From Sweden comes Thalamus, another solid band on the Transubstans Records label who venture into 70's hard rock styles for all the retro lovers out there. On their second release Subterfuge, Thalamus add a healthy dose of Hammond organ to their hard rock mix, so the instant reminders of classic Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and Bloodrock come to mind. The band doesn't forget about the heavy riffing though, which you can hear plainly on the Black Sabbath/Atomic Rooster inspired "When Goblins Cheer", a real doomy track featuring equally heavy guitar riffs & Hammond organ. "Blind" could have easily been a leftover from Rainbow's Long Live Rock 'n' Roll album, while "Still Dancing On My Grave" mixes Black Sabbath stomp, the boogie groove of Uriah Heep, and Whitesnake swagger. Fans of Machine Head and In Rock era Deep Purple will freak when they hear the blistering guitar/Hammond dominated hard rock of "I Hope You Understand", a song that also has fantastic lead vocals, and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" wouldn't have sounded out of place on the more progressive Black Sabbath albums like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or Sabotage, though the vocals are definitely influenced by David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Ian Gillan, and Ronnie James Dio. Swirling Hammond and crunchy riffs drive the groove laden "Shot to Hell", and "She Sells Desolation" features some great Sabbath/Purple/Zeppelin inspired sounds. The CD closes with the tasty blues rocker "Through the Fields", which has some blistering Hammond passages and emotional lead guitar work.
Subterfuge is another very enjoyable release from the folks at Transubstans, and it's hard not to give this fun disc a very solid 4 stars. It might not be the most unique or original hard rock album you'll hear, but these guys really nail that classic sound. Look for this in North America in early January 2012.
Track Listing
01 Blues mary intro.
02 Bring down mary.
03 When goblins cheer.
04 Blind.
05 Still dancing on my grave.
06 I hope you understand
07 Here today gone tomorrow.
08 Shot to hell.
09 She sells desolation.
10 Love is shining on the dead man.
11 Through the fields.
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