Thunder Rising blends modern tones with vintage-style songwriting, defining their signature “Real Vintage” sound. Drawing on experience from the late ’70s and ’80s with Italian bands Firehouse and Arachnes, the new album channels riffs reminiscent of Deep Purple and Rainbow, while embracing the melodic sensibilities of Journey and Boston.

Using classic gear—Hammond organs, Fender guitars, Marshall amps—alongside modern instruments and recording techniques, the result is a sound that’s both powerfully vintage and crystal clear. Solid song structures, guitar virtuosity, and standout vocals take listeners on a journey of exploration and emotion—a metaphorical road trip through music and memory.

The journey begins with the echo of a lost love (“Can’t Forget Your Voice”) colliding with the urgent need to forge a new destiny (“Master of Destiny”) and the aspiration for a life that leaves an eternal mark (“Live Forever”). The response to this existential crisis is a plunge into passionate excess (“What’s Going On Tonight”) and the anarchic freedom of the open road (“Born to Ride,” “She Can’t Hold You Back”), where adrenaline serves as the only compass.
This flight is an attempt to escape judgment and its consequences—embodied by the dark, relentless “Bloody Axe”—and the soul-draining nature of toxic relationships (“Personal Vampire”). Reaching a peak in the frenetic euphoria of the “Mad Machine,” the protagonist experiences ultimate freedom, only to fall back into the abyss of emotional entrapment (“The Prisoner”).
Finally, the cycle closes with catharsis, realizing that the true way out is not a physical escape, but a spiritual getaway found in art and memory—a “Dreaming Song to You” that maps the highway to infinity. This is the narrative of a rock soul constantly racing between intoxicating love, emotional dependency, and the absolute necessity to be free at any cost.

Track-by-Track Breakdown
01 – CAN’T FORGET YOUR VOICE
The Song: A track with deep “American Sound” roots, bridging early ’80s styling with late-’80s sophistication. It blends melodic storytelling with progressive elements and Pump Rock. Frequent key changes enhance a style that is simultaneously dynamic and refined, maintaining high energy and a celebratory character.
Lyrics: Describes the indelible memory of a loved one’s voice emerging from the radio during a solo journey down an empty highway. The melody acts as a time machine, like a falling star that has left an eternal mark.
02 – MASTER OF DESTINY
The Song: A rhythmic riff straight out of the late ’70s leads us into hidden worlds of Bluesy Hard Rock, featuring pentatonic unisons and sophisticated melodies. The track breaks into a carefree, choral refrain that lightens the mood through unexpected harmonic complexity. Epicness, nostalgia, and strength are the hallmarks here, rounded off by a virtuosic instrumental section.
Lyrics: Tells of a chance encounter between a “city boy” and an “uptown girl” and their inability to control their futures alone. The “Master of Destiny” waits for them to follow their hearts and write a new story.
03 – LIVE FOREVER
The Song: “On the Road” is the perfect descriptor for this track. It sounds like an engine—be it a bike or a truck—revving toward a path made of emotions and demons. Built on a simple blues scale but arranged in a ’70s “hippie” style, the sound is enriched by an ever-present Hammond organ and liberating choruses that lift the spirit toward an “inner sky.”
Lyrics: Expresses a profound desire for spiritual immortality, leaving a mark on the world through songs and stories. The narrator’s essence is destined to “forever soar” in the hearts of those they touch.
04 – WHAT’S GOING ON TONIGHT
The Song: This track features distinct ’70s riffing characterized by octave jumps and the tritone (the “Devil’s interval”). The rhythm is square, pounding, and obsessive, with an “eerie” mood reminiscent of ’80s Glam Rock tradition. It sits perfectly suspended between two decades.
Lyrics: Focused on an intense sensory experience and overwhelming attraction. The excitement is so potent the narrator feels like a “true survivor” in the heat of the moment.
05 – BORN TO RIDE
The Song: An unmistakable title for a track with a “wild” soul. Featuring gritty, occasionally funk-infused vocals, it’s a catchy mix of blues, rock, and funk. It explores hidden, transgressive emotions through a polished, “glossy” arrangement that remains heavy on substance.
Lyrics: An anthem to freedom on the road, where the only priority is the ride itself. Speed and adrenaline clear the mind of daily burdens, making the narrator’s vision transparent.
06 – PRELUDE 25
The Song: A celebratory instrumental intro featuring neoclassical and progressive elements, setting the stage for the album’s grander themes.
07 – SHE CAN’T HOLD YOU BACK
The Song: Composed with speed in mind, capturing the feeling of the world blurring past a moving vehicle. The arrangement leans heavily on the Hammond organ, providing a distinct blues connotation, while the melodic flow mirrors the continuity of a long journey.
Lyrics: Encourages a liberating escape toward the South on a motorcycle, promising that doubts will fade and desires will be realized. It is an unstoppable race toward a party where “she can’t hold you back.”
08 – BLOODY AXE
The Song: Aggressive and “speedy,” like blood pumping through veins. Pure adrenaline is anchored by a monotonic riff, driving bass, and locked-in drums. High-register vocals contrast with low-tuned guitars to highlight the depth of the narrative. The song transitions into a psychedelic middle section filled with evocative visions.
Lyrics: A scene of judgment and inevitability. The narrator is a hurricane of threat and darkness, while the victim is a prisoner unable to escape the “bloody axe.”
09 – PERSONAL VAMPIRE
The Song: A hybrid of a Rock Anthem and a Power Ballad. With its steady rhythm and pentatonic melodies, the vocal delivery feels like an unconfessable secret. The music builds into an obsessive chorus, followed by a dreamy, morbid emotional crescendo introduced by a guitar and keyboard duel.
Lyrics: Describes a toxic, nocturnal relationship with a woman who drains the narrator (“drinks me ‘till she feels appeased”). Despite being self-aware, the narrator remains irresistibly attracted.
10 – MAD MACHINE
The Song: The riff is the engine here—pure power that never lets up. The middle section pays tribute to psychedelic culture, using dreamlike atmospheres and sounds reminiscent of a Theremin. In the final act, the riffing becomes even more minimalist and driving.
Lyrics: A celebration of nightlife and excess with friends, loud music, and the rush of the race. The “mad machine” experience is a literal high that culminates in romantic longing.
11 – THE PRISONER
The Song: A high-character Rock Ballad with stylistic roots in the ’80s and ’90s (drawing from Canadian, American, and Australian rock). It is a slow, intense, and dramatic tale. A clean guitar arpeggio acts as the narrator through a world of ghosts and hope, leading to an epic, virtuosic guitar solo.
Lyrics: Reflects a deep sense of emotional captivity (“cage of my own design”). The narrator is trapped as the “prisoner of your love” by someone who has lost the key to his release.
12 – DREAMING SONG TO YOU
The Song: A country-inflected ballad designed to provide the listener with a sense of immediate well-being. Minimalist and “on the road,” the track rests almost entirely on acoustic guitar. The backing vocals are instinctive and folk-inspired, praising sincerity and spontaneity.
Lyrics: A lament for the weariness of life and a plea for music as salvation. The song is the “highway to infinity” where the narrator finds a love that is finally real.
13 – DANGEROUS SPEED
The Song: An instrumental track celebrating ’80s “Guitar Hero” virtuosity. By keeping this technical display separate from the vocal tracks, the album allows the narrative to breathe while giving the “shredding” its own dedicated space to evoke the thrill of the race.