Prior to working on their ninth album, Thunder recorded and released two
extended plays (EPs) of new tracks and live recordings –
Six of One... and
...Half a Dozen of the Other – which were released on 8 October 2007 and 7 April 2008, respectively. A third EP,
The Joy of Six, was issued on the same day as
Bang! and came in a box designed to house both previous EPs. Sessions for
Bang! began in February 2008,
Ben Matthews recalls that "Recording at the castle was a real experience. Taking our
Pro Tools rig and a big box of microphones, we turned one castle turret into a control room and another turret into a recording studio. Linking them with a long cable, I had to climb up and run it along the top of the castle walls."
Bang! was released in the UK by
STC Recordings on 3 November 2008, following a launch party on 27 October at the
Hard Rock Cafe in
Manchester featuring an acoustic set from the band. It debuted at number 62 on the
UK Albums Chart, number 2 on the
UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, and number 73 on the
Scottish Albums Chart. Outside of the UK, it reached number 99 on the
Oricon Albums Chart in Japan. The album's opening track "On the Radio" was released as the only
promotional single from the album.
Bang! was promoted on a short eight-date tour of the UK from 21 to 30 November 2008, before the band announced in January 2009 that they were due to break up after a farewell tour running until August. ==Track listing==