Thungur formed in Malmoe, Sweden as Bend And Break in 2014. The band has a hard hitting heavy rock sound that binds melodic soothing vocal tones and harsh rapid fire moments as well. Under the name Bend And Break they have two earlier releases available on streaming platforms. ‘The Village Sessions’ is a collection of old singles and the EP ‘The Cage’ was released in 2015. Fast forward to 2017 and the band has released their debut full length album as Thungur. ‘No Going Back’ is a 100% a DIY effort. It was tracked, produced and mixed by guitarist Bjorn Stegerling and bass player Roger Nielsen. The bulk of the album was recorded at Bjorn’s studio in Malmoe. Mastering and the cover design was completed by Bjorn as well. In addition to being the bands first full length it is also the bands first physical release.
‘No Going Back’ starts things off with a hard hitting melodic track titled “White Lies”. While the song has a hard rock feel the vocals still have amazing sing along melodies and harmonies. The guitar parts have this amazing groove that gets very gritty at times in combination with the drumming. Andreas Albihn’s snare sounds on his drum kit are very unique and it makes his hard pounding style stand out even more. The second track “Abandon” slows things down a bit with a delicate string plucking riff, but soon the tempo changes and you get a constant thud of a beat going on. Kristjan Samuelsson’s vocals take on a soothing almost hushed tone that goes well with the song. There is this calming yet heaviness to the song that just blankets you in sound. For the most part the song keeps a constant tempo throughout the majority of the song as Samuelsson’s vocals are the highlight here. Towards the end of the song his vocal tone momentarily become much more rapid pace and his soothing voice turns harsh to break up the repetition of the song. There are moments in their music where they have a familiar sound to some well known bands, but there is also unique things about their approach that allow them to stand out among the crowd. The vocal variations and the gritty groove they add to each and every song give them a overall complex style that doesn’t get old. “Rainmaker” is truely the most stand out track on the album. Together Samuelsson and Roger Nielsen tag team the vocals in this track and it is simply amazing. Samuelsson and Bjorn Stegerling both shred throughout the song on guitar. Alibihn’s drum work is the glue holding the track together and is there in every moment to give the song that extra push to greatness.
Each and every song Thungur has put on this album is somewhat different. They do not repeat anything. Their style varies and every song has a fresh new unique sound. It’s albums like this that you can listen to over and over again and they never grow old. Their sound is inviting, hard hitting, and sometimes melancholy. Thungur appeals to both the heavy rocking fanbase and the fans of the more soothing tones of alt rock. ‘No Going Back’ offers a little something for everyone.
Thungur already has some dates scheduled for 2018, if you are lucky enough to live in Sweden make sure you go check these guys out, I’m sure you will be impressed.
January 27
Malmö, Folk Å Rock
March 3
Malmö, Babel
September 15
Varberg, Backstage Rockbar
