Sergeant Thunderhoof – The Ghost of Badon Hill
Release Date: 15th November 2024
Label: Pale Wizard Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner, Doom, Heavy Rock.
FFO: Dopelord, Cathedral, ASG, Sleep.
Review By: Paul Cairney
Sometimes, it is merely the name of the band that gives me the inclination to review an album. Sergeant Thunderhoof is one of those band names. The Ghost of Badon Hill is the 5th album released by the Somerset rockers, and having had a quick delve into their back-catalogue, it also comes across as their most accomplished.
The gentle beginning of the opening track belies the fact that this is a riff-driven opus. In order to get the album released in the vinyl format, Sergeant Thunderhoof were more focussed in the song-writing, but crucially, they still allow the songs to develop.
Crucially, because this is a concept album set in the 4th Century AD, delving into Arthurian mysticism and local Somerset folklore. Concept albums can become overly ambitious and lose themselves. The Ghost of Badon Hill benefits from the driven nature of the band and doesn’t fall into a category of being self-absorbed.
It is the 2nd track where the band start to flex their muscles. ‘Blood Moon’ features a groove-laden riff and a superb, gritty vocal from Dan Flitcroft. The song feels expansive and yet it welcomes you in as its story unfolds, and it never feels it’s near 7 ½ minute length.
‘The Orb of Octavia’ has a more restrained approach, more retrospective. It is more progressive in its delivery, it demonstrates a different facet to the sound of the band, especially with Flitcroft’s plaintive vocals. Again, they are very impressive, and you sense that his vocal range and power may be the dominating fact across the 6 songs.
That should not make you think that the rest of the band do not pull their weight. The Ghost of Badon Hill is more than a sum of its parts. The riffs get the head nodding, and the bass and drums drive the tracks along with ease.
The more that you listen to The Ghost of Badon Hill, the more you are impressed. They may be approaching 10 years since their debut release, but Sergeant Thunderhoof are a band that continue to have an upward trajectory that shows little sign of abating.
(4 / 5)
