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mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony Barry Graham Purkis, also known as Thunderstick, is a living legend. The man behind the mask. Drummer in a cage. His musical career dates back to the very early days of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, briefly manning the drum stool in an early incarnation of Iron Maiden before joining Samson for a few years, eventually leaving to form his own band Thunderstick, who recorded and toured for five years before folding in 1987. It's now 2018 and Thunderstick is back for good. With the help of Martin Shellard (guitars), Dave Kandy Kilford (guitars), Rex Thunderbolt (bass) and Lucie V (vocals) he has put together a new line-up. Although there has not been any Thunderstick solo material for some thirty years now, »Something Wicked This Way Comes« not only sounds very well-rounded but also pretty current. The ten tracks blend melodic metal with hard rock, adding just a slight touch of punk. So in this sense the “new” Thunderstick follows the same path as he did in the glory days of the 1980s. Thunderstick's biggest discovery is new young female vocalist Lucie V, who is very much keen on performing the material off »Something Wicked This Way Comes« live on stage. On tracks such as “Blackwing”, “Thunder Thunder” or "Lights (Take Me Away)" her powerful lungs are a joy to behold, Lucie does a fine job, belting out anthem after anthem. The vinyl edition of »Something Wicked This Way Comes« is strictly limited to 300 copies: 100 on black vinyl and 200 fittingly on transparent blood-red vinyl. Matthias Mader |