Back in 1999 just when rock and Roll and especially Hard Rock was a distant memory to some along came Buckcherry along with a few others who have sadly passed by the wayside and reintroduced good old dirty Rock and Roll to a new and eager audience. 26 years later Josh Todd may be the last original member standing but Buckcherry’s music is still as raw, rough and ready as ever. As with ‘Vol. 10‘, and its predecessor ‘Hellbound‘, ‘Roar Like Thunder‘ was recorded in Nashville at Sienna Studios and produced by Marti Frederiksen and mastered by Anthony Focx. All 10 tracks were written by vocalist Josh Todd, guitarist Stevie D, and Frederiksen. It’s a songwriting partnership which has grown over the years and this time round may just be the best yet.
Opener and title track ‘Roar Like Thunder’ you’ll surely have seen the video for now, and know that we’re treading on solid ground. It’s a song which immediately lays and doubts to rest. Buckcherry has always known how to lay down a cool AC/DC riff, hit the pedal to the floor and soar into an addictive chorus. This one’s a keeper. ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ that follows on the afterglow comes with Josh roaring over drums and a full on Punky guitar, it’s a driving rocker, dripping in attitude and searing guitar.
‘Come On’ on the other hand is pure AC/DC all the way and sonically could well sit on my favourite ‘Highway to Hell’, and as you might expect or anticipate ‘Talking Bout Sex’ bubbles up from down-under and rides a smooth stomp and groove, before the nice and smoky ‘Blackout’ crawls and swaggers through the dark barroom to order another round: love those riffs!
Next up the stratospheric horns of ‘I Go Boom’ keeps that thread going from previous albums where the brass has been used to great effect. Here they’ve perfected it! I loved this one from first play and it just grows with each lesson. This would be a great one to hear live.
Deeper in ‘Set It Free’ starts out with some wonderfully laid back guitar and Josh telling the tale of keeping, keeping on and letting that self belief rise, before the wonderfully retro sixties guitar sounds of ‘Hello Goodbye’ ease us into the closest we get to a ballad here. It’s definitely one of my standout tracks here and even, dare I say it, has a light Oasis vibe (just obviously way better).
Sadly the party you just don’t want to stop is almost at the finish line but we go out with two real bangers. And they have saved two of the very best till last. First ‘Machine Gun’ which has a great groove and that dirty bluesy riff that can’t fail. Closer ‘Let It Burn’ comes close to topping them all opening with sirens and a breakneck riff, it’s the soundtrack to a ride fast into the night with no looking back and the perfect way to close another great addition to the legacy. This one is an essential addition to the live set!
If you’ve loved Buckcherry’s last few releases then you can’t fail to love ‘Roar Like Thunder’. It has everything that the band do so well and there’s not a moment to relax. ‘Roar Like Thunder’ will keep you on your toes and I guarantee you and I’d be very surprised if its not going to end if in more than a few ‘album of the year’ charts. This band, 26 years in, just keeps on delivering the goods and if they keep doing tat, then the least we can do is keep rocking with them.
As Josh says: “‘Roar Like Thunder’ rocks from beginning to end. It grooves, it thumps, and there is subject matter in each song everyone can relate to. Strap in and enjoy the ride.”
8.5 / 10
Buckcherry is Josh Todd (vocals), Stevie Dacanay (guitar), Billy Rowe (guitar), Kelly LeMieux (bass) and Francis Ruiz (drums), Roar Like Thunder is released on 13th June 2025. A video for the title track was filmed in Los Angeles by director Tom Flynn and is out now.
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2IaohwKL7k
Order Roar Like Thunder here: https://earache.com/collections/buckcherry
Track Listing:
1. Roar Like Thunder
2. When The Sun Goes Down
3. Come On
4. Talking Bout Sex
5. Blackout
6. I Go Boom
7. Set It Free
8. Hello Goodbye
9. Machine Gun
10. Let It Burn
