KNAC.COM Exclusive: Interview with THE GEMS

George Dionne interviews vocalist GUERNICA MANCINI and guitarist MONA LINDGREN of THE GEMS about their debut album Phoenix for KNAC.COM.

You can’t talk about THE GEMS without talking about THUNDERMOTHER. I first discovered THUNDERMOTHER with the release of their 2020 album Heat Wave. The Swedish quartet was speaking my language with their brand of blazing riffs, catchy choruses, and over-the-top enthusiasm. Every track on Heat Wave is a winner in my book. I thought to myself, well if this album is killer, then surely the three that came before it would be. I was wrong. THUNDERMOTHER‘s prior albums were lacking that spark and energy that Heat Wave had, as well as that voice.

You know as well as I do that you can have the best band in the world, but if you don’t care for the vocalist, you’re not buying in. Guernica Mancini‘s throaty and powerful vocals made me a THUNDERMOTHER fan. The group released an equally impressive follow-up album in 2022 entitled Black And Gold. Then, in a case of deja-vu or history repeating itself, that version of THUNDERMOTHER was over, leaving founder and guitarist Filippa Nassil looking for new band mates (again)…

Check it out at KNAC.COM: https://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=48220