Even to just take a minute and really take stock of the rising names that the world of rock music has seen over the last few years, there are few names that stand out as much as Sergeant Thunderhoof for those really paying attention. Only with time and increased passion as their craft become more intrinsic and gripping from one creation to the next, and that proved to be no different with 2022’s “This Sceptred Veil” which was hailed as one of the very best album of that year even taking my own top spot that year. As such, the question remained: how could the Sergeant follow up on such a magnificent performance? With the impending arrival of their fifth album, we have a resounding answer of confidence fueled intensely by passion and mastery.

After creating what some have considered to be one of the absolute need-to-know records of its kind that this decade has already thrown our way, the question stands: where does one go next? For Sergeant Thunderhoof, the answer is to simply look where you came from. This is a band that has never been hesitant to pull from the mythology of their English home with Arthurian legends spread throughout all of their creations, but it’s in the crafting of “The Ghost of Badon Hill” that such a central theme seems to have a real chokehold over the act in the crafting of this piece. Across six utterly stellar tracks that involved virtually the entirety of the band’s repertoire of skills and tricks, this is an album that more than lives up to its predecessor with the whole of the album standing monolithically talent with naught able to stand in the way. The natural evolution of their sound with themes that resonate with the human’s soul in dire times where grief, fright, and hopelessness can grip the heart, “The Ghost of Badon Hill” sees Sergeant Thunderhoof deliver a transformative performance that is nigh on invigorating and simply intoxicating to behold for all that it is. A truly masterful performance that knows how to grab you by your very soul and elicit emotions that could damn near bring a tear to the eye, there’s far more to this album than some riffs. A dazzling display of soaring vocals, impeccable strings, and captivating melodies that pull you further and further into the Arthurian realms that Sergeant Thunderhoof could practically call home at this point, “The Ghost of Badon Hill” is what it means to become witness an act become a cornerstone name for all the right reasons.

Whenever we’re to discuss the names that have come about in recent years when it comes to truly unexpected perfection, Sergeant Thunderhoof has more than earned time in that conversation. All that has been summoned forth to bring “The Ghost of Badon Hill” to this corporeal realm is what it means to offer up an experience that one cannot help but feel compelled to explore and feel alongside Sergeant Thunderhoof as they have yet again crafted what can only be considered one of the very best creations that 2024 has thrown our way by far.

“The Ghost of Badon Hill” releases on November 15th via Pale Wizard Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “The Ghost of Badon Hill” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Sergeant Thunderhoof on Facebook here.