THE BEAST

Photos by Dante Torrieri

On January 11th, Philly's psychedelic space hippy enclave, Thunderbird Divine, officially released its debut album, Magnasonic, with Salt of the Earth Records. Home to many releases from bands such as Earthride, When the Deadbolt Breaks and Atala, SOTE is especially enthusiastic about 'Magnasonic'.

"Everything about this album is beautiful, focused and original," says Scott Harrington, president of Salt of the Earth Records. "From the instrumentation, songwriting, performances and recordings to the sacred geometry in the art direction, everything about Magnasonic speaks to the depth and talent of Thunderbird Divine. This will set the bar for bands to come."

This debut album is a 30-plus-minute exploration of riffs and psychedelia, featuring custom art design by the band's bassist, Adam Scott. "The inspiration for Magnasonic's artwork stems from classic optical and psychedelic line art," Scott explains. "It then evolved to the stargate space exploration of graphic symbolism, which we feel reflects the music's loud vibrance."

Order 'Magnasonic' on CD or Digital format:

Salt Of The Earth Records - https://saltoftheearthrecords.com/product/295609
Bandcamp - https://thunderbirddivine.bandcamp.com/

Upcoming Live Dates:

Feb. 02 - Nyack, NY - Groundhog Day Of Doom Fest 2
Mar. 20 - New York, NY - ODE TO DOOM (w/ Geezer, The Ancient Stone, TBA)
May 3-5 - Jewett City, CT - New England Stoner & Doom Fest 2

Magnasonic - Track List:

1. Qualified
2. 'Til Shiloh*
3. Bummer Bridge
4. The Devil's Hatband**

*features additional vocals by Kermit Lyman III of Sheena and Thee Nosebleeds
**features additional vocals by Andy Martin of Clamfight

Produced by the band and recorded with both Ted Richardson at TedAudio in Philadelphia and Charles Newman (who also mixed the album) at Cottage Sounds Unlimited in Brooklyn, 'Magnasonic' shows the quartet is not willing to be pigeonholed as a strictly stoner/doom rock band. Featuring Adam Scott on bass and guitars, Flynn Lawrence on guitars and additional instrumentation, Mike Stuart on drums and percussion and Erik Caplan on vocals, guitars, and various instruments,Thunderbird Divine went for an unexpectedly broad tonal variety with 'Magnasonic'.

"A first record is often considered a band's mission statement," Caplan says. "We feel a lot of bands' first releases set the tone for their careers as heavy, funky, trippy, fast or sludgey, and once they do that, any deviation from the initial sound can be perceived as false or a slacking in its rock responsibilities. We wanted come out of the gate with something diverse but representative. We wanted to leave ourselves with plenty of sonic options for the future."

Layered with unlikely elements like marxophone, electric sitar, piano and a variety of synths, Thunderbird Divine is unlikely to be stylistically shackled in upcoming releases.

"This album pulls out a lot of stops and frees us from genre limitations," says Stuart. "After this debut, our next record could be total Motorhead worship, and anyone who hears this one first should be able to hear how we got there. Not that we'll necessarily do that, but it's certainly an option."

What they're saying:

"...Magnasonic is a thrilling and brilliantly loud album that entertains from start to finish. This is a great album to open the new year of heavy music with." ~ Outlaws Of The Sun

"Thunderbird Divine is very different and I am all for different. They have the expected riffage and fuzz associated with the heavy stoner / doom / psych genre but go much deeper with talented craftsmanship and a raft of textures manifesting through each song." ~ Boston Rock Radio

"Magnasonic‘s tracks are treated to a depth of arrangement and a fluidity of rhythm that are entirely their own, and while there’s some root in the sludge that infused the sound of both Wizard Eye and Skeleton Hands, the prevailing vibe is more rock-based, languid and cosmic..." ~ The Obelisk

FIND MORE:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thunderbirddivine/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thunderbird_divine/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR8Nd9t0jf_8LfiWG7A7T8Q
Salt Of The Earth Records: www.saltoftheearthrecords.com/