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Stone Gods have a soft spot for the golden days of British heavy metal, and on the Burn The Witch EP, they’re doing their level best to transport us back there.
Formed from the ashes of smash-hit comedy cock-rock act The Darkness after the departure of their dinky falsetto-frontman, Stone Gods have benefited hugely by clearing the ego from the front of the stage, allowing their prowess as a bona fide rock’n’roll band to shine through on its own merits.
The four tracks on the Burn The Witch EP aren’t going to change the face of music as we know it, but they’re great examples of how rock can be authentic and fun at the same time.
Title track “Burn The Witch” is full of Iron Maiden-esque bombast, with mock pagan shrieking of the title for the chorus refrain. Whether it’s a tribute to the legendary scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a secret only the band know.
“You Brought A Knife To A Gun Fight” is all tongue-in-cheek tough-guy braggadocio, a hair-metal epic with a swear-word laden shout-along chorus – odds on, this will become a Stone Gods live favourite and show-closer.
“Breakdown” is a respectful nod to a number of British bands, but not least Thin Lizzy – a melodic fallen-on-tough-times number with a virtuoso riff at the core, and lyrics which could be a parting shot at the band’s former singer:
“seems like only yesterday / you had it all and threw it all away”
Closing the EP, “Heartburn” is broken-heart tune delivered with a wry grin and a sly wink, and pretty much encapsulates the Stone Gods approach to music. These guys love classic rock and metal, and they know it inside out – but they don’t take it too seriously, and they know how to laugh at themselves.
The question is, can Stone Gods stand on their own and step out from the shadow of their former frontman? If it turns out they can’t, it wont be for lack of talent, as the Burn The Witch EP clearly demonstrates.
