Stone Kings - Reset
Previously praised by Loud Stuff, Stone Kings have released a new EP. They have received huge praises from press and people who have worked with some of the most iconic bands in modern rock.
Opening up with the title track Reset gave me an indication what the band's sound consisted of, I had not heard them before and seeing below that they were spoken highly of. I can hear their listed influences, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, very clearly within the first couple of minutes. Listening to the EP, it is easy to see why they have been highly recommended by press and Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron Thal. What I like the best about the EP is that there is a variety of music; for example you have the slower track Hair Of The Dog and the more upbeat Weightless.
My personal favourite track on the EP is Beneath My Skin; grunge rock has been a favourite genre since I was a teenager and this song contains the key elements of a great grunge rock song. The parts I like about this song is the the memorable chorus that I can imagine will be sang along to at their live shows, the fantastic guitar solo and a rhythm that makes you want to bounce around your living room.
I really like this EP, I can easily see why they have been spoken highly of and I do hope they come to Southampton very soon. Their EP Reset is available July 27th 2013.
For fans of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden
Words by Charlotte Whittingham
Opening up with the title track Reset gave me an indication what the band's sound consisted of, I had not heard them before and seeing below that they were spoken highly of. I can hear their listed influences, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, very clearly within the first couple of minutes. Listening to the EP, it is easy to see why they have been highly recommended by press and Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron Thal. What I like the best about the EP is that there is a variety of music; for example you have the slower track Hair Of The Dog and the more upbeat Weightless.
My personal favourite track on the EP is Beneath My Skin; grunge rock has been a favourite genre since I was a teenager and this song contains the key elements of a great grunge rock song. The parts I like about this song is the the memorable chorus that I can imagine will be sang along to at their live shows, the fantastic guitar solo and a rhythm that makes you want to bounce around your living room.
I really like this EP, I can easily see why they have been spoken highly of and I do hope they come to Southampton very soon. Their EP Reset is available July 27th 2013.
For fans of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden
Words by Charlotte Whittingham
Stone Kings
Kent based Stone Kings are a hard working band, and before you ask why, allow me to explain. The guys only formed in mid-2011, and within 4 months of writing together had written 16 tracks, 11 of which were then released on their self-titled debut album in October of the same year. On top of this, they’ve performed over 50 shows including The Bulldog Bash in 2011, have accumulated around 80,000 MySpace fans and over 1.5 million song plays, as well as chart recognition on Billboard.com. Drawing influence from the likes of Alice in Chains, Guns n Roses, Korn, Incubus and Soundgarden, the band describe their sound as ‘raw, energetic, melodic and powerful’ – so this promises to be one hell of an album.
Crazy Again opens the album and straight away shows why this band has already achieved what they have, from the opening build up to the riff heavy track which follows on, this would be a damned good opening track on any album. Layered vocals, hammering drum lines, rumbling bass rhythms and enough riffs to keep any guitarist happy, this is a band who have taken their influences and turned them into a sound which they can firmly call their own. Catchy yet still powerful and hard hitting, the track fills the room with noise as it progresses, each instrument breaking through and allowing you to hear everything, it’s one hell of a start. Armageddon follows much the same sort of recipe, once again opening with a sludgy riff before kicking into the funky main section of the track. What I really like about the tracks so far is that the band don’t follow convention, they’re crafting a unique sound based on what they like, but it’s impossible to pigeon hole into a genre.
Psychadelic Lady throws down a Velvet Revolver style riff, once again setting the pace fast and throwing out a track which is going to get you shifting whether you’re ready or not. Catchy, raw and powerful from the outset, this is another track which continues the theme of the album without allowing it to become stale, still managing to keep the listener excited about what is going to come next. Throwing in a solo just to make sure you’re still there hammering out some air guitar shapes, it’s almost a shame when the track comes to a close, but My Punishment is there to take over the lead. Sounding almost restrained compared to the previous tracks, there’s a real 90’s rock feel to this track, almost oozing out of the pace and guitar lines which are thrown out at you. Vintage yet fresh is the easiest way of putting the feeling here, somehow combining old skool elements with a new approach, forming a track which truly stands out as a high point on the album. The same can be said for Free Yourself, once again launching onwards with a sludgy guitar line, almost sounding disjointed at first but soon drawing everything together into a track which once again, gets you out of your seat and makes you want to move along.
Take A Drive slows everything down, coming almost as a shock at first but soon settling firmly into place on the progression of the album. Soft guitar lines take the lead here and form a sound which you want to listen to as the sun’s setting and you’ve got a beer. There’s once again a nod to their influences within this track, not allowing them to become too apparent but instead simply showing that they’ve listened and taken notes as any good pupil does. The softness of the track allows a moment of reflection, allowing you to look back over things so far and look forward to what else is going to come from this. Building to a crescendo before ushering in some Spanish style guitar to open If She Does, once again you’re presented with another side to these guys, throwing in a soaring lead line over the soft backing track before breaking into a bass heavy track to underpin the story telling vocal line. There’s a real sense of Guns N Roses going on here, yet I can’t pin point why – it just reminds me of listening to Use Your Illusion 2 and watching the world go by, another high point on the album which you need to make sure you check out!
I Want You Back marks an emotional moment on the album, building into its opening before presenting you with a track which is going to get lighters in the air, hands swaying and people singing along. Slower and more restrained than some of the other tracks, personally I really like this track as I think it shows off the bands ability to alternate their style to accommodate new feelings. This moment right here is one which stands out, one which you’ll find yourself coming back to and one which once again, stands out as a track which you need to make sure you check out. Once again building to a crescendo before leading into Taste Of Heaven, the album is still sounding as fresh as it did at the start. Once again keeping things relatively slow yet upbeat and ‘feeling good’, this is another sunny day and beer track for sure. You can also immediately see why these guys got to play the Bulldog Bash, their sound is quite simply perfect for that sort of setting, and something I have to get out and check out for myself.
My Head In My Hands marks a welcome return to the more raw style of music which first got this album going, once again opening with a sludgy bass heavy rhythm section before ushering in the vocals to form a track which is going to get heads banging the venue over. Showing that they can indeed ooze power when they want to, this track is once again an example of a band who are out to define their own style rather than follow convention, it’s so good to hear a band doing what THEY want to do. Finishing the album with Sands Of Time there’s one last chance to catch the different approaches of the Stone Kings. This time combining the hard and soft into one track, it’s almost a final hurrah for the band as the album comes to a close. Powerful to the finish, the closing moments of the album match the opening, keeping you guessing as to what’s going to happen but safe in the knowledge that whatever it is, it’ll be good.
I quite often read press packs which say that the band is the next big thing or are on course to take over the world, but rarely do I hear something which backs up everything that’s been said – this is a case where they’ve got it spot on. The Stone Kings have released the perfect album at the perfect time, ushering in a return to a sound which has been lost, a sound which combines grunge with rock and metal, fusing the genres together to form a new sound, one which is heavy enough to satisfy, emotional enough to make you think, and soft enough to allow you to reflect. In summary, with some attention, these guys are going to be a house hold name – so get on and check them out whilst you still can!
To find out more about Stone Kings, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls.
Crazy Again opens the album and straight away shows why this band has already achieved what they have, from the opening build up to the riff heavy track which follows on, this would be a damned good opening track on any album. Layered vocals, hammering drum lines, rumbling bass rhythms and enough riffs to keep any guitarist happy, this is a band who have taken their influences and turned them into a sound which they can firmly call their own. Catchy yet still powerful and hard hitting, the track fills the room with noise as it progresses, each instrument breaking through and allowing you to hear everything, it’s one hell of a start. Armageddon follows much the same sort of recipe, once again opening with a sludgy riff before kicking into the funky main section of the track. What I really like about the tracks so far is that the band don’t follow convention, they’re crafting a unique sound based on what they like, but it’s impossible to pigeon hole into a genre.
Psychadelic Lady throws down a Velvet Revolver style riff, once again setting the pace fast and throwing out a track which is going to get you shifting whether you’re ready or not. Catchy, raw and powerful from the outset, this is another track which continues the theme of the album without allowing it to become stale, still managing to keep the listener excited about what is going to come next. Throwing in a solo just to make sure you’re still there hammering out some air guitar shapes, it’s almost a shame when the track comes to a close, but My Punishment is there to take over the lead. Sounding almost restrained compared to the previous tracks, there’s a real 90’s rock feel to this track, almost oozing out of the pace and guitar lines which are thrown out at you. Vintage yet fresh is the easiest way of putting the feeling here, somehow combining old skool elements with a new approach, forming a track which truly stands out as a high point on the album. The same can be said for Free Yourself, once again launching onwards with a sludgy guitar line, almost sounding disjointed at first but soon drawing everything together into a track which once again, gets you out of your seat and makes you want to move along.
Take A Drive slows everything down, coming almost as a shock at first but soon settling firmly into place on the progression of the album. Soft guitar lines take the lead here and form a sound which you want to listen to as the sun’s setting and you’ve got a beer. There’s once again a nod to their influences within this track, not allowing them to become too apparent but instead simply showing that they’ve listened and taken notes as any good pupil does. The softness of the track allows a moment of reflection, allowing you to look back over things so far and look forward to what else is going to come from this. Building to a crescendo before ushering in some Spanish style guitar to open If She Does, once again you’re presented with another side to these guys, throwing in a soaring lead line over the soft backing track before breaking into a bass heavy track to underpin the story telling vocal line. There’s a real sense of Guns N Roses going on here, yet I can’t pin point why – it just reminds me of listening to Use Your Illusion 2 and watching the world go by, another high point on the album which you need to make sure you check out!
I Want You Back marks an emotional moment on the album, building into its opening before presenting you with a track which is going to get lighters in the air, hands swaying and people singing along. Slower and more restrained than some of the other tracks, personally I really like this track as I think it shows off the bands ability to alternate their style to accommodate new feelings. This moment right here is one which stands out, one which you’ll find yourself coming back to and one which once again, stands out as a track which you need to make sure you check out. Once again building to a crescendo before leading into Taste Of Heaven, the album is still sounding as fresh as it did at the start. Once again keeping things relatively slow yet upbeat and ‘feeling good’, this is another sunny day and beer track for sure. You can also immediately see why these guys got to play the Bulldog Bash, their sound is quite simply perfect for that sort of setting, and something I have to get out and check out for myself.
My Head In My Hands marks a welcome return to the more raw style of music which first got this album going, once again opening with a sludgy bass heavy rhythm section before ushering in the vocals to form a track which is going to get heads banging the venue over. Showing that they can indeed ooze power when they want to, this track is once again an example of a band who are out to define their own style rather than follow convention, it’s so good to hear a band doing what THEY want to do. Finishing the album with Sands Of Time there’s one last chance to catch the different approaches of the Stone Kings. This time combining the hard and soft into one track, it’s almost a final hurrah for the band as the album comes to a close. Powerful to the finish, the closing moments of the album match the opening, keeping you guessing as to what’s going to happen but safe in the knowledge that whatever it is, it’ll be good.
I quite often read press packs which say that the band is the next big thing or are on course to take over the world, but rarely do I hear something which backs up everything that’s been said – this is a case where they’ve got it spot on. The Stone Kings have released the perfect album at the perfect time, ushering in a return to a sound which has been lost, a sound which combines grunge with rock and metal, fusing the genres together to form a new sound, one which is heavy enough to satisfy, emotional enough to make you think, and soft enough to allow you to reflect. In summary, with some attention, these guys are going to be a house hold name – so get on and check them out whilst you still can!
To find out more about Stone Kings, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls.
