Release
date: September 02nd
2017. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD
The
Meadow – Tracklisting
1.Farewell Lady
2.A Voice in Two
3.Transmission 05:16
4.The Meadow 05:48
5.Yet I Feel so Fine
05:56
6.Henry
7.Colours in Vain
8.Wasted Year
9.Can You See?
10.Dog in the Manger
11.Death from Above
12.The Orchard
13.Heathens
Members
Jeremiah Bertin -
Drums
Stephen Burdick -
Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard
Review
The Stone Eye's second album - The
Meadow - is an intriguing style of Grunge and Fuzz merged with heavy
subtle Stoner Rock/Metal dynamics. It's quite a long album running
around sixty five minutes in length. The Stone Eye has created a very
cool and different kind of album. It's one that draws influences from
many different bands across the Hard Rock/Metal scene. Alice In
Chains, Pearl Jam and Truckfighters being the main bands that The
Stone Eye sound like on different parts of the album.
Opening track - Farewell Lady - has
a classic grunge Alice In Chains feel with a Desert/Fuzz Rock sound
being the main driving force of the music. The vocals are very cool
indeed.
Second track - Voice In Two - is
another grunge/garage rock style offering with the drumming having a
very lo-fi sound. The guitars add "meat to the bones" for a
thick and heavy sound. The riffs have a classic nineties grunge feel
with the lyrics having a similar vibe. The song changes direction
towards the end as a dreamlike post-rock/desert rock dynamic appears.
It's quite a different sound from the opening moments of the song.
The Stone Eye is a very hard band to
describe as they play so many different styles of music on the album.
The album is very bold and ambitious and that is a good thing. As The
Stone Eye don't play it safe at all on this album. Songs such as
Transmission, The Meadow, Henry, Wasted Year and Death From Above
offer perhaps the heaviest and standout moments on the album.
The Stone Eye are a duo made up of
members Jeremiah and Stephen on drums and guitars respectively,
though listening to this album you feel there are more members. As
the band creates a "huge" sound that you wouldn't associate
with a band consisting of two members. The production of The Meadow
is superb indeed with the album allowing the band playing heavy riffs
with supreme confidence.
The Meadow is without doubt a damn
good album indeed but it can be frustrating at times and that's
possibly down to the epic run time. As the album runs out of steam on
the last couple of songs. It would have been better if the band
released this album as two separate EP's. Anyway, that's the minor
complaints out of the way. Now let’s focus on the good stuff. If
you miss the good old days of Grunge/Alt/Fuzz/Stoner Rock and want to
reminisce how good music was back in the good old days then this is
the album for you.
The Stone Eye have delivered an
action packed album that is great value for money and one that will
keep you entertained from start to finish.
Words by Steve
Howe