Thomsen-Unbroken

Artist Station- eOne
2014

 
Thomsen is a German heavy/power metal band that is named after guitarist, composer and bandleader René Thomsen. Formed in 2006, with the band's debut album, "Let´s Get Ruthless", appearing in 2009, Thomsen is essentially René Thomsen and an assembled cast of heavy metal veterans. That's how it was with "Let's Get Ruthless" and that's how it is here on "Unbroken". This time around guests include the likes of Udo Dirkschneider, Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell), Bobby Jarzombek (Halford, Fates Warning, Sebastian Bach, Riot), David Vincent (Morbid Angel), Mathias Don Dieth (U.D.O.), Andre Hilgers (Rage, Sinner) and Helge Engelke (Fair Warning, Dreamtide). On top of all that heavy metal goodness guitarist René Thomsen has enlisted a studio band featuring Iron Fate's Denis "Iron Ivan" Brosowski and Robert Soeterboek (Van EE, Wicked Sensation, ex-Erik Norlander, ex-Highway Chile, ex-Star One (live), ex-Tempter, ex-Vulture) on vocals, guitarist Michael Pesin (Magistarium), bassist Ingo Lühring and drummer Max Dietzmann. That is a lot of star power/potential egos gathered together in one place and to René Thomsen credit he is able to get everyone of the same page when it comes to the overall feel of "Unbroken". And "Unbroken" feels like a solid heavy power metal album with some of the band's past N.W.O.B.H.M. influences (Saxon, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden just to name a few) still present and accounted for, but less apparent than they were on "Let´s Get Ruthless". While the Udo Dirkschneider number "We Made It" unsurprisingly sounds like U.D.O and later day Accept the rest of  "Unbroken" is fairly consistent with René Thomsen's vision of creating flawless power metal closer than ever before! Thomsen's latest album is just like the title suggests-unbroken. It's competitive power metal for a scene which has quite obviously exploded in the past 20 or so years. "Unbroken" is René Thomsen and guests offering their answer to the question of whether or not power metal as a whole can still offer something moving and worthwhile. If you're a fan of  the U.S. power metal scene with it's meatier riffs and more straight-forward/guitar-friendly approach to creating moody metal (ie: killing it without the use of keyboards!) then  this one is definitely going to be a keeper!

 
www.thomsen-unbroken.de