THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Scandinavia’s premier roots-rock renegades Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado return with House Of Sticks, their new album of high-energy swamp rock, smouldering ballads and cinematic blues-rock. Their ninth studio LP a fresh, modern take on the blues, channeling the vibes of giants like The Black Keys and JJ Cale while staying true to the band’s deep blues roots.
The band have spent the last two decades traversing Europe, covering almost every inch, over 20 countries, sweeping through the islands and mainland of their home country Denmark along with the rocky terrains and bright lights of Sweden, Finland and Norway. They’ve graced stages in the valleys and mountain regions in Switzerland and circumnavigated Germany, France, The Netherlands as well as hurtling through Croatia, Greece, the U.K. and Spain. They’ve played aboard cruise ships, packed all eight members into smoky jazz bars, held court in large theatres and captivated the biggest festival stages. Their euphoric brand of blues has taken them as far as the U.S., Canada and India on their quest to enchant crowds into the Black Tornado congregation.
Spending nine months a year on the road means that Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado are all about the journey — physically and figuratively. Staring out of the van windows as the bandmembers career through highways, mountain path sand city back streets, it’s impossible not to watch the world go by and think. But it’s the listener and the fan in the crowd that they want to bring onto the journey. From moving feet on the dancefloor to moving minds within the lyrics, telling people is not what they’re here for. It’s about bringing them along for the experience. “I don’t like to analyse my lyrics too much,” says the smooth-voiced, softly spoken Risager. “I find it kind of devalues the song if it’s explained too much.
“I might have thought about something when I wrote it, but it can mean something else for the listener. If I say it means somethingelse, it’s taking away the listener’s experience,” he explains. “I’ve had moments where people have said that a song I’ve sung is something they have experienced, or had couples tell me that a song has been used at their wedding or has been ‘their’ song, and I’m proud of that.”
They have much to be proud of. Like the single Inner Light, a soulful funk-laden earworm that fuses Sly & The Family Stone’s swagger with Risager’s distinctive vocals. “This song,” he says, “was pretty clear to me when writing about it. It’s about getting older. The light has changed a little bit. It happens to everybody. The whole thing is not as bright as it once was when you get older.”
Though reflective, the song also oozes with optimism as he croons, “I know I’m stronger than the darkness, I’m going to hold ontill summer comes around, and I remember every soul that we lost along the way,” to a bright brass section, bringing the light intoview. “I’m also a big funk fan. I always create a funk song when I write the songs for the album. It’s usually a floor filler, too. We see ourselves as a blues-rock band, but funk is a part of the blues family,” he smiles.
Things have been steadily building for the band over recent years. “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.”
When the octet take the stage, it’s a visual feast. The traditional setup of vocals, guitar, bass and drums is joined by a piano, woodwind, brass, strings and multiple backing vocalists. Risager’s laid-back stage presence and delivery are complemented by this band of longtime friends. “I don’t see myself as a very good entertainer,” Risager says modestly. “They do that department of the show. They get people to clap and do funny moves, and of course, they also have their solos. So we have so many strings to play on, and that’s also one of the secrets of how we’ve been together for so long. I’m not standing with the whole responsibility to entertain the audience. Our saxophone player, Hans Nybo, is a natural. As soon as he steps on stage, he just draws people’s attention.”
House of Sticks was recorded between April and June 2024 between Medley Studios and Mill Factory NuVenue Studios in Copenhagen. It was produced once again by Risager and bass player Søren Bøjgaard, with additional production by guitarist Joachim Svensmark.
“I can’t write songs when I’m on the road,” Risager explains his songwriting. “There’s too much going on when I’m touring. So, Ineed to be very concentrated and very focused on the concert. I recently found out that when I’m home I can write the best between 9 a.m. and noon. It’s taken a long time to work that out. Once I have written the song and I take it to the band, that’s because I know this is going to hold water. We don’t work on songs with the band or in the studio that won’t be on the album.”
The award-winning Danes have already released the pulsating groove of Long Time Ago, which sees Risager’s soulful vocalsswoon around the swampy, raw energy that has become synonymous with the Black Tornado sound. When Already Gone dropped in June, it was the band’s first new music since the release of their 2022 album Navigation Blues. Its galloping rhythm strides through groove-infused blues-rock, buoyed by searing solos and wrapped around a forlorn love story. “This is what I would call the most classic Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado song on the album,” he says.
“I will say my favourite track of the album is the title track House of Sticks. I think it’s a really wonderful song. I didn’t write it; it was our guitarist Joachim Svensmark,” Risager continues. “It’s not a 12-bar Delta blues but has a Delta vibe, while still sounding very fresh; I think writing this kind of Delta blues is tough. So even though I didn’t write it, that song really sticks out, I think.”
Elsewhere the band deliver a Stax-loaded masterstroke on Climbed A Mountain, offer a singer-songwriter ballad infused with Sam Cooke warmth on Fine Summer Night, and bring the listener on a journey of reflective laments and dancefloor-filling stompers. Therein lies the compelling charm of Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado — the ability to take you on their journey. “We’re quite broad; of course, some people think we’re too broad. It’s not really something that I do on purpose. This is just the 10 songs that came out this time.”