WHITE STONES

When that is said White Stones fully deserves to be mentioned as an interesting and worthwhile progressive death metal act regardless of Méndez involvement with the project. White Stones of course can´t escape some comparisons to Opeth, but although both Opeth and White Stones are at their core progressive death metal artists and some of Méndez playing style and Opeth involvement shine through here and there while listening to "Memoria Viva" (and on the two preceding album releases from White Stones), White Stones actually sound very little like the more well known and prolific Swedish act (despite Opeth keyboard player Joakim Svalberg also guesting, making the Opeth connection even stronger).

One of the core elements of White Stones' sound are the heavy organic grooves of the music. There´s an earthy, at times psychedelic, and quite creative touch to the band´s songwriting, and although heavy death metal riffs and growling/harsh Spanish lyric vocals are part of said sound, "Memoria Viva" is actually more an atmospheric and experimental progressive metal album than a death metal/black metal ditto. 70s hard rock and progressive rock, and 60s psychedelic heavy rock are all music styles which have influenced the sound of "Memoria Viva". Paired with the extreme metal elements it makes for an interesting and relatively unique listen. Maybe Enslaved at their most space rock/progressive metal mood could be mentioned as a reference. The tracks will take you through different musical landscapes and dynamics and although they are reasonably accessible, they do take a few listens to sink in. A good example of the diversity of the album is a track like the 6:58 minutes long "Humanoides". But even before we reach the halfway point of the album "D-Generación" has introduced a melodic aspect of the band´s sound and "Zamba de Orun" showcase flute playing (courtesy of session musician José Ignacio Lagos) and both classical music influences as well as an obvious nod towards Jethro Tull.

"Memoria Viva" features a powerful, organic, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. This is a high quality release through and through. The songwriting is intriguing and varied, the musicianship is on a high level, and topped off with a well sounding production job like this one, "Memoria Viva" continues the streak of high quality musicial output and fans of adventurous progressive metal with growling/snarling vocals should take note of this album. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

While it´s not wrong to label the material on "Dancing into Oblivion" progressive death metal, it´s actually predominantly because of the growling vocals, that such a label applies. The riffs can be heavy and brutal too and the drumming ditto, but the instrumental part of the music mostly takes its cues from other less brutal sources. I´m mainly reminded of 70s progressive rock, hard rock/heavy rock, and at times even jazz/fusion from that era, but put into a dark and heavy contemporary template. White Stones do a great job balancing the death metal brutality with mellow atmospheric moments (almost darkly psychadelic at times) and loads and loads of focus on rhythms, both in the way the riffs are constructed and played and in the way the drum patterns are composed and the drums are played. There´s such a great organic groove present throughout the album and it´s one of the cornerstones of the band´s music. The bass is placed high in the soundscape and the guitar isn´t distorted like you would usually expect on a death metal album. It´s placed lower in the mix and features a more organic tone, which again reminds me of 70s guitar sound productions.

It´s not music which is hard to follow although it´s certainly progressive, so the tracks don´t feature a million riffs, themes, and songwriting ideas (although this is hardly simple vers/chorus structured music). There are plenty of adventurous surprises along the way, but they are all incorporated seamlessly into the songs and the tracks are generally very well composed and quite accessible. The longest track on the album is "Iron Titans" which opens with a long atmospheric instrumental section. Only after 3 minutes does the death metal elements kick in and the song becomes heavier, then comes a fusion section, and the song ends on a more epic note with some effect distorted non-growling vocals. It´s just an example of the musical journey the listener is treated to on some of the tracks. It´s beyond me that Opeth has such a skilled and clever songwriter like Méndez in their ranks but haven´t ever included anything written by him in their music (as far as I´ve been able to research).

"Dancing into Oblivion" features a dark, powerful, and organic sound production, which suits the music perfectly and upon conclusion it´s a high quality sophomore album relase by White Stones, making it abundantly clear that they aren´t just a one album project. Let´s see what happens when Méndez becomes busy with Opeth again post the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, but I hope he´ll make time to record more White Stones albums in the future. There´s so much qualiy here, that it would be a crime to let it go to waste...I want more!!! A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

Stylistically the material on "Kuarahy" is a heavy, groove based, and organic type of progressive death metal. While the growling vocals are certainly brutal enough, "Kuarahy" isn´t the most death metal oriented death metal release out there. The organic, pleasant, and warm sound production is relatively subdued and it´s obvious the band aren´t out to pummel the listener with a loud abrasive sound. This is a much more sophisticated, laid back, and thoughtful approach to writing and playing death metal. The tracks aren´t overtly complex and the progressive ideas only emerge once in a while, so "Kuarahy" is generally an accessible release, which isn´t hard to get into, although it´s certainly intriguing enough and not simple in any way either.

One of the great assets of the band´s music is the irresistible laid back groove. I´m often reminded of 70s hard rock/stoner rock but just as often I hear similarities to the more complex rhythmic riffs of Tool (there´s even the rare semi-jazzy touch). The drums often pedal away with double bass hits, but not in an aggressive fashion and the drumming is perfectly complimenting the intricate riffs. The guitar solos and the atmosphere enhancing guitar leads bring variation to the music and they are generally very well played and are another great asset to the album. The growling vocals are probably the least interesting feature on the album. They are not badly performed and they suit the music fine, but I would have preferred them a little more intelligible and maybe also a bit more varied and intense. They simply leave me a bit indifferent.

"Kuarahy" was not an album, which won me over the first time I listened to it, but it planted a seed of curiosity in me, and with each successive listen I have been won over more and more, to the point of me greatly enjoying the album and finding it a very unique listen. It´s a well written and varied album featuring many different stylistic elements combined into a consistent whole. There are several standout tracks on the album, but if I´d have to mention a couple of highlights it would be "Worms", "The One", "Guyra", and "Infected Soul".

So the million dollar question that almost anyone reading a review of "Kuarahy" will ask is of course if this sounds anything like Opeth...and while both acts are in some way progressive death metal (Opeth not so much anymore), there are as many differences as there are similarities. They are definitely kindred spirits, but White Stones are ultimately a very different sounding act and anyone coming to "Kuarahy" expecting it to sound like Opeth won´t get their money´s worth. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved for this little perl of an album.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)