Released By : Ripple Music
Genre : Classic Rock
Link : http://stoneaxeband.com/
Lineup:
Dru Brinkerhoff – Vocals
Tony Reed – Guitar
Mykey Haslip – Drums
Mike DuPont – Bass
Tracklist:
Disc 1
01. Old Soul
02. We Know It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll
03. Chasing Dragons
04. Live For The Day
05. Those Were The Golden Years
06. On With The Show
07. Ain’t Gonna Miss It
08. One More Time Before I Die
09. Just A Little Bit
10. Turned To Stone
Disc 2
01. SWLABR
02. Black Widow
03. Shine On
04. Rhinoceros
05. King Of Everything
06. When I Came Down
07. Taking Me Home (Live)
08. Stonin’
09. The Devil’s Hand
10. Metal Damage
11. For All That Fly
12. Nightwolf
13. The Last Setting Sun
14. Slice The Darkness
15. Transmissions (Pt. 2)
Following on from the double disc reissue of STONE AXE’S debut album courtesy of Ripple Music half-way through last year, the bands second album STONE AXE II has also been given the collector’s edition treatment that adds four bonus tracks to the original album and also a second disc that collects fifteen songs that were only previously available on Vinyl and compilation discs.
If you are unfamiliar with the band let’s just say that they are one of the premiere seventies rock revivalist groups going around today. Their music is made up of a mix of influences and in it you can hear artists ranging from CREAM, JIMI HENDRIX, early AC/DC, early KISS, SLADE, THIN LIZZY, UFO, RAINBOW, FREE, LED ZEPPELIN and much more. Where the band truly shine is in their clear love for the style though and you find many bands that are dedicated as these guys to setting the mood of a certain time period in their music. There is also a slight Stoner Rock feel throughout the STONE AXE sound which helps give them a structured and balanced sound.
I’ll skip writing too much about the original album that’s on offer here, suffice it say that it’s simply bloody great! What we will look at is the second disc… Simply put, if you’re a fan of the band already, or love your seventies rock then the bonus disc is absolutely worth having in your collection. The disc includes cuts from some of the band’s earlier E.P’s, a song from a split 12″ they did with a band called WIGHT, and plenty of stuff that the band have only included previously on Vinyl only releases. Usually when a band digs around for a bunch of previously unreleased material you great a mixed bag of crap with maybe one or two worthy unreleased gems, but not here. No, the bonus disc of this collection is just as good, if not more enjoyable overall than the proper first disc album.
Highlights include the totally THIN LIZZY sounding TAKING ME HOME, the Bon Scott inspired KING OF EVERYTHING, the LED ZEPPELIN feeling METAL DAMAGE and the riff-laden NIGHTWOLF, but really there’s probably another four or five out of the fifteen that I could rave on about. Really though, if anything written above has your interest piqued, just go and get a copy of this collection today. 25 tracks of pure seventies inspired classic rock is a great deal and STONE AXE really are one of those bands that you should be listening to and telling people about.
Written By ZeeZee
Rating : 9/10
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