Unless you’ve been living in a cage of late, you’ll have been hard-pressed to miss the name Stoneghost steadily gaining traction in hard rock / metal circles. One of the most exciting bands currently treading the boards, Stoneghost hail from London and are, without doubt, a challenge to the seeming ubiquity of the likes of Lamb of God with their relentless riffs and supercharged vocals all kept in check by a rhythm section so tighter than a gnat’s proverbial. Signed to the increasingly excellent Mascot label, Stoneghost are poised to release their debut album, the churning maelstrom that is ‘new age of old ways’ and if you don’t already have it on your ‘need-to-buy’ list then you should seriously consider giving up on music right now because it is a cracking album that fizzes with energy and malevolent intent.
Stoneghost don’t mess around on ‘new age…’ Having waited and worked for this opportunity, they’re not going to let it pass them by, and so ‘faceless ghost’ opens the album with the sort of hyperactive energy you expect to see from a teenager who’s drunk a litre of red bull and then attempted to ameliorate the effects with sixteen packs of fizzy sweets. Opening with a pummelling riff that sits somewhere between Lamb of God and Black Label Society, it not only thrashes, it also grooves, and it’s hard to believe that this furious assault is being made by a band with just one guitarist (the hyper-talented Andrew Matthews). However, whilst the band are intense, tight and immensely proficient, all attention is drawn to Jason Smith who has confidence and power in spades. Delivering his lines in the manner of Phil Anselmo, he has a remarkable grasp of melody that keeps the vocal lines memorable even as it sounds as if his veins must surely be exploding from his body in the recording studio. The band are helped immensely by having had Russ Russell (Napalm death, Evile, Dimmu Borgir, Sikth etc…) at the helm and his production work helps to bring the very best out of the band. ‘Devil’s motion’ has a down ‘n’ dirty groove to it, tearing into the listener with a real fury but even better is the schizophrenic ‘all they need is the light’ which recalls Pantera at their most experimental (think ‘drag the water’) with its light and shade dynamics, atypical progressions on the guitar and a vocal performance that is second to none. ‘Second to breathe’ sees the band expand their sonic palette further with hints of Alice in Chains and Black Label Society in the powerfully melodic groove and it provides a nice change from the raw fury found elsewhere. In contrast, ‘the sound remains’ is a tooled-up, obnoxious blast of pent-up rage given form as Chris Finniss does his best to pound his drum kit into so much rubble whilst Jamie Nash (bass) and Andrew tear at their instruments like men possessed. If the song is anything near as brutal live, the front rows better watch out because this is flesh-ripping stuff.
Demonstrating the band’s technical proficiency, ‘Raynardine’ has some nimble guitar work amidst its brutal sturm und drang whilst ‘sleeper’ takes a subtle, hypnotic riff and runs headlong into Neurosis territory, recalling long-lost British band Pulkas in the process. It’s a highlight of the album, and it shows that there’s more to Stoneghost than just youthful aggression, even if ‘your trigger,, my finger’ turns out to be the album’s most brutal song. A thrilling, body-slamming blast of groove-laden thrash, it’s another example of Stoneghost delivering their own take on the Pantera blueprint and doing so with no small amount of style. ‘Third degree’ has a syrupy swing to it that works its way deep inside, not to mention a brilliantly realised central harmony built over a single repeating riff that is both original and memorable, showcasing the eclectic tastes that lie at the heart of Stoneghost. ‘Let sleeping beasts lie is another example of the band’s multifaceted approach to song-writing. With some lovely acoustic work and a gentle rhythm, it’s a mix of AiC and BLS and it builds to a suitably impressive solo at its conclusion. It is the perfect end to the album, but for those with a taste for more, a bonus track in the form of ‘mother of all bastards’ gives listeners one last opportunity to bang their heads as the band unleash a blast of primitive, punk-fuelled thrash. A demo track, the quality is lower than found elsewhere, but it sounds like a suitably honest snap shot of the band having a good time in the studio and is all the better for it.
With their highly regarded Bloodstock appearances and with the weight of Mascot records behind it, the album has the perfect opportunity to bring Stoneghost the fame that they entirely deserve. A band unafraid to wear their influences on their sleeves, they still successfully imbue each song with their own unique personality and the musicianship is of incredibly high quality throughout. Thanks to Russ Russell, the album is of pristine quality but what really shines through is the passion and commitment of the band. A remarkable debut, if you haven’t yet pre-ordered ‘new age of old ways’ then kick yourself, hard, and remedy the situation.
