Buckcherry Roar Like Thunder CD Review
My boyz, Buckcherry, are back at it again, slamming down another long-player that’s practically begging to have a few lines chopped up and snorted off its cover. Their latest release, “Roar Like Thunder”, drops June 13th - just in time to be a soundtrack for your summer benders, backyard barbecues, and, most importantly for me, some high-octane cruising. Buckcherry was meant to be blasted at unsafe volumes from the blown-out speakers of a hot rod doing 90 on the open road!
This marks album number eleven for the band, and by now, Buckcherry have carved out a spot in the same pantheon as AC/DC and Motörhead. At this point, you know what you’re getting: swaggering, sleazy, high-voltage rock ‘n’ roll with zero apologies. Call it formulaic if you want, but when the formula works this damned well, why mess with it? Sure, I still hold a soft spot for the debut - it had me hoping Sleaze Rock was making a comeback, but even if that scene never rose from the grave, Buckcherry’s been out here waving the flag high and proud. I’ve been here for every step of the ride.
If there’s been one bump in the road, it’s the loss of guitarist Keith Nelson. He was essential to the band’s Stones-y swagger, and his absence is felt to me. The band kept rolling though, but that flavor - dirty, bluesy, riff-driven voodoo – isn’t quite the same. That said, Josh Todd and the boys kept the fire burning and carried on like the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifers that we knew they were.
“Roar Like Thunder” picks up right where “Vol. 10” left off. It’s no-frills, pedal-down, whiskey-drenched Rock ‘n’ Roll served neat. No chaser, no filler - just ten tracks of pure, greasy thunder with enough attitude to peel the paint off your neighbor’s Prius. One noticeable shift? There’s no ballad this time - no mid-album slow-dance for the radio crowd. This record barrels forward with the sneering, stumbling grace of the New York Dolls in a bar fight. I’ve always gotten a heavy Dolls vibe from Buckcherry, and this album keeps that spirit alive. The riffs snarl, the lyrics swagger, and everything hits you in that beautifully dangerous sweet spot, the place where you know you’re about to make bad decisions but you’re grinning the whole way down.
Joshua Todd and his merry band of rock 'n' roll miscreants are still riding a heater, and if this album is any sign, they’re not cooling off anytime soon. From the moment the title track kicks in, you know you’re in for a wild ride. It scratches every itch - Sleaze, speed, stomp, and shout. And by the time “Let It Burn” closes the set, you’re grinning like a mule with a mouthful of briars. That track might just be my favorite - it feels like a mission statement: “driving down the freeway, a wrecking ball is coming to your town.” Hell, yeah it is.
Get ready to crank it, cruise it, and tie one on – “Roar Like Thunder” is the soundtrack for the summer of 2025. Buckcherry is back and as badass as ever.
Standouts: “Roar Like Thunder,” “Talking About Sex,” “Blackout,” “Let It Burn”.