Any hopes of Thundermother having a realistic chance of all-conquering glory may have gone up in smoke when founding member Filippa Nässil gave singer Guernica Mancini her marching orders, which was then swiftly followed by drummer Emlee Johnson and bassist Mona Lindgren handing in their notice. But having wielded the axe before, Nässil does not hang about when this type of scenario rears its head. So in the door comes Linnea Vikström Egg (vocals), Joan Massing (drums) and the return of bassist Majsan Lindberg to bang out album number six, Dirty & Divine.
Thundermother – Dirty & Divine (AFM Records)
Release Date: 7 February 2025
Words: Brian Boyle
Just like The Dead Daisies have proved on countless occasions, you can have a regular changing of the guard and still consistently produce the goods.
Thundermother – Dirty & Divine, raw energy, fierce vocals, and unstoppable rock anthems.
On Dirty & Divine, you only need one spin of opener So Close to put a sacking and resignations straight to the back of your mind. Thankfully, new vocalist Vikström Egg is a commanding replacement for Mancini. She devours the jovial Can’t Put Out The Fire and the rampant Speaking Of The Devil like she is marking her territory.
“Oh my god, the new girls bring everything,” Filippa Nässil said. “Linnea is someone I’ve always wanted to work with. I first asked her to join before I asked Guernica [Mancini, former TM singer] to join eight years ago. So, she has always been my first pick. I’m thrilled that she said yes this time.
“Then we searched Europe for a drummer, and we found her in France. Joan is a fucking beast on the drums. It just makes our music so much tighter and groovier. We were immediately better and more powerful live, so we decided to record this album live in the studio.”
This new look Thundermother has not meant the band have artistically veered off in a whole new direction. The decor has changed, but the foundations are still rock solid. The rampaging Ace Of Spades-ish Take The Power, and the cruising I Left My Licence In The Future are the kind of wrecking ball tunes that they still do better than most.
But Thundermother are not a one-trick pony. They can still draw breath and hit you with an infectious American rock moment in the vein of Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl on Feeling Alright.
With the majority of the album recorded in just four days, the live feel is unmistakable. The controlled mayhem on Can You Feel It and American Adrenaline put you right in a concert situation. In fact, it is like you have been handed a pair of virtual reality goggles, such is the authenticity of the takes.
As is the case on all Thundermother albums, leader of the pack, Filippa Nässil, leads the line heroically. Never a show-off, her riffs are simple but robust and give the likes of the rousing Bright Eyes the fuel to explode into life.
Nässil has chosen well with her new recruits, and time will tell whether this album will reap the rewards that it 100% deserves. Let’s hope this latest mark of Thundermother lasts the pace, so perhaps enjoy them while you can.
Thundermother – Dirty & Divine is released on 7 February 2025 via AFM Records and is available from here.
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Thundermother / Dirty & Divine Proves Line-Up Changes Can’t Dull Their Fire first appeared on
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