MusicReviews

ALBUM REVIEW: STONECOLLAR

Chronicles of Steve

 

– PRESS RELEASE –

 

STONECOLLAR – Trial By Fire

It’s said if you want something done right, do it yourself. Cape Town-based hard rock outfit, STONECOLLAR, clearly took the advice to heart. After a year in the studio, the four-piece band have released their long-awaited debut album Trial By Fire, produced, recorded and mastered entirely by the band members themselves.

STONECOLLAR delivers a sound not commonly heard in South Africa, harking back to the glory days of old-school guitar rock. Yet the band members’ diverse influences combine to create a fresh spin on a classic genre that has a new generation of head-bangers pumping their fists in the air.   The 10-track album showcases this diversity, with tracks ranging from melodic rock to old-school guitar metal.

The album’s first single, SQT, is melodic rock with a hard edge. Catchy vocals and accessible melodies make it stick in the mind even as the progression from clean guitars to fast-paced, pumping-riffage has audiences bouncing at STONECOLLAR’s live gigs.

STONECOLLAR have built up a reputation on the Cape Town rock scene for delivering high-energy stage performances and Trial By Fire captures the same energy that the band displays on stage. The album is guaranteed to have rock fans singing along to the melodies, shredding up their air-guitars to the acrobatic solos and slapping their legs to the beat.

Trial By Fire is available on order at www.stonecollar.co.za and retails for R120 excluding postage.

 

Trial By Fire track listing:

  1. Not For Good
  2. Trial By Fire
  3. SQT
  4. Turn A Blind Eye
  5. Poison The Well
  6. Say Your Prayers
  7. Unnatural Selection
  8. …As the Crow Flies
  9. Loose Cannon
  10. Dying Breed

 

STONECOLLAR is:

Léshem Petersen – Vocals & bass

Sean Tait – Lead guitar

Clinton Jurgens – Rhythm guitar

Bryan Nicol – Drums

 

STONECOLLAR previously took top spot in the Western Cape leg of The Ultimate Battle, edging out strong competition from acts such as The Sleepers and The Plastics. They’ve since amassed a loyal following on the local rock circuit and have been invited to play at festivals such as Synergy and Rock The River.

Online, STONECOLLAR has already caught the eye of music lovers worldwide with online fans growing every day across social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, etc. By the end of 2010, hard rock fans across the globe gave STONECOLLAR’s first single, SQT, a rating of 4.9/5 on a popular music site. Less than 5% of the thousands of songs uploaded to the site made it into this range. SQT also scooped almost every award in the website’s hard rock category, including Best Guitars, Best Vocals, Best Drums, Best Lyrics and Best Song. STONECOLLAR was the highest-rated band from South Africa.

Recently STONECOLLAR signed a management deal with Headline Artists, joining their stable of successful rock bands across South Africa.

 

– REVIEW –

 

To begin I must say that I loved this album. Truth be told without the band contacting me, I would never have heard of them. But they are great. Being this good on their debut album bodes well for them in future releases as well.

In listening to them I got vibes from various bands I have listened to in the past. I hear little hints of Drowning Pool, Tool, Alter Bridge, and much more. Suffice it to say that if you like those bands you’ll hear something you’ll like in Stonecollar. The tracks are very well set.

The fact the audio was edited by the band members themselves and their awesomely diverse sounds tells me they’re some greatly talented musicians. I love the influences they have in here. As I stated above they jump between familiar sounding groups essence’s and keep your attention span very very easily. I have actually been listening to this album all week.

The artwork for the album is great as well. Nice coloration and easy to read. The entire visual presentation has the great look and feel a Rock band would have.

Before I get to the awesome listening for the album below for Preview, I must say that this is a must have for Hard Rock music fans. It’s available via their website: https://www.stonecollar.co.za

 


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Steve "Megatron"

Co-Creator @GeekCastRadio | Creator @AlteredGeek | Voice Actor | Podcaster, Husband | Father | Web/Graphic Design | A/V Editor | Geek of Games, Tech, Film, TV.

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