Review: Thundermother – Dirty & Divine

AFM Records (February 7^th, 2025)

Reviewer: Jason Hopper

The Swedish band Thundermother have experienced their share of drama over the years, but nothing like what occurred at the beginning of 2023. After completing a successful North American tour opening for Scorpions in late 2022, guitarist and founding member Filippa Nässil dismissed lead singer Guernica Mancini from the band. As a show of solidarity, bassist Mona Lindgren and drummer Emlee Johansson also departed the band, later on forming The Gems and releasing their debut album in January of last year (review here). Filippa was able to pull together another line-up quickly to complete a European leg of their tour, but with a full year head start by her former band members, would Filippa’s new Thundermother release maintain the quality of their previous release?

She has certainly come very close. Filippa has found the ability to change out 1/2 of her band (and former bassist Majsan Lindberg returning to the fold) and continue that Thundermother style so well that the casual listener may not realize any members were swapped.

Let’s start with the first two singles that were released early last year. ‘I Left My License in the Future’ is one of Thundermother’s best tracks. Lord knows what the song is about (I’m guessing drinking and driving) but with a great high energy rhythm and lines like, “I got my backseat moments in the back of my mind, but this stick is of a different kind”, this track is perfect mental escapism. ‘Speaking of the Devil’ nearly matches it in terms of sheer auditory excitement. A song about reputation and rumors, it’s a great song to sing along to when you want to give a mental middle finger to those who hold you back.

While those two are standouts, the album has other terrific tracks. ‘Can’t Put Out the Fire’ has a take on the world feel and rhythm that is infectious, with its “Whoa” vocables in the chorus that compel a listener to sing along. ‘Take the Power’ is a punk-infused, fast and furious track with some political undertones about revolution and will surely make your head bang along.  While there are no ballads on the album, ‘Feeling Alright’ comes the closest. A fun, little ditty about lovemaking from a woman’s perspective. Its light-heartedness is appreciated and shows the various layers this album offers. The album’s tone is vast, which for me makes for terrific engagement.

There are no songs here that are throwaway, but I am glad the band referenced AC/DC in their press release when referring to their track ‘Can You Feel It’. As soon as the opening chords came through the speaker, I immediately thought of ‘Are You Ready’ from 1990’s The Razor’s Edge. Cannot critique a song too much when the band acknowledges it’s a tribute. With that said, the melody is nearly a rip off to that song.

The inevitable comparisons must happen, so let’s get straight to it by starting with the singer. I am a little biased in that I’m a fan of Linnéa Vikström, having discovered her when she sang for the COVID-related lockdown project At The Movies. Previous singer Guernica Mancini was superb and difficult to replace. While Linnéa does a tremendous job here, I do miss the slightly deeper, raspier voice of Guernica.

Regarding albums, I reviewed both the last Thundermother album as well as The Gems debut. Where does this new album rank?  Slightly below both of those. If ‘Black and Gold‘ and ‘Phoenix’ are A- albums, this one is more like a B+. My slight disappointment comes from my favorite tracks being previously released as singles a year ago. While the rest of the tracks are certainly strong, nothing blew me away like those first two singles. This is speculation here, but I feel those two singles were released so early to take the steam out of The Gems releasing their album around that time. One other critique is the opening track ‘So Close’. It’s a solid mid-tempo rocker but does not have the feel or drive of an opener. The album should have opened with one of their first two singles.

The album has strong replay ability  It is 35 minutes long and I listened to it for five straight hours in the background while at work. At no point did I grow tired of listening. Fans of the band will lap this up and I can’t wait for them to come back to the States as I missed them last go round. This is my first review of the year and a great way to start 2025.

Tracklist:

1. So Close
2. Can’t Put Out the Fire
3. Speaking of the Devil
4. Feeling Alright
5. Take the Power
6. I Left My License in the Future
7. Dead or Alive
8. Can You Feel It
9. Bright Eyes
10. American Adrenaline

Line-up:
Linnea Vikström Egg (vocals)
Filippa Nässil (guitar)
Majsan Lindberg (bass)
Joan Massing (drums)

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