For those not in the know, Canadian-Aussie rockers Thunderbird have, once again, rebooted the classic hard rock sound of the late '70s and early 80s here on their brand new self-titled third album, Thunderbird.

Thunderbird - Marc LaFrance, Vocals/Producer; Rob Becker, Bass; Kelly Stodola, Drums/Producer; and Brice Tabish, Guitars - is a collection of short stories, where LaFrance is singing the songs as different characters. Fundamentally telling their tales via a gallery of rogues from the dark side.

Recorded in Vancouver BC, produced by Marc LaFrance and Kelly Stodola and mixed by famed engineer Mike Fraser, Thunderbird is simply chock full of songs are inspired by classic hard rock. Combining heavy guitars, blistering solos, driving rhythms and cultured vocals, this third outing is, for my money, their best yet.

1. 'Liar (Fool's Gold)'
2. 'Little Jenny'
3. 'Star'
4. 'Rain'
5. 'Into The Sun'
6. 'Painted Lady'
7. 'Revolution'
8. 'Man Of Clay'
9. 'I'm With You'
10. 'On The Brink'
11. 'King Rat'
12. 'Vampire'

A choir-like opening to 'Liar (Fool's Gold)' (featuring the band's former guitarist Rod 'Doc' Coogan on it's incredible guitar solo) bleeds quickly into the drum and guitar-led real feel of the track. Sounding like an early version of Rainbow (one of my all-time favorite bands, I'll have you know), that is then backed by both the heavier 'Little Jenny,' and then the '80s rock band riffs of 'Star.'

That vibe continues seamlessly on into 'Rain', which is backed by the frenetic guitar and vocal combo of 'Into The Sun.' The systematic, and well devised rock heavy 'Painted Lady' is one of my favorite tracks here, and is followed by both 'Revolution' and then the only true ballad of the set, 'Man Of Clay.'

The thunder is brought back on 'I'm With You', which in turn is backed by the foot-tapper 'On The Brink.' Another brilliant cut is the mid-tempo gem 'King Rat,' with the album then being rounded out perfectly with the last track, the rocker 'Vampire.'

Thunderbird @ YouTube!