Thunderbolt - Biography
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2000-
Biography
Norwegian heavy metal band Thunderbolt rose out of the ashes of dissolved hardcore legends Lash Out in 1998. Frank Johannessen and Vegard Waske had a dream of reviving some of the vaunted sounds of their youth, as there weren't too many Norwegian bands around doing straight up classic heavy metal with strong melodies and hard hitting riffs. Thunderbolt would go on to hold their own in this particular niche when they added the voice of Tony Johannessen to the line up in 2000.
Although many were disappointed in the fact that Tony did not join a more technically extreme band, (to this band's great amusement) everybody could agree that, with a frontman like Tony, the band would at least be entertaining to watch live. Morten Eriksen, a childhood friend of Tony and accomplished progrock guitarist, joined the band on bass and secured the bottom end with intricate playing that is both beautiful and brutal. Along with Frank and Andreas Tylden razor sharp guitarwrangling, the band now possessed the sound they had sought for? Luckily, the band also had some crackin' tunes up their sleeve, and the debut "Demons and Diamonds" was released to great critical acclaim from both domestic and international reviewers.
It even received a 5/6 score in the two major mainstream newspapers of Norway, a most rare feat for a band in this genre. The band followed up the success of their debut in 2006, when they released their sophomore effort "Love and Destruction" in 2006, with their new lead guitarist, Cato Syversrud in tow. The strain of constantly playing every weekend up and down Norway, and a desire to focus on harder music and studies, prompted Cato to amicably leave the band after the release of their sophomore album. Just prior to entering the studio, Morten and Tony called up old childhood companion and journeyman Marius Halleland. Accomplished in many styles, Marius took the challenge and joined in on recording the material for "Love and Destruction" alongside Cato and Frank.
Hailed as a masterpiece of "old school" metal, both in production and performance, the album showcased the band's effortless mastery of 80's "true" metal sandwiched between songs that explored the darker side of the band. Tours and shitloads of gigs followed, and the bands drummer Vegard threw in the towel due to his hectic work schedule in artist management. A new drummer, Ole Kristian, was brought in and yet more gigging followed. When the band decided to take a break during the late summer of 2007, Frank decided to move back home to Molde with his longtime girlfriend and quit music after more than 15 years of touring and playing. You could say the man had served rock'n'roll above and beyond the call of duty. This left Tony, Morten and Marius in a situation that could seem like a hostile takeover, but part of the deal when Frank left was that the band would go on and fulfil its duty as a world class deliverer of hard and heavy music. So when the autumn sat in that year, the three road hardened childhood friends decided to make a fresh start of it and got Stig Moe to join in on drums.
Finding the right drummer for this band could turn out to be a nightmare, as the boys were pretty clear on finding one with the right old school preferences to occupy the drum riser. Stig turned out to be the only hopeful showing up for audition with a single kickdrum, and his bellowing groove and good nature impressed the boys enough to offer him a permanent employment with the band. The current lineup is completed with the highly talented Per Erik Holt joining in on gigs to complete the bands lauded two guitar assault. A trusted friend of the band (he's played with Tony in a tribute band for years, and he played alongside Morten and Marius in Paul Di'anno's former Norwegian backing band?) one should not be surprised to see him graduate to full time member in the near future.
Thunderbolt are now recording bits and pieces of what is to become the third and last album in their debut trilogy, and as the songs evolved between "Demons and Diamonds" and "Love and Destruction", so has the new material undergone permutations. The band is not afraid of letting their individual tastes shine through and the result is a compelling stew of hard hitting music, all the while retaining their "old school" sheen. Marius has described it as "contemporary hard rock'n'roll with a heavy metal twist" and that's kind of the point; a lot of bands play metal, but not many play heavy metal quite like Thunderbolt can. The band has often, to their chagrin, mistakenly been put in the powermetal genre by the press and some fans. Make no mistake here, thunderbolt feels just about as powermetal as the pope would feel if you called him a Lutheran.
Thunderbolt is, and has always been, blue-collar heavy metal for the people. Their lyrics are about underdogs, malcontents and the trials of everyday life, loss of love and triumph over adversity. You'd have to look somewhere else if you'd want songs of fantasy, sword swinging and warmongering. These guys are more concerned with real life than bedtime fiction! There once was a cry for a metal revolution. We know now that the genre is most alive and well. Thousands upon thousands of hopeful bands litter the world trying to get their 15 minutes. There is an inflation going in skulls, studded nails, tribal tattoos, corpse paint and all the other accessories. Guitarists play so fast during a solo, that if you dotted down all the notes, the paper would reach around earth twice. Drummers have blasted past all known barriers of speed and brutality, and there isn't a frequency, low or high, that some warbler has not touched upon, either with bark or yelp.
(source: http://www.myspace.com/thunderbolt)
Although many were disappointed in the fact that Tony did not join a more technically extreme band, (to this band's great amusement) everybody could agree that, with a frontman like Tony, the band would at least be entertaining to watch live. Morten Eriksen, a childhood friend of Tony and accomplished progrock guitarist, joined the band on bass and secured the bottom end with intricate playing that is both beautiful and brutal. Along with Frank and Andreas Tylden razor sharp guitarwrangling, the band now possessed the sound they had sought for? Luckily, the band also had some crackin' tunes up their sleeve, and the debut "Demons and Diamonds" was released to great critical acclaim from both domestic and international reviewers.
It even received a 5/6 score in the two major mainstream newspapers of Norway, a most rare feat for a band in this genre. The band followed up the success of their debut in 2006, when they released their sophomore effort "Love and Destruction" in 2006, with their new lead guitarist, Cato Syversrud in tow. The strain of constantly playing every weekend up and down Norway, and a desire to focus on harder music and studies, prompted Cato to amicably leave the band after the release of their sophomore album. Just prior to entering the studio, Morten and Tony called up old childhood companion and journeyman Marius Halleland. Accomplished in many styles, Marius took the challenge and joined in on recording the material for "Love and Destruction" alongside Cato and Frank.
Hailed as a masterpiece of "old school" metal, both in production and performance, the album showcased the band's effortless mastery of 80's "true" metal sandwiched between songs that explored the darker side of the band. Tours and shitloads of gigs followed, and the bands drummer Vegard threw in the towel due to his hectic work schedule in artist management. A new drummer, Ole Kristian, was brought in and yet more gigging followed. When the band decided to take a break during the late summer of 2007, Frank decided to move back home to Molde with his longtime girlfriend and quit music after more than 15 years of touring and playing. You could say the man had served rock'n'roll above and beyond the call of duty. This left Tony, Morten and Marius in a situation that could seem like a hostile takeover, but part of the deal when Frank left was that the band would go on and fulfil its duty as a world class deliverer of hard and heavy music. So when the autumn sat in that year, the three road hardened childhood friends decided to make a fresh start of it and got Stig Moe to join in on drums.
Finding the right drummer for this band could turn out to be a nightmare, as the boys were pretty clear on finding one with the right old school preferences to occupy the drum riser. Stig turned out to be the only hopeful showing up for audition with a single kickdrum, and his bellowing groove and good nature impressed the boys enough to offer him a permanent employment with the band. The current lineup is completed with the highly talented Per Erik Holt joining in on gigs to complete the bands lauded two guitar assault. A trusted friend of the band (he's played with Tony in a tribute band for years, and he played alongside Morten and Marius in Paul Di'anno's former Norwegian backing band?) one should not be surprised to see him graduate to full time member in the near future.
Thunderbolt are now recording bits and pieces of what is to become the third and last album in their debut trilogy, and as the songs evolved between "Demons and Diamonds" and "Love and Destruction", so has the new material undergone permutations. The band is not afraid of letting their individual tastes shine through and the result is a compelling stew of hard hitting music, all the while retaining their "old school" sheen. Marius has described it as "contemporary hard rock'n'roll with a heavy metal twist" and that's kind of the point; a lot of bands play metal, but not many play heavy metal quite like Thunderbolt can. The band has often, to their chagrin, mistakenly been put in the powermetal genre by the press and some fans. Make no mistake here, thunderbolt feels just about as powermetal as the pope would feel if you called him a Lutheran.
Thunderbolt is, and has always been, blue-collar heavy metal for the people. Their lyrics are about underdogs, malcontents and the trials of everyday life, loss of love and triumph over adversity. You'd have to look somewhere else if you'd want songs of fantasy, sword swinging and warmongering. These guys are more concerned with real life than bedtime fiction! There once was a cry for a metal revolution. We know now that the genre is most alive and well. Thousands upon thousands of hopeful bands litter the world trying to get their 15 minutes. There is an inflation going in skulls, studded nails, tribal tattoos, corpse paint and all the other accessories. Guitarists play so fast during a solo, that if you dotted down all the notes, the paper would reach around earth twice. Drummers have blasted past all known barriers of speed and brutality, and there isn't a frequency, low or high, that some warbler has not touched upon, either with bark or yelp.
(source: http://www.myspace.com/thunderbolt)