
Walk of life.
-- Thorium --
12/01/2021
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | heavy metal |
■ | Power metal |
Album artists:
■ | David Marcelis | Vocals |
■ | Tom Tee | Guitars |
■ | Dario Frodo | Guitars |
■ | Kurk "Stripe" Lawless | Bass |
■ | Louis Van der Linden | Drums |
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
One of the
bands I was introduced to in 2018 and one which gave me the most fun to shred
through that year was the Belgian heavy metal act Thorium. Not only was their eponymous
debut album a true joy to review (read it here: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/reviews/89) but I also did a very fun
interview with guitarist and founding member Dario Frodo later that year as
well (read it here: http://www.belgianmetalshredder.be/interviews/108). And now the band kicks off the
new year with a great single for their upcoming second album. Let’s shred it
out!
[SHREDDING BASICS]
“Where Do
We Go” is the debut single from the second album from the Belgian heavy metal
band Thorium. This upcoming album will be called “Empires In The Sun” and is
scheduled for release March 5th via Dutch record label Freya
Records. The single has been sent to us by Dutch promoter (and our longtime
friends and collaborators), Hard Life Promotion.
The single
features many of the traits already featured in Thorium’s sound from the
beginning. Soaring guitar riffs and equally soaring vocals, high speed drum
beats, tight song structure and plenty of power guitar solos. One new thing I
did notice in this new single are the higher bass levels, which gives the song more
of an Iron Maiden vibe as well as some more prominent backing vocals,
especially during the chorus to make the song’s title “Where Do We Go,” feel even
a bit more grandiose.
Other than
that, there isn’t much left for me to further describe Thorium’s sound. If you
enjoy old-school heavy and power metal acts like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest,
Hammerfall, Blind Guardian and of course Ostrogoth (since several of Thorium’s
members used to play in Ostrogoth) than Thorium is certainly one excellent band
to check out. Not just this particular single, but the rest of their beautiful material
as well.

[SHREDDING VISION]
The whole
concept behind “Where Do We Go” is the path of life and the numerous choices we
all must make in various points in our individual lives. Of course, it isn’t
always certain which choice is best for ourselves until we’ve walked long
enough through the path we’ve chosen. The single’s music video features a
female protagonist who, as a young girl, finds a compass in a candle-lit cave
and then ventures into the wide outside world. As her journey progresses, she
encounters her path going 2 ways. After choosing a path, the girl returns, this
time as an adult woman and she finds a watch buried in the ground. Continuing
the path she followed as a child, she once again finds her path going 2 ways.
After choosing another path, time moves forward once more and the woman, now an
old lady, sits on a table and, looking at both the compass and the watch she
discovered earlier in her life, reminisces back at the choices she made in her
life.
The choices
the woman has made through her life and whether she’s satisfied with the
decisions she made are left ambiguous and that’s the exact message that “Where
Do We Go” wants to send. Choosing a path in life is hard, but the band believes
that no matter what path you chose, it will lead to at least some answers.
[SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
8 compasses
out of 10. After debuting with an excellent album in 2018, Thorium is ready to
unleash another awesome full-length at us. “Where Do We Go” shows us a highly
energetic band that’s a perfect addition to every old-school metalhead’s list. Enjoy
the single!