Lineup:
Gregg Stageman – Vocals
Gary McCarthy – Guitar
Dom Holloway – Guitar
Dan Reene – Bass
Gav Ranz – Drums
Tracklisting:
- Creation
- Far Out
- Headshot
- Outcast
- Krokodil
- Time Out
- Full Throttle
- Enemies
- Lovelace
- Captive Audience
- In My Place
- Devastation
Originating from Canterbury in England, Stone Kings formed in early 2010 and started gigging in September of that year. They have been rocking crowds all over the UK ever since, playing on the same bill with legends such as The Damned (The Bulldog Bash), UFO and Black Label Society (Hard Rock Hell) to name but a few. With a two previous releases already under their belts….this year they offer a new selection of heavy metal Canterbury Tales with ‘From Creation To Devastation’.
The boys have even employed artistry skills of Dominic Sohor (Orange Goblin, Raging Speedhorn & more) for the cover art making this a package with a hard rock punch!
‘Creation’ – With the Amazonian rainforest bird song welcoming me into this superb album with a warmth that flowed like liquid gold, this instrumental opening to the latest Stone Kings offering ‘Creation To Devastation’ had me begging for more.
‘Far Out’ – Drums which replicate an LA suburb teen skate band practising with fury in their moms garage (and this is a good thing!) leads ‘Far Out’ respectfully into a melodically hard core ‘Velvet Revolver’ & ‘Stone Temple Pilots’ cross over which feels and sounds good!
‘Headshot’ – A punchy mosh of a guitar intro provides a darkness which quickly envelopes you with this heavy grunge track …but this is not your run of the mill ‘Seattle’ type sound, there is great creative use of guitar and drums throughout, unusual use of the axe with a stunning solo and drums almost sounding like bongos in some parts. This leads into ‘Outcast’ – Loving the voice ‘megaphone’ stylie on this ….again brings memories of STP and Alice In Chains, but with an updated feel to it. Loving that this band sounds like it should be from the states, yet has a definite UK tone to it.
‘Krokodil – Superb musicianship combining in melodic delight drums, guitar, bass and vocals. This Krokodil snaps at you with rocking delight and will swallow you whole. From a raucous reptile to ‘Time Out’ – I’m not usually one for rock ballads, but this one is cool, clear and simple … just the way I like ‘em.
‘Enemies’ – Belting lyrics and a screaming guitar solo will make you want tie down all your enemies and tape headphones to them whilst turning this anthem of angst up to 11 !
‘Lovelace’ – Is this a love song devoted to the porn star? I’m not sure, but pretty sure it is. Angry music and lyrics that are so sad … we all knew what hell she went through, right! This shouts out all her anger and despair in a roller coaster of hard hitting vocals and wailing guitar, while the drums chase menacingly in the background representing her demon of a husband.
Humdingers such as ‘Captive Audience’ and ‘In My Place’ make way for the grand finale of the instrumental ‘Devastation’ – Distorted radio and lightning strikes bring an end to this journey ‘From Creation to Devastation’ …with high hat belting drums of energy and coinciding guitar this rides the wave of a heavy roller coaster that threatens to suck you in to its whirlwind straight to hell …. And you will never return.
This album is a super charged rock heavy ride of dark vocals combined with the ultimate in musicianship with guitar and drums weaving a web of storytelling with each track. I love the way the whole adventure begins and ends with instrumental tracks.
Review: Francijn Suermondt
Score: 9/10
Links
http://www.stonekings.bandcamp.com
http://www.myspace.com/stonekingsmusic
http://www.soundcloud.com/stone-kings
http://www.twitter.com/stonekingsmusic