Thor - Live In Detroit [Ektro Records - 2008]When I first got this new release on Circle’s label Ektro I was sure it was a loving parody or elaborate joke on the part of the band with all their past and playful attempts at tacky but fun over the 80’s heavy metal imagery. Surely there cant have been a band this OTT metal- with a name like Thor & dressing in loin cloths and Spandex , singing deeply clichéd metal songs about sex, violence and metal with titles like Thunder On the Tundra and Rock The City?! Well how wrong can I be there is and was a band called Thor and this was recorded in the Rock city on their 1985 tour. The band is fronted by Muscleman and ex Mr Canada who apparently on stage gimick is blow-up water bottles and bend steel bars with his teeth. With backing singing from his chesty wife and musically backing from assorted metal derivates- Thor came in to existences in the mid 70’s and have been on and off from then up to the present. I guess it really depends how much you enjoy cheesy, clichéd yet chant along heavy metal on how much you’ll like this. For my part this really is dependent on my mood- some times I can nod my head, smile and tap my foot along to this and yes even chant/ hum along with the chorus. At others I find it awful dated, laughable, not very well played and more than a little annoying and samey. It really is exactly what it implies on the cover unshamble lo-grade cheesy, chant along heavy metal that has to be taken with tongue squarely in cheek, which you’ll either love or hate- it really is that simply    Roger Batty
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