Stone Gods- Burn the Witch
The band- Stone Gods was formed by ex-Darkness members Richie Edwards on vocals and guitars (he was the bass player in Darkness), Dan Hawkins on guitar, Toby Macfarlaine on bass and Ed Graham on drums. They recently released the EP titled “Burn the Witch”.
The band’s biography describes the overall sound of the EP as:
“Fronted by Richie Edwards, whose powerful voice resonates with four decades of classic rock gusto”.
That statement actually makes sense because you would find echoes of Aerosmith, Queen and some glam rock bands of the 1980s. It really seems Richie Edwards and company have more or less shunned their previous musical root which was in the form of Darkness. However, this seems to be a remarkable piece of work, clearly superior to or rather interestingly different than Darkness.
• To remark that the first track, "Burn the Witch" is a breezy opener would be an understatement. It has got more surprises than what you would expect from an almost 5 minute rock track. There are elements of prog-metal, classic rock, NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) and speed metal. It takes all those vital heavy metal pills, breaks into one side and blasts in all its glory from the other end to finish what could easily be a key single for them if they have any plans of releasing this as a single. This song is definitely the highlight of the EP.
• "You Brought a Knife to a Gunfight” seems like a song Steven Tyler would do with Aerosmith. This when mixed with shades of Queen, specifically from their classic track- "Tie Your Mother Down", would result in such a musical output. It is an interesting hard- blues-rock song.
• “Heartburn” is yet another blues-rock song but a slower number with beautifully arranged guitar solos and chugging rock ‘n’ roll vibe that gives images of thick- moustached rockers riding their Harley Davidson bikes through the Arizona desert lands.
• “Breakdown” is such an outstanding rock ballad. It is relatively a simple track but by no means falls short of any of those gorgeous guitar solos and musical adventures like the other songs.
The most fascinating aspect is that it has got a certain retro-sound to it and yet at the same time it is not a copy of any those classic rock bands. All the tracks are extremely well produced. That should not be a surprise since they must have had so much of production experience or at least been involved in the tedious recording process during their previous musical incarnation as “Darkness”. This EP is a winner in every sense. I can hardly find anything to complain about it. To reiterate that point, Ritchie Edwards himself comments as follows:
“We won’t repeat any mistakes from the past. We’ve got a really punk rock attitude. I don’t have to play the game anymore. I don’t want to be a celebrity. I’m just so happy to be in this band. The music is the only thing that matters”.
I can safely say that the music they made is a testimony to his statement and it is this attitude that would win them a devoted audience in the foreseeable future. Perhaps, the leaving of Justin Hawkins was a blessing light in disguise to dispel all the “Darkness”. Call it tempting fate but I can really smell a sweet sense of success, here.
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Stone Gods- Burn the Witch (EP)
SEVENDUST hit the UK THIS WEEK with Black Stone Cherry & Stone Gods