For many of us, the early days of the pandemic meant lost time and opportunities, but for Royal Thunder, that long, lonely period sparked a rebirth. Formed in 2004, the Atlanta band had made a name for themselves with a mix of heavy psych, bluesy hard rock, prog, and more—but they’d split up just before COVID gut-punched the States. In the months that followed, vocalist and bassist Mlny Parsonz and guitarist Josh Weaver reconnected with the band’s original drummer, Evan Diprima, and reconvened as a trio. “We decided to get the band back together and do things right,” Parsonz told me over email. “It was a huge void in our lives, and we really missed our family Royal Thunder and the outlet it provided all of us.” The process of rebuilding the band from the ground up helped inspire a wealth of new material, including the new single “The Knife,” their first release since the 2017 album Wick. The thundering rock banger draws on a 90s alt-rock sensibility, an influence the band credits to having come of age during the early part of that decade. (In the same email, Weaver recalled that hearing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for the first time as a 12-year-old skate punk inspired him to go home and pick up the guitar he’d received as a Christmas present years before.) Parsonz makes this compact three-and-a-half minute nugget feel vulnerable and personal with her powerhouse vocals, though its themes—confronting the ways we subconsciously sabotage ourselves, tapping into inner strength to fight for something better—are universally relatable. Though the band have been elusive about whether they’ll release a full album in the new year, they’ve dropped hints that they’ve got fun stuff in the works. So anyone who makes it out to this show at Cobra Lounge—part of a three-city jaunt—might just be treated to a preview of what Royal Thunder have in store for us as they rise from their own ashes.
Royal Thunder Sat1/7, 8 PM, Cobra Lounge, 235 N. Ashland, $17, 17+