classicrockmagazine

Richie is an interesting choice for front man, because as the Darkness’s bassist he seemed to be a quick fix after former bassist Poullain left, and didn’t seem to have the same flair as the brothers. Yet here he is, and a good choice he’s turned out to be. His rough energetic vocalsgo well with Dan Hawkins’ solid AC/DC-esque riffs, and his gravelly tones also work with the bands more poignant songs, such as the aacoustic”Magdalen Street. The song that stand out for me is the first track, and title track of the first EP, “Burn the Witch.” A song that incorporates an aggressive riff with often humeruslyrics, and an almost Metallica-esque finale. The chorus is a simple yet effective statement – “We’re gonna burn the witch!” This song is defiantly a good benchmark for things to come.

“Don’t Drink the Water” is another great rocker, and a parody of the British tourists, and shows that Dan Hawkins hasn’t lost his comedic skill with lyrics that he used so well in The Darkness.

A very nice man pointing out the exits
A pretty young girl handing out the wotsits
Saved like a fucker for my summer holiday
And I can’t wait to get away For the début album of a band formally 3/4 of The Darkness, this, I believe, is a great achievement, and shows, that with Justin gone, these guys can seriously rock. With influences of AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Thunder and a twist of metal, this album will sate the thirst of anyone looking for modern rock bands, easily comparable with Airbourne and The Answer, the other great rock bands of this decade. They already have a regular spot at the Download Festival.

The Darkness may have come to a sticky end, but without the media hype and excessive lifestyle, the Stone Gods are sure to remain a mainstay of the rock genre, and maybe one day their hard work will pay off.  

HarryB89 – cd.ciao.co.uk

Each and every day I exist on this planet, my musical scepticism is being slowly whittled away by bands who I have never heard of showing me that there is reason to have faith in newly released music; Stone Gods are one of those bands. There I was, slipping the CD into my stereo ready for another Guns N’ Roses disappointment, and before I know it my socks are clear across the other side of the room and my brain is leaking out of my right ear.

The single “Start Of Something” off their latest album “Silver Spoons and Broken Bones” consists of one truly inspiring classic rock and roll track (“Start Of Something”) and three classic rock and roll tracks with an acoustic tang oozing out of every strum (“Don’t Drink The Water”, “Things Could Be Worse”, and “Where You Comin’ From?”); this four track CD alone has already out played 90 percent of albums currently topping the charts for me. My favourite was definitely “Don’t Drink the Water”, plenty of sweet, meaty acoustic goodness, and even better was totally unrelated to The Dave Matthews Band.

Don’t let that lead you to believe that the other four are somehow any less though, each and every song has the same key feature which has helped this single find its way onto my iPod’s top three played single CDs; rock. So few bands write music like this anymore, I in fact loved the CD so much that I just had to head over to Wikipedia to find out their other stuff. As it turns out, this entire band is made up of MEMBERS OF “THE DARKNESS”?! I couldn’t believe my eyes, I even went as far as to assume someone had deliberately edited their Wiki page just to screw with me, but no, it’s TRUE! So I am assuming that by reading this you may already know this (or if you didn’t, you do now), so let me lay it our straight and say Stone Gods are nothing like The Darkness; they are so much better.

I’ve never felt so happy yet so hyper when listening to a band I’ve never know before, if you’ve never heard of them before then I would highly recommend you stop reading this right now, and go to YouTube to see if you agree with the following paragraph… Seriously…

This single has earned its 5 starts proudly, I don’t expect to fall in love with a band this quickly again for at least another year, these talents are a rarity in today’s age. Enthusiastic, in your face rock is what Stone Gods are about, and I applaud them for this entire single, no possible description I give can possibly do this justice. Go now, go listen to them in any way that you can, and you will understand exactly what I mean. I’m sorry Justin, but your services will no longer be required.

www.musicriot.co.uk

The single will be available as a CD and a digital download. Included tracks are:
1 Start Of Something
2 Don’t Drink The Water (acoustic)
3 Things Could be Worse (acoustic)
4 Where You Comin’ From (acoustic)

“Start of Something was one of the first songs we wrote as Stone Gods, ” explains frontman Richie Edwards, “The words reflect the positive outlook that we had, and still have. It’s a real hands in the air, ‘you won’t stop me, fucker’ song!”

“It’s about staying positive in the face of adversity, isn’t it?” concurs bassist Toby MacFarlaine, “And Lord knows we can all use a little of that right now!”

The quartet will also hit the road to support the single, and are completely chomping at the bit to get out there and start cracking skulls!

“It will have been 3 months since our last live show when we step out on tour in March,” grins Richie, “That’s too long in my eyes. By the time we finally get back on stage it’ll be like releasing a caged lion back into the wild, actually 4 caged lions. Beware ‘cus we WILL bite!!!”

As guitarist Dan Hawkins points out “It’s been great touring with Airbourne and Black Stone Cherry, but it’s time to spread our wings, show what we can do on our own. Book early for the first big rock party of the year!”

Dates are:
21 Mar Academy 2 Newcastle
22 Mar King Tuts Glasgow
23 Mar Academy 3 Manchester
24 Mar Academy 2 Birmingham
26 Mar Academy 2 Sheffield
27 Mar Barfly Cardiff
28 Mar Fleece Bristol
29 Mar 100 Club London

* Debut release, ‘Burn The Witch’ EP, sold out within hours of going on sale and hit the UK Rock Chart at # 2.
* The band played triumphant sets at 2008’s Download and Isle of Wight Festivals,
* Toured with Velvet Revolver, Airbourne & Black Stone Cherry
* Nominated for BEST NEW BAND and ALBUM OF THE YEAR at the 2008 Classic Rock Awards.

redhotvelvet

After losing gobby frontman Justin Hawkins, former The Darkness members have picked themselves up and re-applied their hairspray and produced their debut album as Stone Gods. With hard rock pioneers Megadeath still churning out albums and relative newcomers Dragonforce building up a fan base of young and old alike, there is obviously still a gap in the market for big hair and spandex. With support dates booked on Thin Lizzy’s tour you wonder if they will be relegated to these kinds of support slots, or worse swallowed up by the cover band scene.

Hawkins is certainly not missed, as former bassist Richie Edwards steps into his place with the strained vocals of a Sebastian Bach and though less catchy, the songs certainly have more credibility.

Opener ‘Burn The Witch’ kicks off proceedings nicely, it is a fun, thrashy tune full of energy. They take the AC/DC approach to lyric writing, with gems like “the flames are going to lick around your wizard’s sleeve”. ‘Don’t Drink The Water’ keeps the pace well, with blast beats a plenty and the tongue in cheek solo half way through that sounds like a samba instrumental on a Casio keyboard.

‘Knife To A Gunfight’ has a sleazy pool hall vibe and is not the witty take on public affairs you might think, as the chorus “you brought a knife to a gunfight…so fuck you” reveals. These tracks can’t be taken too seriously but show how the band has grown out of the self parody of The Darkness. ‘Magdelaine Street’ is clearly a highlight, showing they are capable of more than puns and aping their idols. The hushed backing vocals and jangly rhythm frame a beautiful guitar solo half way through. They tread the line between indie and rock well here and provide one of the most memorable moments on the album.

The halfway point sees the obvious ballad in ‘Lazy Bones’, but there have certainly been less original attempts. It is on the cheesy side, but is a well crafted song that shows the band to be technical musicians.

‘Wasting Time’ and new single ‘Knight Of The Living Dead’ end the album in great style and showcase Edward’s voice effectively. Particularly in the aforementioned, where his grizzly tones bring the soul to a song which shows they have a serious side.

The album is over the top and nonsensical at times, but every song has a place and it feels like a product of love more than trading on their celebrity. Overall it isn’t the most current album you will hear all year, but if you like your rock catchy and flashy there is much to enjoy here.

themusicmagazine.co.uk

Their debut album (silver spoons and broken bones) came out in the first half of last year and it didn’t seem to grab much attention yet I have it as one of the albums of the year! Why? Because it has everything you want from a rock album. Big guitar riffs, squealing solos and tight snappy vocals are all part of the successful recipe.

A great album though, needs to have a catalogue of hits. Just take your pick from this record. “Making It Hard” has a catchy melody and uplifting vibe while the explosive summer anthem “Don’t Drink the Water” is a great seasonal delight. Else where, there are no nonsense tunes like “You Brought A Knife To A Gunfight” which solidify the album with brilliance.

Hopefully a second album will be released later this year and prove that Stone Gods are far from a one hit wonder –  but if you can’t wait till then, then there is always my favourite track “Breakdown”, which for some bizarre reason never featured on the album.

Steve

theregoesthefear.com

BRISK metallish powerpop from the leftover members of the strange phenomenon that was The Darkness, this calls seventies rocky pop bands such as the Sweet to mind. Stone Gods features Justin Hawkin’s brother, Dan, and bassist turned frontman Richie Edwards, whose performance oddly reminds of Suzy Quatro in Devil Gate Drive. The brief incongruous Caribbean steel drum break only adds to the sense of mucking about that so incensed the metalheads back in their Darkness days.

23.8.08

Wherever you stand on The Darkness it has to be said that they served to re-focus public (and record company) attention onto classic rock music. Indeed it could be argued that the current resurgence in interest would not have happened without them. So what then of Stone Gods – are they a just a re-branded Darkness or a bona fide contender?

On the evidence of this debut album the jury will have to reserve judgement. There are undoubted highs here and very few lows as the album struts across a wide range of styles but the overall impression is of a band still trying to find their identity.

Credit must be given for the band’s determination to pay their dues and not trade on their ‘former’ name but perhaps another year or so to hone their sound would have paid dividends with a more consistent style. Things could get interesting further on down the road!

Album: Stone Gods – Silver Spoons & Broken Bones

July 22nd, 2008 · No Comments

Stone Gods
Silver Spoons & Broken Bones
Integral/PIAS

by Ryan Williams

From the ashes of The Darkness has come Stone Gods. It’s impossible to talk about this band without mentioning the multi-million selling band that spawned them, so why bother trying.

The formula of retro rock – AC/DC and Def Leppard the templates rather than Queen and Led Zeppelin this time – is wonderfully familiar. The band’s style is raucous but grounded and with the explosive, unpredictable, self-combustible factor of Justin Hawkins out of the equation, there appears to be a bit more stability with Richie Edwards at the helm.

Stone Gods have been taking their time and touring the UK incredibly hard prior to the release of Silver Spoons & Broken Bones and it appears their hard work is paying off as the y gain plaudits from critics and fans alike.

Opening track ‘Burn The Witch’ is dumb, family fun and totally sets the tone for an unruly hard rocking ride. That’s the key. It’s hard rock in the ’80s style for dudes who have a family. It’s beautifully inoffensive and just overblown enough to be bloody brilliant.

It’s important to remember that this is Dan Hawkins’ baby and he was just as important to The Darkness as his brother but was the understated workhorse rather than the flamboyant showman. As a result, this album apes music from decades gone just as much but a lot less conspicuously.

The self-indulgent factor has gone out of the window and a new level of maturity has come into Hawkins’ songwriting which allows the songs to flow and differentiate with commanding choruses and foot-stamping verses.

If you pick this record up hoping for the third Darkness record you will be slightly disappointed because if you’re just looking for a bit of fun, you won’t get it here. Stone Gods mean business and they will deliver.

4.5/6