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Thunder Rising / Time travel and the re-discovery of sounds from the past

Thunder Rising, featuring guitarist Frank Caruso, will release Back To The Time Of Rock through Music For The Masses on 4 March 2022. Back To The Time Of Rock is a real time travel towards the re-discovery of sounds from the past.

Guitarist Frank Caruso told MetalTalk about his search for the vintage sounds and how the full album launch took shape from two Covid-19 era EPs.

The album is “an album born during full pandemic and in a difficult moment,” Caruso, whose other projects include Firehouse, Arachnes and Vivaldi Metal Project, told MetalTalk.

“We were working on a tv production to make part of its soundtrack,” Caruso says, “and the storyboard implemented some ’70s, almost ’60s, style tracks. That’s when I dusted off some old Hammond voices and guitar sounds typical ol’ Fenders.

“And here’s the idea, going back, as a sign of tribute, over all that repertoire that made not just the history of rock music but, and above all, it is an integral part of our musical training.

“No sooner said than done, I started a reflection with my bandmates and, if the first albums represented a journey on more American-style songwriting, this time we decided to sail new seas. By mutual agreement with my fellas, we started writing and working hard.”

Hella Rock Festival

The arrival of the pandemic killed the original plans, but with half of the tracks completed, this part was released as Thunder Rising III in March 2021. “We couldn’t stand the waiting,” Caruso says.

With a very positive response to the release, the band regrouped to record the second part, released as The Time Machine EP, in October 2021.

“The two EPs represent two different musical ages,” Caruso says. “The first turned toward the ’80s and ’90s while The Time Machine is a real going back in time to the glorious ’70s and to the primal rock roots with explicit historic-riff mentions.”

Thunder Rising worked to recreate the primal rock root feel on the EP’s in tireless detail. “It is crucial to know,” Caruso says, “that the recreation of the sounds has been possible by using real vintage instruments, guitars, as well as amps, and even the digital parts have been re-elaborated, keeping in mind what were the iconic equipment and tools of the past.

“A great deal of work has been done in researching and emulating the old sounds like Tape-Echo and Analog Mixing Consoles.”

Thunder Rising III and The Time Machine were only released digitally, but by working with Music For The Masses, the idea to complete the project as a single piece of work has been realised.

“We wanted the new full-length to include some extras,” Caruso says. “For this reason, some tracks appear in different versions, extended. But, more importantly, the physical copy includes an exclusive new track not present on the digital one called Stairs To The Top.”

Thunder Rising are currently filming the video for the first single, Fate Train.

Thunder Rising

Alessio Spini – Vocals
Frank Caruso – Guitars
Enzo Caruso – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Gabriele Baroni – Bass
Corrado Ciceri – Drums

Cover of Back to the Time of Rock from Thunder Rising
Thunder Rising. Back to the Time of Rock

Back To The Time Of Rock

01 Fate Train
02 Black Tiger
03 Scratches On The Hood
04 I’m Still Alive
05 Timeless Blues
06 Rock From The Sky
07 Don’t Be Shy
08 Nameless
09 Escape From You (Extended Version)
10 Labyrinth Of Spectres
11 Nameless (Second Movement)
12 Stairs To The Top (CD Bonus Track)

Sleeve Notes

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