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DISTANT THUNDER BAND PAGE
 DISTANT THUNDER
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CURRENT NAME
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Distant Thunder | |
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FORMER NAMES
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- | |
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ORIGIN
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Houston, Texas, USA | |
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STATUS
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Active | |
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FORMED IN
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2003 | |
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LABEL
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Massacre Records | |
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GENRE
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Power metal | |
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STYLE
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LYRICAL THEME
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| BAND ADDED | 2004-08-11, 00:00 | |
| LAST UPDATE | 2009-01-23, 12:36 | |
Biography | Band members | Discography | Shows | Forum
| Band biography |
His two previous outfits are never far off, helping create not only the impetus for Distant Thunder, but the line-up and songs for their debut, WELCOME THE END. "This idea had been around for two years, since the demise of Destiny's End," claims the dynamic singer. "Actually, many of these songs were destined for a third Destiny's End record. It's what Eric Halpern was delivering, musically, at the time. He joined Destiny's End, after Transition, for live shows. He also has his band Z-Lot-Z. That's where we also got Gregg Gill, who brought his musical talents to the writing table, on this record. Those two were already used to working together, as a guitar team. Mike Lepond, from Symphony X, what more do I need to say?" The line-up is rounded out by Rick Ward, a longtime veteran of the Houston scene, most notably as part of Midnight Circus.
Like the classic Helstar (and to a lesser extent, the two Destiny's End records), the lyrics to WELCOME THE END are wrapped in a science fiction shell, but upon closer examination, reveal a cautionary tale for today. "Tracks one through seven are a concept, continuing the ideas I put forth on the first Helstar records. How I was raised, and what I was taught, there's some sort of superior being. Whether he's a guy with a beard and white robe, or some alien, I don't know, but there's definitely something out there. In Destiny's End, I only managed to sneak one of those in, "The Watcher." Five of the titles on this new record are taken from the lyrics of that song! So this record sort of ties together everything I've done in the past." He continues, "This superior being (God, if you like), has sent someone to report back, on the status of his creation. This watcher complains how messed up the Earth is and finally, the superior entity agrees, deciding to destroy it. 'Soulless Inventions' is about computers, which man has made in his image, with skin, and they run amok. It relates how the story began."
WELCOME THE END was produced by Jack Frost (Seven Witches' guitarist/mastermind). Rivera explains the choice. "One, it's like family, but more importantly, on the last Witches record, Jack was able to get voices out of me that I didn't know I possessed. For years now, people know what my voice sounds like, but he got something different. This record allows me to go a little blacker. I've always been a fan of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, Jack let me get a little (Dani) Filthy, just in the background, and for accents. Jack calls me his wind-up toy. He says, "I just wind him up and tell him to sing Dio, a little Halford, Dickinson, Geoff (Tate), and now, Dani. Those type of vocals aren't really Jack's cup of tea, so initially, he was of against it, but once he heard them, he enjoyed it and I think he might even let me use (style) on the next Witches record, just a little."
Amongst the songs on WELCOME THE END is a pummeling rework of 'Run With The Pack,' probably the definitive Helstar track. "I really can't listen to those old albums," admits the singer. "I usually put them on for 10 or 20 seconds, just to remember, then I think, 'This (sound) sucks!' The production was so thin. Since Distant Thunder is the new Helstar, I want to improve the sound of those old songs. As long as this goes, I'll continue to re-record one old song on each album. Did you hear the new version? I knew Jack would get the guitar sound I wanted. He went out, got new amps for these guys. It sounds amazing!"
The sound of Distant Thunder usually precedes a raging storm. In the case of this metal band, the forecast is 100% guaranteed. Hear the thunder!
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7.5 / 10 Read our review here | ||
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