Royal Thunder - Rebuilding The Mountain (LP) - Gold Vinyl

Royal Thunder’s return in June 2023 felt less like a reunion and more like a reckoning. Rebuilding The Mountain arrived on Spinefarm after a six year gap, and you can hear every scar and stitch in it. The Atlanta trio sound hungry again. Mlny Parsonz sings like she’s pulling truth out by hand, her bass lines thick and human, while Josh Weaver’s guitars grind and glow around her. Original drummer Evan Diprima is back too, which matters. His swing and muscle were always part of the band’s pulse, and here he locks the songs into a heartbeat that feels lived in rather than manufactured.

Royal Thunder aren’t easily boxed in. They came up in heavy circles, sure, but their best work was always more about feel than genre. Rebuilding The Mountain leans into that. The riffs simmer rather than blare, then surge when the room needs it. Parsonz’s voice carries a touch of soul and dust, closer to a late-night blues bar than a metal pit, and the band gives her space to roam. When the choruses crest, she doesn’t just belt, she inhabits. It’s the kind of singing that makes you sit up on the tram because suddenly you’ve got goosebumps and no idea why.

There’s a narrative arc running through these songs that lands even if you don’t know the backstory. You hear renewal and consequence, the sound of friends who have been through it deciding to keep going. The title isn’t coy. These tracks take their time without drifting, like the band is rebuilding its house brick by brick, checking each one for cracks before it goes in. The guitars feel rough-hewn in the best way, with edges left on, and the rhythm section gives everything a steady, human push. You can tell they’re playing to serve the song rather than flex.

Singles like The Knife and Fade show the range. The Knife moves on a dark current, heavy but not blunted, with Parsonz riding the groove rather than shouting over it. Fade brings a slow burn that pays off big when the band widens the frame. Neither track relies on flash. The hooks come from tone and phrasing and that instinctive sense of when to hold back. It’s the kind of songwriting that rewards repeat spins and a decent volume knob.

Production-wise, Rebuilding The Mountain keeps the instruments breathing. Nothing feels brickwalled or squashed. The drums sit warm in the middle, cymbals washing without hiss, bass thick and present, guitars layered but not crowded. The mix gives Parsonz’s voice room to crack and heal in real time. There are little choices that stick with you, like a guitar echo left to hang in space or a vocal harmony that only shows up once. Those touches make the record feel crafted rather than fussed over.

If you’ve followed Royal Thunder since CVI and Crooked Doors, this one feels like the logical, grown version of what they’ve always aimed for. Less stomp, more soul. If you’re new to them, start here and work back. You’ll hear the through-line, but Rebuilding The Mountain has the clarity of a band that knows what it wants to say. It’s not a comeback for headlines. It’s a recommitment to the chemistry that made them special in the first place.

On vinyl, the album really breathes. The low end rolls without getting muddy and those guitar textures bloom in the room. If you’re crate digging, keep an eye out for Rebuilding The Mountain vinyl, and while you’re at it, Royal Thunder vinyl from earlier eras pairs nicely for a long afternoon listen. Local shoppers will likely spot it at a good Melbourne record store, but it’s easy enough to buy Royal Thunder records online if you’re out of town. Collectors who like a cohesive shelf will appreciate how well Royal Thunder albums on vinyl sit together, both sonically and visually. And for anyone hunting through vinyl records Australia wide, this one earns its place.

What lingers after the needle lifts is the sense of a band taking stock and choosing substance. No empty bluster, no polish for polish’s sake. Just three players who trust the song and each other. That’s rarer than it should be, and it’s why this album sticks.