heavy metalthor
18:27 Friday, 22 March 2024
Thor's new studio album, Ride Of The Iron Horse, is available now. Check out a video for the song, "Shields Up", below:
This year marks a historic milestone for the prodigious purveyor of punishing power metal, an incredible five decades since embarking on a solo music career that took him from the competitive bodybuilding tournaments of his youth to leading the charge of metal gods in the ‘80s and keeping the holy metal flame lit through the 21st century.
Fortuitously, some of the tracks on Ride Of The Iron Horse have their origin in the halcyon days of the ‘80s. “Flight Of The Striker,” for instance, was originally written and demoed in 1987, just a couple of years after Thor’s mammoth 1985 album Only The Strong. The song is suffused with classic ‘80s metal energy and imagery and includes performances by two members of the classic Thor line-up - guitarist Steve Price and drummer Mike Favata, along with bassist Mike Kischnick. “Flight Of The Striker” only serves to highlight just how far Thor has come as both an artist and metal music pioneer.
Ride Of The Iron Horse is available on both CD and vinyl. In a nod to the vibrant visuals that have always accompanied Thor's music, the album features original art design by internationally renowned comic book artist Timo Wuerz. With his dynamic illustrations, Wuerz captures the essence of Thor's larger-than-life persona, bringing a visual dimension to the sonic onslaught.
Buy the CD/vinyl here; order/save the digital here.
Tracklisting:
"Ride Of The Iron Horse"
"Lightning Rod" feat. KHEMI$T
"5-0 Let's Go"
"Peace By Piece"
"Unlock The Power"
"No Time For Games"
"Bring It On"
"Flight Of The Striker" (Unreleased 1987)
"Had It Been Another Day" (Unreleased 1986)
"Watch Your Back" (Unreleased 2002)
"Hit And Run" (1979 Demo)
"100%" (1979 Demo)
"Shields Up"
Bonus tracks:
"Thunder On The Mountain" (Unreleased 1979)
"To The Extreme" (Unreleased 1999)
"Flight Of The Striker" lyric video:
"Ride Of The Iron Horse" lyric video:
