Thunderstone was formed in early 2000 by guitarist Nino Laurenne who previously played with the Thrash Metal band Antidote. He finally grouped a solid lineup for his new project when Pasi Rantanen (vocals), Titus Hjelm (bass & backing vocals) and Mirka Rantanen (drums) joined in. Together they recorded a first demo, which caught interest within the Scandinavian press. Shortly after, keyboardist Kari Tornack joined the band and completed the lineup of Thunderstone.
I have to admit that the way these guys work is really worth mentioning. Just about a year after their second album, The Burning (2004), Finnish Thunderstone strike back with their third full-length album, Tools Of Destruction, due for release on April 18th, 2005 by Nuclear Blast Records. If you are familiar with their sound, you will probably agree with me on saying this album follows the path marked by their previous releases.
Tools Of Destruction offers the listener ten dynamic, Melodic Power Metal tracks which will certainly please their fans and probably gain some more. Hearing the opener Tool Of The Devil you can clearly hear the band's decisive improvement and you hunger for more. These five musicians have developed their style and looks like they challenge themselves in order to produce strong and stunning new material, which they actually do and you can understand this just after hearing the fourth track I Will Come Again (Iiiiii will come agaaaaaain) lead you up to what's coming next.
The production is very good although I would like to hear the keyboards just a bit more in the front on some specific parts, however this does not mean I am not satisfied... on the contrary, I really am. Talking about the songs, well as I said... Melodic Power Metal,  well played and formed, with fast breaks and mid-tempo tunes depending on the composition. The guitar and the keyboards sound really tight, together with the bass guitar and drums. Pasi's voice is excellent and in top form. Seems like the European tour these guys went on (supporting Stratovarious) really helped them and for that Tools Of Destruction is a very pleasant and interesting album to hear.
Speaking of highlights, in my opinion the tracks that stand out are the superb I Will Come Again, Tool Of The Devil, the ballad Another Time, Feed The Fire and Land Of The Innocence - the biggest track in duration (8:08 minutes) with many tempo rotations. I am really satisfied with this release; it's fresh, powerful, and emotional and contains NO leftovers to fill out the album, just 10 songs to enjoy listening to.
Overall, I am glad this release fell into my hands (and ears to be precise). Thunderstone have developed their own sound and for sure raise themselves above the typical new Power Metal bands' pit, who just repeat and repeat themselves without having nothing new to offer. Invest and you won't be disappointed. I just hope they keep releasing albums with the same appetite and not fall into the pit I mentioned. I also have to mention that the digipack version of Tools Of Destruction will include two bonus tracks. The Japanese edition also features a cover version of the DIO classic Rainbow In The Dark which I definitely have to hear. No need to say Tools Of Destruction is Thunderstone's best album to date.