(written by Islander)
Today we have the pleasure of helping announce that in October Pagan Records will release a new album named Time Obliteration by The Black Thunder from Poland, and to help build anticipation for that event we’re also premiering a video for the album’s first single, the genre-bending “Verification of Wounds“.
If you are already familiar with The Black Thunder via their previous releases, including their two previous albums, you may be in for a surprise, because the band have shifted their sound, moving on from the stoner and groove-based sounds of those records into darker tones that feature a mixture of black metal elements, sludge elements, technical elements, and crust-punk elements.
Moreover, The Black Thunder recorded Time Obliteration in a live studio recording. Pagan Records further explains that, lyrically, the album “focuses on themes of existential anxiety, internal conflict, and distorted perception”.
Here is how bassist, vocalist, and founder Marcin Szczepański explains some of the changes in the context of the new song you’re about to hear:
photo by Stanisław Szuster
“Verification of Wounds” is the first track from the new album that we wanted to share. It is the opening track and was among the first ones written for the record, so everything fits together perfectly.
This song marks the first time, both on the album and in the band’s history, that we’ve used growled vocals. The intro reveals a strong influence from Sepultura and their song “Arise”, a track that, like the album itself, made a massive impression on us during our teenage years. That impression was so profound that the lyrics contain numerous references to song titles from the Arise album. There is also a subtle nod to Mastodon’s Oblivion, an album that had a major impact on me when it was released and continues to leave its mark on me to this day.
As Marcin Szczepański acknowledged, the opening phase of “Verification of Wounds” does link arms with the beginning of “Arise” by creating an eerie and sinister atmosphere — and then abruptly exploding. But in the case of this song, The Black Thunder bring on spine-shaking percussive blows, crashing chords of ominous and towering heaviness, and a riff that seems to mysteriously but dismally squirm.
The band ramp up the intensity with avalanche-like drumming, an enhancement of that squirming riff, and feverish, wailing pulses from the lead guitar. The combined effect of all that is electrifying, and the advent of furious vocals (which straddle a line between harsh howls and inflamed singing) drive up the song’s intensity even more.
The vocals cross a line into singing that’s more clean and soaring, but haunting to hear, as the rhythm section hammer and the guitars viciously vibrate. The drumming continues to shift in its patterns and tempos; the riffing vibrantly darts and swirls; and the vocals continue morphing between varying expressions of raw savagery and spine-tingling song.
It doesn’t take long for “Verification of Wounds” to dig itself into a listener’s head, and it just digs deeper as it unfolds — which is to say, it becomes not only exhilarating but also highly infectious.
The Black Thunder’s decision to record the music live in the studio pays off, and the video underscores the wisdom of that decision by letting us see the band throwing themselves headlong into the performance. They’re locked in, but clearly feeling it.
THE BLACK THUNDER are:
Marcin Szczepański – Vocal, Bass
Grzegorz Malinowski – Guitar
Jacek Kiełpiński – Guitar
Witek Kozak – Drums
As mentioned above, Time Obliteration was recorded in a live recording session, at Dobra 12 Studio, Białystok, with production done by Piotr Polak. It was mixed and mastered by Haldor Grunberg at Satanic Audio. Visuals for the album feature hand-painted cover artwork by Australian artist Rok (Sadistik Exekution), with graphic layouts handled by Łukasz “Pachu” Pach (Hostia).
Those interested in the new record will have an exclusive opportunity to experience Time Obliteration performed live in its entirety at the upcoming Thunder Fest held in Poland on 12 September 2026, ahead of the album’s official release by Pagan Records on October 16th. For more info about The Black Thunder and the album, visit the locations linked below.
THE BLACK THUNDER ONLINE:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblackthunderpl
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblackthunderpl/
Bandcamp: https://theblackthunder.bandcamp.com/music
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3MqudwAl1AfhMtagR2b8Aj?si=ZVexL6zLR9mOk7EKKQxjAQ
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBlackThunderpl
PAGAN RECORDS ONLINE:
Website / Shop: https://www.pagan-records.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paganrecords
Bandcamp: https://paganrecords.bandcamp.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/paganrecords
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaganRecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pagan.records/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/knxur7q2nz7w1he6qqq60ssq5?si=439870fe0b3d4918