SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF ~ THIS SCEPTRED VEIL ....... review

Bath, UK's Sergeant Thunderhoof have always been so much more than just another of those riff fixated stoner bands, this became obvious with the release of the bands first album "Zigurat", a stunning debut that showcased a band who had all the riffs you could possibly ask for but also knew how to pen those riffs into well crafted song structures that had defined beginnings, middles and ends. The Hoof, as they are affectionately known, followed up their debut with the aptly named "Ride of the Hoof" an album that saw them not only widening their audience at home but also internationally, it was however with the release of the bands third album "Terra Solus" in 2018 that things really started to gel for the band with even the mainstream rock press turning their attention in their direction, Classic Rock magazine giving the album an 8/10 rating and calling it "Barely tamed, extremely hallucinogenic and beautifully overloaded all round ". The band originally intended to follow up "Terra Solus" with a 2020 release but a worldwide pandemic put paid to those plans and a drastic rethink had to be undertaken, something which vocalist Dan Flitcroft has described as somewhat of a blessing in disguise as it enabled the band the time and space to write songs that were of a much more reflective and personal nature and a better representation of where the bands were currently at musically. Those songs have now been released under the banner/title of "This Sceptred Veil" (Pale Wizard Records) and we at Desert Psychlist think its the bands best and most ambitious album to date.

There is a much more progressive rock element to the grooves Sergeant Thunderhoof present for our listening pleasure on "This Sceptred Veil" than on the bands previous outings and that progressive element is somewhat reflected in the albums artwork, Sara-Jane Swettenham's painting of twisted vines rooted to a clump of earth suspended on a plain green background is somewhat reminiscent of the work Roger Dean used to grace the albums of prog giants YES back in the 70's, whether this is intentional or not Desert Psychlist does not know but it does seem a little more than coincidental. Do not however fear that what you are about to hear are complex keyboard heavy odes to Siberian Khatru's  dwelling in Topographical Oceans.as The Hoof's take on prog is a lot more subtle and is never too far away from a heavy killer fuzzed out guitar refrain. "This Sceptred Veil" does have one thing in common with 70's prog though and that something is a concept with each of the albums nine songs being inspired by the folklore. myths and legends surrounding the bands West Country home turf. 

"You've Stolen The Words" kicks things off in heavy style with guitarist Mark Sayer and bassist Jim Camp combining on an old school flavoured stoner riff driven by some solid tight drumming from Darren Ashman over which Dan Flitcroft delivers a pitch perfect clean vocal edged with unexpected moments of harshness. "Devil's Daughter" follows, its galloping gait, routinely interspersed with Thin Lizzy-like  ascending/descending guitar motifs, is pure ear candy for those out there who like their rock delivered strident and riff heavy. You might be wondering at this point when those prog-rock elements, spoke of earlier, will make an appearance and The Hoof answer that question with "Absolute Blue" a smoky mix of crunching chord progressions and prog flavoured guitar textures around which Flitcroft delivers a clean pristine vocal that tells a balanced tale of remembrance and regret. "Foreigner", "Woman Call", "King Beyond The Gate" and "Show Don't Tell" all follow much the same pattern with each boasting a hard rock/stoner core but with the band surrounding that core with elements of heavy psych, post rock, classic rock and prog so as to add colour and texture and vary each songs dynamic. The album finishes with  "Avon & Avalon Pt.1" and "Avon & Avalon Pt.2" which is essentially one epic song split into two movements inspired by the bands West Country home and the Arthurian and Celtic myths that have shaped its history and culture. Both parts lean towards the prog/psych end of the rock spectrum but both also possess just the merest hint of doom-ic darkness in their makeup, it is these hints of darkness that adds to each song/parts atmospherics and emotional gravitas and take both songs/parts to an all other level of listening enjoyment.

Sergeant Thunderhoof are probably never going fly to gigs in their own charted plane or live in huge mansions decorated in questionable taste, those days are long gone, these days bands have to subsidise their rock'n'roll lifestyles by having proper jobs which makes it even more astonishing that despite having to take kids to school, worrying about paying bills and generally trying to survive from day to day a band like The Hoof are still able to make albums as powerful, majestic and essential as "This Sceptred Veil"

Check it out .... 

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