Review: We The Heathens – Approaching Thunder

“It’s time to break the silence, it’s time to get violent!”

It’s time to break the silence, it’s time to get violent: it’s not just a quote from one of the songs of the CD, but a good synthesis of the electric transformation of We The Heathens.

As announced in a previous article, “Approaching Thunder” presents a change in the band’s style, from their usual aggressive acoustic folk punk they move toward something more crust, saving some elements that characterize them (for instance the use of violin and cello).

Not all of the tracks in the album are new, most of them are old songs readapted with the new style: to publish again a known song could represent a risk, who knows and follows the group is used to a certain sound and atmosphere… well! Congrats We The Heathens, you did really a good job!

“Approaching Thunder” starts with an old classic, 33 Shots, immediately a new electric tension is in the air, a short and powerful intro and… let’s go!

A track after the other and we are led into this new musical experiment, the group doesn’t miss a hit: the old songs wear new clothes that fit perfectly, with a new strong impact but maintaining the personal signature of the band: powerful basis with a perfect match with the strings, the screams, the choirs and the melodic bridges.

The lyrics are very poetic and evocative, they are full of rage, introspective, a bit nihilistic: “So take me to my grave because there’s nothing for me to save” (in 33 Shots) or “Utopia is far but the truth is out of reach”(in Stutter) with some calls to action and revenge: “Take the knife out of your back, and slit the throat of crooked kings, their reign is going to end, someday they’ll fall like flies” (in Crooked Kings) or “Don’t stand still, tear the roots out from your feet and let the forest set you free Don’t stand still, we are all just bone and dust, wander on!” (in Fallohides). Moreover, some political references can be found here and there: “Parading every fascist ruse, lifeless they live in infamy, we all know the real enemy” (in Crooked Kings).

Personally, I’ve known We The Heathens for a long time and I like their works, I really appreciated this transformation, the atmosphere of the album is energetic, each track has its own feature, the opera isn’t repetitive at all.
The genre could seem weird maybe, but if you like it, or if this review leaves you with some curiosity, “Approaching Thunder” deserves to be heard more than once!

Album rating 8/10

Max