THUNDERMOTHER – Heatwave

As I don’t usually care for anything sounding like AC/DC since their excellent seminal "Razor’s Edge" album, I initially ignored this Swedish quartet’s 4th album, but, after giving it a "first track, middle track and the last track" brief listening session I changed my mind. Having now heard this album in entirety I conclude that it was a right decision even though my prejudice was somewhat justified. "Heatwave" is an enjoyable release but it lacks the characteristics of a truly outstanding album, mostly rooted in and kept afloat by the frontwomen’s Guernica Mancini volatile charisma and performance which the remaining Filippa Nässil (vocals, guitars), Majsan Lindberg (bass) and Emlee Johansson (drums) set out to match with mixed results.
 

To be sure, Thundemother’s 4th full length, after "Road Fever" (2015), "Rock’roll Disaster" (2015) and the eponymous (2018) (all on Despotz Records/Cargo), is a varied affair, from a hard rock and Arena Radio Oriented material (Loud And Alive, Dog From Hell, Back In ‘76) through heavy metal (Into The Mud, Driving In Style) and blues (Mexico) and a mandatory ballad (Sleep) but nothing really stands out much from the pack of these 13 tracks and Thundermother’s riff stylings seldom get away from those of Def Leppard or AC/DC, getting very close to a "tribute" for the latter case in the lackluster "Ghosts" which sounds very close to "Back In Black". If I had to pick a favorite it would have to be the closing "Bad Habits" with a memorable chorus (I’m in love with bad habits because they do me good) and a curious line "dinosaurs you can’t avoid will hit you hard like an asteroid" (old problems you vainly ignore will get ya in the end?)
 

Much like the sweater "Family Guy" Stewie Griffin got from his dog friend Brian – it’s not a horrible album but I just don’t see myself "wearing" it too often. Maybe you do?