StoneDivision
Six Indifferent Places
Independent Release
2014
Apparently Swedish hard rock/metal band StoneDivision has been trying to finish their debut album “Six Indifferent Places” for some time now. They’ve changed their line-up quite a few times before ending up to their current one. After listening to the whole thing I have to wonder if it was worth all that effort.
To be perfectly honest, I can’t really say that there’s anything wrong with “Six Indifferent Places”. The guitar riffs are pretty decent. The vocals are a little cheesy, but acceptable. As for the rhythm section, it’s also pretty tight and rocking. The problem is that everything is so unoriginal and predictable that you get the feeling you’ve heard it all before. Plus the guitar solos are all slightly outdated and pointlessly flashy.
Also, the overall noisy production, which makes every track sound more or less identical to the previous one, doesn’t score any points either. I dare say that if you make the mistake of listening to the whole of “Six Indifferent Places” through headphones, it’s guaranteed to give you a splitting headache. I should know as I made that mistake twice.
There is of course the sole exception of “The Unknown”, the only piano/acoustic guitar based, slow jam ballad there. Yes, it’s true that this kind of breaks the monotony of the album, but unfortunately, it does tend to get a bit mediocre too.
One thing that no one can accuse StoneDivision of is not trying hard enough. I mean it’s very clear that these guys have poured their hearts and souls into this record. So thumbs up for the effort, but regrettably, the result is not that satisfying.
To be perfectly honest, I can’t really say that there’s anything wrong with “Six Indifferent Places”. The guitar riffs are pretty decent. The vocals are a little cheesy, but acceptable. As for the rhythm section, it’s also pretty tight and rocking. The problem is that everything is so unoriginal and predictable that you get the feeling you’ve heard it all before. Plus the guitar solos are all slightly outdated and pointlessly flashy.
Also, the overall noisy production, which makes every track sound more or less identical to the previous one, doesn’t score any points either. I dare say that if you make the mistake of listening to the whole of “Six Indifferent Places” through headphones, it’s guaranteed to give you a splitting headache. I should know as I made that mistake twice.
There is of course the sole exception of “The Unknown”, the only piano/acoustic guitar based, slow jam ballad there. Yes, it’s true that this kind of breaks the monotony of the album, but unfortunately, it does tend to get a bit mediocre too.
One thing that no one can accuse StoneDivision of is not trying hard enough. I mean it’s very clear that these guys have poured their hearts and souls into this record. So thumbs up for the effort, but regrettably, the result is not that satisfying.