Album Reviews

Just when us earthlings were led to believe that women are from Venus and men are from Mars, the guys that make up Valient Thorr showed up from Venus and let me tell you, they are all male. Just check out their beards. Or have a close look at Valient Himself’s incredibly tight jeans if you’re so inclined.

Anyway, they have come to our planet to point out how we’re fucking up things up here and they do this with the help of powerful riffage. On “Stranger” they rock hard and I was told that producer Jack Endino was only just able to capture this boundless display of energy on tape with his earthly equipment. Because let’s face it, Valient Thorr is first and foremost a live band. A band for whom it was not unusual to play 300 shows a year. 300!

The songs on “Stranger” do rock however and tracks like “Sleeper Awakes” or “Night Terrors” can even be called memorable. Overall though this is nothing you haven’t heard before. Or at least not something your dad hasn’t heard before. Because this is what they used to call hardrock and heavy metal in the 70s and it comes complete with sleeveless denim vests. Use the album to get amped up, then go see them live and witness one of the most exciting shows you’ll see all year.