Amid Lyrical Heartbreaks, Frontwoman Parsonz Leads the Royal Thunder Charge

A powerful addition to Royal Thunder’s growing musical quiver, WICK delivers on a range of harmonic frequencies. The real success of the band’s third album is in the vocals of bassist and frontwoman Mlny Parsonz. Among intensely honest lyrics, Parsonz’s raspy influx charges hard at each turn leaving little to misinterpretation. With this openness of songwriting, listeners are granted a unique look into the world of Savannah’s Royal Thunder and, while at times filled with sadness and struggle, the music dips poetically between aggressive instrumentals and well-placed ballads.

The album starts off swiftly with “Burning Tree,” a song that feels as if it were pulled directly out of a Wiccan spirit book. It’s a dense intro to the rest of the album that does wonders to combine each element of the band’s makeup. With twelve tracks all culminating in just under an hour, WICK finds an eloquent pace and doesn’t dilute itself with sharp overtones or overproduced hard rock. As the record fluctuates between full-bodied riffs and Parsonz’s fiery vocals, it is clear that it is constructed from a variety of sounds and ensembles that work to catapult the Savannah natives towards the next stage. “Tied” drives fast, while “Push” slows things down. This turn is a rather significant drop-off, but it’s also a nice complement to the ferocious set of opening tracks.

The mystique and shamanic themes splayed about the entire album are an honest reflection of a band well-versed in their inner struggles. To some, this could be mistaken as a negative, but for Royal Thunder, this would appear to be their greatest asset. For this reason, WICK should stand as a solid building block in the band’s ever-expanding musical identity, one solidified in Parsonz’s lyrics and further emblazoned with a righteous set of rhythmic guitars and heavy beats. Justly letting Parsonz take the helm to tell enduring stories of heartbreak and sorrow is just one part of this equation.

This recent step forward for Royal Thunder’s artistic progression is the first of many. In the coming months, listeners should keep their ears to the ground for any stirrings pertaining to the band. They are currently knee-deep in a lengthy U.S. tour. Hopefully, a growing fanbase as a result of WICK‘s release will grant Royal Thunder the live support they appear to deserve.