Buckcherry’s ‘Roar Like Thunder’ Is Sure To Leave Audiences Making Plenty Of Noise

By: Philip Sayblack

Early this year, Buckcherry returned with its latest album, Roar Like Thunder through Round Hill Records and Earache.  The band’s 11th album, it was released June 13, barely more than two years after releasing its then latest album, Volume 10, which was also released through Round Hill Records.  The 10-song record is everything that audiences have come to expect from Buckcherry musically and lyrically.  In other words it does not necessarily break any new ground for the band but even with that in mind, is still a mostly enjoyable offering.  One of the most notable of the album’s entries comes right from the outset of the 31-minute record in the form of its title track.  ‘Blackout,’ the album’s midpoint is another example of why this record proves just as solid as Buckcherry’s existing catalog, as is ‘Machine Gun,’ the record’s penultimate entry.  Each song noted does its own part to make Roar Like Thunder enjoyable.  When they are considered along with the rest of the album’s entries, the whole makes this latest offering from Buckcherry one more welcome addition to this year’s field of new rock albums.
Buckcherry is back and in fine form, ladies and gentlemen.  That is evident in the band’s recently released 11th album, Roar Like Thunder.  Released June 13 through Round Hill Records and Earache. The album is 31 minutes of everything audiences have come to expect from the band throughout its catalog.  Even though the record does not necessarily see the band break any new ground, there is still something about the music and lyrical content throughout that manages to make the record fun.  This is evidenced right from the record’s outset in its title track.  Clocking in at barely more than three minutes, this high-energy song starts with a bang and keeps audiences electrified (yes, that horrible pun was intended) throughout the course of its three minute, seven second run time.  Between front man Josh Todd’s vocals, which are as powerful as ever, the solid, intense time keeping of drummer Francis Ruiz (who really is at the heart of the energy in this 2/4 composition) or the work of the guitars and bass, the whole here is as strong of a start as any act can get for a record.  Throughout the course of the arrangement, audiences can easily make comparison to works from the likes of L.A. Guns (in its prime), Guns N’ Roses, and others of that ilk, only more modern.  The impact of the collective’s work is a song whose musical arrangement is a firm anchor for the presentation.
Adding to the song’s interest is its lyrical content, which seems to send a message of making change and making the most of life.  At least it comes across in this fashion.  This as Todd sings in the song’s lead verse, “You want the money/You want the fame/You want a photograph to see it again/Time is the teacher/How will I change/And if I had a choice/I’d feel no pain/Every time I close my eyes/My thoughts get in the way/Hey/what you gonna do/Just me and you/Let’s see it through/And roar like thunder.”  He further adds in the chorus, “You realize/It’s not a crime/Just stay alive/And roar like thunder.”  He continues in the song’s second verse, “We make the conflicts and play the games/Then years go passing by/And nothing’s changed/We want the secrets/To make money rain/And you can’t tell me/You don’t feel the same/So don’t you ever hesitate/It all comes down to faith.”  Here again is what sounds like a call to make things change, to make something of life.  Those notes of nothing changing as years pass and wanting those secrets yet doing nothing about it really seem to further point to the inferred message.  If in fact that is the message then the delivery fashion is unique and definitely in turn, will engage audiences.
Another notable example of the strength of the album’s musical and lyrical content comes in the form of ‘Blackout,’ which serves as the album’s midpoint.  ‘Blackout’ is a great, immediately infectious track.  Clocking in at barely more than three-and-a-half minutes, this blues-based rocker is a solid mid-tempo piece that is sure to be an earworm for established and casual audiences alike.
Lyrically, one is led to believe the song is about getting way too drunk.  At least that is, again, this critic’s interpretation.  This as Todd sings, “Something’s got a hold of my head/I’m fadin’ in and out/I don’t feel so well/I don’t even know what I said/I feel like someone went and just rang my bell/I’m in a blackout/Somebody help me/They call this s*** a blackout/And I can’t come down/What came out of my mouth/Oh no/I blacked out.”  This certainly seems like something that would come from someone who is way too drunk.  The seeming theme continues in the song’s second verse, which states, “I feel like I’m the walkin’ dead/I guess I fucked up/I went off the rails/Didn’t even make it to bed/And lucky for me/I stayed out of jail.”  That last statement about being lucky the person “stayed out of jail” further hints at someone who has had way too much to drink.  If this whole is in fact what seems to be inferred, the whole therein makes for quite an interesting presentation.  That is because while on one hand it seems to celebrate getting that drunk, it could also be argued to be a warning about getting that drunk.  If that is the direction being taken, then the song can definitely be applauded. 
One more notable addition to the record comes in the form of its penultimate entry, ‘Machine Gun.’  Right from its outset, this three minute, 11-second song immediately lends itself to comparison to AC/DC’s timeless hit, ‘Thunderstruck.’  Even as the song progresses from there, the AC/DC comparison continues.  Whether the band intentionally took that creative direction is anyone’s guess.  Either way, it is sure to engage and entertain audiences.
In regard to its lyrical content, this song is definitely one that plenty of male audiences will appreciate.  That is because it is a warning about a certain kind of woman; the kind who as the song states, “don’t like the good boys/Don’t want no ring.”  This is a woman who prefers “the bad boys” while being asked, “Is breakin’ hearts just a part of your scheme?”  There are a lot of women out there like that.  Men are not always the guilty party.  Women can be and many times are, just as bad, and this song expertly illustrates that message, lyrically.  This especially as Todd sings in the song’s chorus, “You better run/She’s a machine gun/Shootin’ the good boys down.”  He further adds of this type of woman, “sharper than a knife/Hotter than steam/No one’s gonna stop you from livin’ your dreams/You don’t like to talk/You’re never comin’ clean/And if you are a nice guy/You won’t be getting’ seem.”  So to all the good men out there who actually want something serious, you’ve been warned.  This is just a nice retort to all of the songs out there that plainly point the finger at men always being the bad ones.  Women can be just as bad.  There are females out there like this.  To that end, this song proves itself especially resonant.  When this direct lyrical theme is coupled with the song’s musical arrangement, the two elements together make for all the more interest and entertainment.  When this song and the others examined here are considered collectively, they paint a vivid picture of how much Roar Like Thunder has to offer audiences.  When they are considered along with the rest of the band’s new album, that whole makes for a presentation that Buckcherry’s established audiences and even more casual listeners alike will appreciate.
Roar Like Thunder, the latest full-length studio recording from Buckcherry, is an enjoyable new offering from the band.  Despite not breaking any new ground musically or lyrically for the band, the record still proves engaging and entertaining.  The songs examined here make that clear.  When they are considered alongside the rest of the album’s entries, the whole therein makes the record overall one more welcome addition to this year’s field of new rock records.
Roar Like Thunder is available now.  More information on the album is available along with all of Buckcherry’s latest news at:
Website: https://buckcherry.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buckcherry
Twitter: https://twitter.com/buckcherry

​