LOS ANGELES (Thor Central Official Website) - Canadian heavy metal legend Thor the Rock
Warrior is heading to Los Angeles to record his 14th studio album, titled
Thor Against The World with producers Messiaz (a.k.a. Frank Meyer and Bruce Duff) at the helm.
On Thor Against The World, Thor will be backed by Los Angeles three-piece Sweet Justice, which features Frank Meyer (The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, Wayne Kramer, Cheetahs Chrome, Sylvain Sylvain) on guitar, Bruce Duff (ADZ, 45 Grave, Jeff Dahl) and Chris Marwkood (ex-Bellrays, Blare Bitch Project), whose debut album was recently released on Real O Mind Records. Meyer and Duff make up the production team Messiaz, who have been producing everything from hip hop to hard rock at their own ToneDuff Studios in Hollywood (Messiaz will be producing the debut studio album by Dead Boys founder Cheetah Chrome later this year).
Also scheduled to appear on the album are keyboardist Brian Kehew (Air, Moog Cookbook) and punk queen Texas Terri on what promises to be a lean, mean, stripped down hard rock affair. According to Michael Hektoen, President of ThorToen Records, "we are very excited to be working with Frank Meyer and Bruce Duff. Their energy, talent and great enthusiasm are going to make this album GREAT".
Thor Against The World will find the blonde- haired, muscle bound vocalist returning to his hard rock roots with an album that is steeped in the hard hitting garage rock and glam sounds he grew up on and recorded on his 1977 debut, Keep The Dogs Away. Now a cult classic, Keep The Dogs Away introduced the world to Thor's brand of gladiator rock before he went metal on 1985's Only The Strong, which became a worldwide hit and inspired legions of theatrical heavy metal acts. From bending steel bars and blowing up hot water bottles to having concrete jackhammered off his chest and onstage battles with ogres and monsters, Thor's show was pre Spinal Tap, pre Manowar and way before GWAR. A trendsetter, a torchbearer and a heavy metal warrior, Thor was a true original. And now, he's back. Heralded by the likes of Kerrang, Punk and Creem, Thor went on to make a slew of successful albums and toured the world before delving into movies and working alongside the likes of Roger Corman, Tia Carrere and Adam West, a venture highlighted by the release of Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare, Zombie Nightmare 1986, horror films that Thor starred in and scored.
By the late-'80s, Thor retired from the metal world and began a career producing and starring in indie films. But a decade later, inspired by a slew of magazine articles and a resurgence in popularity, Thor got the rock 'n' roll bug once again and began hitting the road and churning out albums.
During this time, Thor met Meyer, who interviewed him for POPsmear magazine and KNAC.com, and the two soon became close friends. This relationship eventually mutated into Thor Against The World, a true collaborative effort, as Thor penned over half the album with Meyer, who enlisted his own band to perform on it. The songs are all new and they all rock. The sounds will please the Thor Korr, his legion of diehard fans, but should also pick up a few new fans, as it revels in the vintage hard rock sounds that are so popular today with the rise of bands like The Darkness, Jet, The Hives and Turbonegro.
With a new album on the way, musicians like Henry Rollins, Nashville Pussy and DOA singing his praises and citing him as an influence, his old catalog getting the reissue treatment and a cadre of indie films (Graveyard, F.U.B.A.R., Scooter Kidz, No More Heroes, Forever and After, I'll Be Here Till I Leave, The Dreams Of Lara (The Intercessor Returns, Hock-Fu), Thor seems poised for comeback of epic proportions.
Thor Against The World proves legends never die, they just get stronger!
