Monday, December 08, 2014

Open the Envelope

Stonebride - Heavy Envelope (2014)


 I've been listening to these four guys from Croatia for a while now, hopping on the Stonebride bandwagon around '08/'09, after "Inner Seasons" was released. Their style of Heavy Rock with Blues, Alternative, Doom, and even a little Psychedelic influence has always the right buttons for me, and this go 'round is absolutely no different. From the opening track "Movies, Movies" you're immediately presented with a crunchy, distorted riff, an infectious vocal performance, and a groove that doesn't quit until the track does. No fancy intros, no movie samples, just ass kicking Heavy Rock music from the very beginning, with the song taking on an even doomier sound as it proceeds. Around the halfway mark you have a mind melting guitar solo that is like a rush of adrenaline, and really kicks the second half of the track into high gear. As you proceed through the six tracks that make up "Heavy Envelope", you get to the closer, and it's an excellent one in the song "Venomous". With behemoth riff, and even more gnarly groove in the mix, that vocal performance still cuts through it all and really shows off some range in this one. As you get in the track a little more you come across the guitars players going back and forth, and it's probably the most heaviest game of dueling guitars you ever have or will hear. As you move toward the end of the seven and a half minute track, you too a section where their Psychedelic influences shine through in the form of a rhythmic chant sort of thing that serve as the vocals all the way through the end. While you can't find the album on their bandcamp quite yet, it will be up there soon, with CDs on their way back from being printed and vinyl slated for sometime the first of next year, it would seem the guys in Stonebride have their work cut out for them keeping up with all the buzz this one is going to start up.
~Skip

For Fans Of; Kyuss, Sungrazer, The Dwellers

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