Release Date: November 15th 2024. Record Label: Pale Wizard Records. Format: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl
The Ghost of Badon Hill - Track Listing:
1.Badon
2.Blood Moon
3.The Orb of Octavia
4.Salvation for the Soul
5.Sentinel
6.Beyond the Hill
Members
Mark Sayer – Guitars
Josh Gallop – Guitars and Backing Vocals
Darren Ashman – Drums
Dan Flitcroft – Vocals
Jim Camp – Bass
Review
Stoner Rock visionaries Sergeant Thunderhoof return with their new album The Ghost Of Badon Hill which arrives two years after their critically acclaimed masterpiece This Sceptred Veil. This was always going to be a tough job topping that incredible release and I still believe it’s their best album to date. However, The Ghost Of Badon Hill is another stirring and emotionally charged classic album from the guys. This time round THE HOOF are diving deep into the local history, mythology and folklore surrounding their hometown in Somerset, exploring the famous Battle of Badon.
The record continues the beautiful and complex melodies of their previous album but give it a more FOLK and HISTORICAL inspired spin which doesn’t can be quite hard hitting and realistic with the lyrics the band have written for this album.
The opening tracks of Badon and Blood Moon allows Sergeant Thunderhoof to set up the scene with blistering grooves and aggressive Psychedelic sounds with lead vocalist Dan Flitcroft proving why he’s one of the best vocalists and lead frontmen within the UK Stoner Rock/Metal scene right now. His performance is quite emotional and deeply intense when he sings those epic HIGH notes especially on Blood Moon. You can tell the lyrics resonate quite deeply and personally for Dan and even made myself quite emotional at times.
The music is some of the heaviest that Sergeant Thunderhoof have written to date and explores areas of music they haven’t played before.
The Ghost Of Badon Hill is quite a forward thinking and deeply progressive record which explores the human sacrifices made with neverending wars and even with this record being influenced by historical events, this record perfectly resonates with all the horrible battles currently going on in the world. However, as the record continues, Sergeant Thunderhoof brings moments of uplifting positivity in the most unexpected of places throughout the album.
This is Sergeant Thunderhoof at their most cinematic best and once again proves why they’re the most naturally gifted and highly original storytellers of the whole Stoner Rock/Metal scene which is proven on tracks such as The Orb Of Octavia, Salvation For The Soul and Beyond The Hill.
With a burgeoning Sludge Rock/Metal vibe starting to form on the later stages of the album, Sergeant Thunderhoof always continues to develop and transform their music into something completely different that has come before it. This allows each of the individual tracks to have their own distinctive sound and identity to each other with epic moments of Post Rock, Ambient and Doom Metal being used to great effect.
The Ghost Of Badon Hill is dedicated to the memory of Roger Densham who sadly passed away recently. Roger was from the same home town (Bath, UK) as Sergeant Thunderhoof and was part of the excellent Psych Doom Rock band DOOMICIDAL. I interviewed Roger way back in April 2019 and he was a lovely person to interview.
Sergeant Thunderhoof never ceases to amaze me by releasing one brilliant album after another and that winning streak continues with The Ghost Of Badon Hill which is going to be considered one of the landmark albums to own this year. These guys are on the verge of true greatness and this maybe the album solidifies that reputation once and for all.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Memphia Music PR & Management for the promo
The Ghost Of Badon Hill is available to buy now on CD/Cassette/DD/Vinyl via Pale Wizard Records.
Links
Website: https://sergeantthunderhoof.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sergeantthunderhoof
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sergeantthunderhoof/
