Thorndale Spiritual Chains Review
Netherlands-based Stoner/Doom newcomers Thorndale are dragging their second beast of a release, “Spiritual Chains”, out of the smoke-filled abyss this September. This one follows hot on the heels of their debut “Lightning Spawn”, which I regrettably haven’t wrapped my ears around yet, but if this new slab is anything to go by, I’m already behind the curve.
Though technically billed as a full-length, “Spiritual Chains” clocks in at a lean, mean 23 minutes, short on time, maybe, but thick as hell where it counts. It plays like a weathered EP that doesn’t waste a second. Fans of the hazy, fuzz-caked Stoner groove with a filthy splash of Grunge swagger are in for a treat. Think of early '90s soul-stain, mid-tempo riff hypnosis fused with that melodic, clean-vocal melancholy.
“Twenty Thousand Souls” is a towering highlight. It grinds forward with the apocalyptic weight of Deliverance-era C.O.C. and rides a groove that feels like dragging a coffin full of busted amps through the swamps of despair. But the crown jewel is the title track, “Spiritual Chains”, a riff-laden sermon for the damned. It’s got that slow-motion whiplash that defines the genre at its best. “Tune slow, play slower,” as the ancient gospel says and Thorndale are true disciples. It’s soaked in reverb and doom-murk and it hits with the precision of a wrecking ball made of bong resin and regret.
Then comes “Exiles and Masters,” rolling in like a bourbon-fueled Clutch jam session held in a condemned garage. It stomps, snarls, and it doesn’t give a shit whether you’re ready or not.
Look, I haven’t heard their debut, but if “Lightning Spawn” is even half as potent as “Spiritual Chains”, it’ll hit like a rusty shovel to the cranium. If you’ve ever mainlined Cathedral and Soundgarden in the same sitting or got a sloppy backseat grunge-blowjob in your buddy’s station wagon while Tad blared through cheap speakers, this record’s gonna feel like coming home.
Light one up, press play, and let Spiritual Chains do terrible things to your spirit.