René Thomsen, proprietor of Backline Rental Service, has been fully engaged in the music scene since the 1980s. Starting as a roadie, he then worked as a guitar technician for several internationally known guitarists, was promoted to technical tour manager and is now a successful and highly valued entrepreneur who has established his full-service operation as a dependable partner for organizers, artists and production companies alike How it all began …
Outside of his business activities, René, who lives in Isernhagen near Hannover, makes time for his passion: the guitar. But when he does something there are no half-measures – he composed his first songs during the Christmas holidays in 2007, refining them until in 2009 – with the support of singer extraordinaire Jürgen Wulfes plus some internationally known personal friends like Herman Frank, Nibbs Carter, Neil Murray, Bobby Jarzombek – he issued his debut album “Let’s Get Ruthless” under the band name THOMSEN. The twelve high-energy metal tracks impressed both critics and fans. Not surprisingly, Thomsen rounded off this foray into the world of music with some live gigs.
Album number 2
THOMSEN was perhaps initially only a project to provide a distraction from René’s hard work in the music business. But the itch was there so he sat down with Mike Pesin to come up with 12 more pieces, collaborating once more with experienced and successful musicians, including Vinnie Appice and Udo Dirk Schneider. Helge Engelke wrote the lyrics, did the arrangements and also mixed the second album “Unbroken”, published in 2014. The results enjoyed the praise of fans and music journals even with the changed line-up. Nevertheless, Thomsen remained faithful to his unique style as was plainly evident in the tracks. René Thomsen again enjoyed some live sessions to mark the end of this chapter.
Another six years have passed and for the third time mastermind and namesake René Thomsen unleashes a new album on the fans. Under the motto “many things are different, but the elemental remains”, there are new compositions in the typical THOMSEN style. These new pieces were developed collaboratively by the current band members. In the current line-up, singer Jürgen Wulfes is an old acquaintance, as he was already responsible for the extraordinary vocals on the debut. New on the other hand is the man on bass multi-instrumentalist Niklas Turmann and the drummer Michael Kolar, a drummer with outstanding heavy metal skills who fits perfectly into the formation. He, like the other band members, also comes from the greater Hanover area. Remaining, however, are the friends guitarist Mike Pesin, the guitar wizard, who already refined the compositions with his play on the previous album, and René Thomsen himself, who as a rhythm guitarist contributes powerful riffs to the own compositions and is thus actively involved in the implementation of his musical visions.
Album number 3
These visions can now be heard with a renewed thunderclap on the new studio output simply titled “III” in an impressive manner. The new studio work, refined by Charlie Bauerfeind, which will be released on August 20, 2021, contains ten straightforward and no-frills heavy metal compositions that will captivate fans of Judas Priest, Megadeth, Blaze and Metal Church.
Already the opener ‘Rise’ with dominant double bass drum makes it clear that the fan can expect powerful metal for the full playing time. Also ‘Fight’, with a slight Accept attitude, kept a bit slower, offers high-quality fare for lovers of sophisticated guitar work and catchy riffs. Nightfall’ actually strikes in the same musical notch, but then approaches it a bit more anthemic and melodic. The fourth track ‘I Can See The Light’ ups the tempo and is clearly meant as a nod to the European heavy sound of the 80s. ‘Liar’, on the other hand, sounds like an unfamiliar Dirkschneider composition, but with the inherent idiosyncrasies of Thomsen’s style.
The following ‘Salvation’ makes a bow over the big pond to the distinctive sound of US metal á la Metal Church & Co. Modern, hard and uncompromising sounds the driving ‘Forget It’ and shows that Thomsen has the musical roots in the eighties, but is quite capable of adapting them into contemporary sounds. Bluesy sounds the entrance to the gradually increasing ‘Set Me Free’, which develops into a solid hard rock number with sing-along factor and represents the most moderate track of “III”. Nevertheless, of course, as in all compositions, a gripping and varied guitar solo is not dispensed with.
No prisoners, however, makes ‘Passion And Warfare’, which as the penultimate song once again offers everything that makes Thomsen. The final song is ‘Turn On The Light’, another adrenaline-pumping heavy metal hit in Priest style, sung by mastermind René Thomsen himself. Thomsen are back, and stronger than before, there is no doubt about it.
Tracklist:
01. Rise
02. Flight
03. Nightfall
04. I Can See The Light
05 Liar
06. Salvation,
07. Forget It
08. Set Me Free
09. Passion
10. Turn On The Light (Hidden Bonus Track)
Line-Up:
– Jurgen Wulfes – Vocals
– René Thomsen – Guitar
– Niklas Turmann – Bass
– Michael Pesin – Guitar
– Michael Kolar – Drums
