Photo by Woodeye

While their debut album CVI shook, rattled, and rolled, Atlanta blues travellers Royal Thunder are also content to go a quieter route. In its original fuzzed-out incarnation, CVI track “Black Water Vision” was already gloomy and intense, but this acoustic version of the track dials it down even further. Draped in sad, elegant neofolk, replete with muted drums and wistful vocals, the song picks up steam and morphs into a full-on Southern gothic murder ballad halfway down the cemetery road. Mlny Parsonz's voice commands attention whether it’s with a wail or a whisper, and when she choses to employ the latter, all bets are off.