THUNDEROR is a Canadian band formed 2020. These guys have been in a ton of bands, and it shows. "Fire It Up" is their debut album, released January 25th, 2022, via Boonsdale Records. Aiming a bit for the classic Heavy Metal crowd, they throw in a bit of keyboard to cross into the glam region. There are a lot of catchy hooks and big rhythms feeding the riff sand sometimes shredding guitar work. With nine songs clocking in at just under 40 minutes, this is a great disc for someone who has a longer commute.

The record opens with the title track, "Fire It Up." Lots of keys layered in under the rhythm give this a bit of a glam sound. The vocals spend most of their time flirting with a falsetto tone. The rhythm is pretty heavy and quite catchy. "How We Roll" is pretty similar. Both songs speak of hitting the streets and getting out on the open road, living the life of a free spirit.

"All Or Nothing" also mentions getting on the road, but here they are looking forward to getting to the destination in order to settle a score of some kind. The guitars are fast and the rhythm is a sprint through the opening of the song. Using a double bass drum and sticking just under the blast beat patterns, the drummer works this song like a racecar driver on a Grand Prix course, turning the corners at top speed and using the clutch to manage the tempo changes.

"Dangerous Times" is the breakup song. The opening piano sequence has a bit of BON JOVI to it, but heavier. The sound is very "modern 80s." I catch hints of New Wave in a few passages. "Thunderor" is the fight song. This is the chance to be the hero, the victor. The choices are to stand and fight or turn and run. Which will you choose? The hero always fights... and wins!

Another song about fighting against the mundane is "On the Run." The song could sound like being a fugitive, but there is a woman involved, so maybe it's just running away for love. "Into The Storm" is the instrumental on the record. This is heavier than most of the rest of the record. The guitars give this more of a shreddy vibe, going almost neo-classical at times. This is a killer track. The ambient keys give the song a bit of a darker tone and heavier vibe.

"We Can Make It" is that old school, epic tale song. More of a fantasy than anything else, this is a song that fits more lyrically into power metal, but the tone stays in the heavy metal realm. "Cold Tears" is the song about loss. It has the power ballad feel to it. The dark strings and piano in the intro give it a very dark feel. The vocals finally come down to the lower register and make a huge impact.

This record has a lot of different moments, and they don't always tie together well. Some of the songs have an almost punk tone, which does not always fit into the precision crafted songs this band is very capable of. There are flashes of New Wave and some Thrash Metal as well. The very Neo-Classical instrumental is almost in contrast with all of the other songs. I have a bit of an issue with the cohesion of the album as a whole. The songs are all pretty good, but they don't flow together to me.

THUNDEROR is obviously a talented group of musicians; however, it almost feels like they are trying too hard to cover too much ground. They showed the briefest flashes of some of their better skill sets and spent too much time on the areas that just did not catch me as much it could have. They have potential and I would like to hear a second record to see if they get more linear in their approach to songwriting.