Every reviewer has their biases, and by now I hope you’ve recognized one of my mine is being a sucker for an interesting name. As such, you know why I gave Sergeant Thunderhoof‘s latest album, The Ghost of Badon Hill a go. It’s a really intriguing name in terms of wondering where it came from. Someone who brings My Little Pony figures to wargame nights? A police horse enthusiast? Wherever it came from, it’s not a surprise to learn that a band with this name play psychedelic stoner metal. Was there ever any doubt?
No. The real question here is whether these hooves fuckin’ thunder.
While Sergeant Thunderhoof can lay down heavy, head-twitching riffs with the best of them, The Ghost of Badon Hill‘s default mode is slow and contemplative. Sergeant Thunderhoof are paying tribute to the myth-soaked history of their native Somerset and aim for a certain mystical mood as a result. This is a shame as they’re hit and miss at this. The stripped back melodies of “Sentinel” build a somber mood, but the quiet parts of “Badon” were unremarkable. Where Sergeant Thunderhoof are consistently good is bringing the fuzzed-out groove, as with the start of “Blood Moon”, and “Salvation for the Soul”, with its cowbell laden intro and hooky chorus. Where the good Sergeant are at their best though is when they combine the parts to a formidable whole, building and building their songs until they hit a rumbling peak, as with standout “The Orb of Octavia”, and the epic outro of “Beyond The Hill”. When Sergeant Thunderhoof nail that, they’re hitting those big emotional climaxes that move body and soul together.
Sergeant Thunderhoof don’t break out that formula often enough to truly wow me. I wonder where they’ll go from here, as it’s just as easy to imagine their next effort going full prog as it is to imagine it going all big riff all the time. That’s not a question for today though. Today, we have The Ghost of Badon Hill in front of us. While I wish it was more thunderous, it does more than enough to succeed on its terms. Listen, and for a moment the ghosts of heroes ride once more, to the sound of big riffs.
