For the uninitiated, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado are an 8-piece blues/roots band hailing from Denmark. With a traditional set up of vocals, guitars, bass and drums, they are joined by piano/keyboards, woodwind, brass and strings, amongst others, and multiple backing vocalists.
The band have spent the last two decades traversing Europe, covering almost every inch across twenty countries in building a loyal fanbase. In the last few years, this has seen them expanding their appeal even further, having included Spain and it’s islands amongst places where they are eagerly received. “We’re constantly growing,” enthuses Risager. “It’s a crucial thing, and one of the reasons why it’s still fun is because it’s always moving in the right direction to bigger venues, bigger crowds. We’ve also been playing in new countries. For instance, we just started playing in Spain last year, where we never played there before; we played in mainland Spain and the Islands. The Spanish audience was really enthusiastic.“
House of Sticks is the band’s ninth studio album (and second for Provogue Records), and it delivers an eclectic mix of blues styles stretched to their maximum (and beyond) across the breadth of its’ 10 songs.
From the classic opening Delta blues-steeped notes of the titular opening track through to the country-infused blues of closing track, Fine Summer Night, Risager and the rest of the band have compiled an album to be truly proud of, and one which highlights the superb musicianship of this Scandinavian collective.
The blazing electric blues of Already Gone, the second song, and most indicative of the band’s usual style on the album, showcases Risager’s smoky baritone voice and Joachim Svensmark’s blistering guitar work, and allows the band to let their hair down as they burn their way through this roots rocker.
However, this album isn’t all about searing electric blues-rock. Tracks such as Light of Your Love, Said I Was Hurt and We’ll Get By show the intriguingly softer side of the band. Moments of true nu-blues blended with traditional instrumentation give House of Sticks a massive injection of modern European style which makes the album stand out from many of it’s contemporaries. Through all of this, it is Risager’s vocal that captivates and ties the album together as a wonderfully collective whole.
Surprises abound, with the delectably funky Inner Light taking the band into Sly & The Family Stone territory, while Climbed A Mountain is a chooglin’, Stax-infused masterpiece bound to become a live favourite and crowd-pleaser given its’ hip-swaying rhythm.
The album was recorded between April and June 2024 between Medley Studios and MillFactory NuVenue Studios in Copenhagen. It was produced once again by Risager and bass player Søren Bøjgaard, with additional production by guitarist Joachim Svensmark.
Feature Image: Christoffer Askman
