Apparently the reason time is perceived as going faster as a person gets older is due to chemical changes in the brain. It seems like yesterday that The Small Takeover received and reviewed Stone Magnum's debutand it truly wasn't that long ago. The work ethic of this band is the inverse of their musical content of slow plodding tempo of doom. It's just a shame that a lot of blogs would have shuffled their release towards the back of the review queue due to the drooling over that highly anticipated Sabbath album coming out around the same time.
Once again, Stone Magnum aren't exactly treading a new path but thank your choice of deity that they're not yet another Cookie (Monster) Cutter death metal band. The band are still largely ignoring recent musical trends and taking the road less travelled with their heavy brooding doom. This time around though the singer's voice brings Messiah period Candlemass to mind more than that messed up reality TV star guy, who once sung for some band. This release is heavier than its predecessor and with this being doom, the Sabbath influence is still present but these guys clearly aren't boot-wearing fairies. It's no all giants trapped in quicksand though as "In Tongues They Whisper" has a segment with a fast head-shaking, almost but not quite neck-snapping tempo. Lyrically there's no denying these guys are top students of their craft with downbeat lyrics fitting like a hand in a masked medieval torturer's glove.
The true test of a sound-alike band is whether you want to listen to their influences after or while you finish listening to them. Stone Magnum don't cause a rush to grab either Candlemass or Black Sabbath albums because there is a crunchy addictiveness contained within their tunes. Maybe as a reference to one of their song titles that should really be "Uncontained". If this is the soundtrack from here to eternity, it's clearly well mapped out and lacking diversity but if it's an option, we'll happily walk on into the next world with it playing.
4/5
The album is available for US$5 from the band's bandcamp site. Do yourself a favour and check it out at least.
2 comments:
Nice write up Chris, the band should feel honored. There seems to be two camps in the stoner/doom world, one involves grunting and growling and the other singing, and I prefer the latter (which this is). The upper Midwest (Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, etc.)seems to be a hotbed in music these days, based on the requests I've been getting. Thanx for the share.
Thanks for the kind words, Justin.
The actual singing really does make these guys stand out from the pack in my opinion. The promoter who sent me this usually sends death metal and I often just pass on it. I'm really glad I didn't just ignore these guys though.
A facebook friend who is a huge metal fan and has seen them live did a review of this album a month or so back here: http://www.wormwoodchronicles.net/torture-chamber/stone-magnum
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