Thor Only The Strong CD (Slipcase, 2025, 2 x Double-sided poster, Extensive booklet, High Roller Records)

The second full-length album from Canadian heavy metal and muscle rock legend Thor, Only The Strong stands as one of the defining releases of Jon Mikl Thor’s extraordinary career. Originally released in the mid-1980s, this landmark album is now presented as a High Roller Records deluxe slipcase reissue, featuring premium packaging, an extensive booklet, and 2 x double-sided poster, making it an essential collector’s edition for traditional metal fans.

Jon Mikl Thor is a true icon. A former Mr. World and professional bodybuilder, he has released an astonishing 41 albums over more than five decades of activity, yet his musical roots stretch back to 1973. After the Muscle Rock EP with Thor & The Imps in 1977, Thor’s official debut album Keep The Dogs Away appeared in 1978, followed by Unchained in 1983, an album that exploded in popularity in both North America and the UK. The success of Unchained paved the way for Only The Strong, widely regarded as one of the strongest and most successful albums in Thor’s catalogue.

Only The Strong delivered chart-entering singles such as Thunder On The Tundra and Let The Blood Run Red and cemented Thor’s reputation in the British metal press during the height of the 1980s metal boom. Blending traditional heavy metal power with hard-hitting muscle rock riffs, the album showcases Thor not just as a larger-than-life frontman, but as a serious songwriter and performer. As Thor himself states, this is “all killer, no filler,” an album that works just as powerfully on record as it did alongside the band’s legendary, theatrical live shows.

Recommended if you like: Manowar, Twisted Sister, Accept, Judas Priest, Dio, Saxon, Grim Reaper, Cirith Ungol, Faithful Breath, Oz, Manilla Road, Heavy Load, Anvil

Artist: Thor
Title: Only The Strong
Label: High Roller Records
Catalogue Number: HRR1029CD
UPC: 4251267722020
Release Year: 2025
Duration: Album
Format: CD
Packaging Type: Jewel Case, Slipcase
Condition: New & Factory Sealed
Special Attribute: Slipcase, Double Sided Poster

Tracklist:

1. 2045
2. Only The Strong
3. Start Raising Hell
4. Knock 'Em Down
5. Let The Blood Run Red
6. When Gods Collide
7. Rock The City
8. Now Comes The Storm
9. Thunder On The Tundra
10. Hot Flames
11. Ride Of The Chariots