least professional band I have ever seen and I was thoroughly disappointed in this display of whatever you want to call it. It took everything I had to not jump on that stage, take away their guitars, mics, and drums, and yell, “NO MORE METAL FOR YOU. LEAVE THE HALL!” If Thundershield is what Atlanta has to offer in the form of the young future of metal, you can imagine that this makes me very nervous.
VALHALLA
After Thundershield’s nauseating performance, you can only imagine how gun shy I was but Valhalla completely took the stage and exceeded all my expectations. Valhalla’s soundcheck was already way better than what Thundershield had to offer so I knew that I would be ok. Right out of the gate I was so impressed with the energy of this band (Halcyon Way take note). While they didn’t come across as seasoned veterans, Valhalla came across as a band who is working really hard at honing their craft and solidifying their own unique Savatage meets Iron Maiden kind of sound. Lead singer Logan Detwiler has such a commanding presence that literally brought the audience in closer to the stage as he delivered a performance that reminded me of a more psychotic looking version of Jon Oliva.
With each song Valhalla seemed to get better and more engaging and the crowd was eating these guys up. There was no over indulgent stage moves or cute little inside jokes and bantering to a handful of audience members. Valhalla’s goal was to grab that audience as a whole and pull them in with solid musicianship and great songs. By the time the band was ½ way through their set, the tiny stage of Purgatory could barely contain them and the crowd was theirs. Valhalla really took things to a new level with an outstanding cover of the Manowar classic “Hail and Kill” which had the place going nuts but for me the highlight was their closing number “Deathless.” Detwiler announced that it was battled to the death, keyboard vs. guitar. The crowd when nuts and when he yelled “GO!” keyboardist Paul Kendall and guitarist Justin Zych just went at it bringing on a duel that literally had everyone roaring with approval. Bassist Jerey Harmeyer and Drummer Patrick DiGangi held down a rock solid foundation but managed to stick out on their own as more than just a simplistic rhythm section offering up amazing harmonies from Harmeyer.
By the end of their set, it was more than clear that Valhalla is a band that I will be keeping a close eye on. These guys aren’t there all the way but at the rate their going they will be right up there with some of the best of the best in no time. As long as Valhalla can maintain their focus, determination, and hunger, they will have no problem getting to new heights. Valhalla has wings folks. Look out!
A SOUND OF THUNDER
At this point in the night, the room was pretty packed and I literally felt like a 16 year old kid again. Remember that excitement as a kid when you’d get tickets to see one of your favorite bands that you’d never seen live before? Remember that tension and that excitement of wondering what they would open with? Well, I felt all those things as A Sound of Thunder took the stage to the “Hail Queen of Hell” chant over the PA. The crowd chanted and as guitarist Josh Schwartz ripped into the opening riff of “Queen of Hell”, I could barely contain myself and I (along with the rest of the room) lost their shit as lead singer Nina Osegueda took the stage with a banshee scream of a thousand souls crying out in terror. Ok, I stole that line from Obi Wan Kenobi but you get the idea.
A Sound of Thunder delivered an awe inspiring, jaw dropping set list that was heavy on material from their latest album “Time’s Arrow” and rightfully so. This album is one of the best metal releases I have heard in 2013 and even as great as it is it comes nowhere close to capturing the magic of this band live. Songs like “Time’s Arrow” and “I Will Not Break” were played with that passion and that fire that I love seeing in a band. A Sound of Thunder has damn near perfected their craft and are without a doubt one of the best live bands out on the road these days. “Power Play” showcased the skills of bassist Jesse Keen who while the butt of bassist jokes from Osegueda proved to be one of my new favorite metal bassists out there. Josh Schwartz literally melted my face and much like Keen had me feeling like I was seeing one of my new favorite guitar players. Osegueda really has this kind of Doro Pesch meets Ronnie James Dio and Bruce Dickinson kind of stage presence. This woman can rock a stage and really captivate an audience. No need for shitty gimmicks, cheesy choreography or flashy clothes from these cats.
The band closed things out with “Kill That Bitch” which totally reminds me of that twisted old school NWOBHM humor. This song on paper doesn’t seem like a great closer in my mind but hearing it close the show really blew my mind. A Sound of Thunder is a band that is more than capable of ruling a stage, commanding an audience, and melting faces the old school way: with great songs, a tireless, cohesive energy, and a performance that is damn near perfect. I will even go out on a limb and say that A Sound of Thunder just may be one of the most perfect live bands I have seen and I stand by that. As the band left the stage, I felt like I could’ve watched them play for at least another hour. A truly great live band knows how to leave you wanting more and also has you loving them that much more when it’s all said and done. Before this show I really liked A Sound of Thunder. After this performance I fucking love A Sound of Thunder. They accomplished what many aim to do yet fall short of doing and did so with ease. Bravo A Sound of Thunder. Bravo!
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