Massacre Records (2011)

Impressive if not a little outdated hard/hair/heavy metal with a generous helping and attitude of "Cowboys from Hell" Pantera. Very good musicianship, execution, mighty catchy songwriting that works for the most part. Perhaps a little early Ozzy thrown in to the mix as well. I cannot say anything is particularly bad or a filler, and, surprisingly, despite operating with 160 Kbps mp3, the sound still comes in clear, crisp and powerful. It has that 80s/early 90s, "all-hits-arena-rock-star approach" but somehow also that Megadeth "Addicted to Chaos" ("Youthanasia") vibe to it.

You want to say it's "commercial" but how can you deny the charm of " Snakechild" or "Walk in the Temple" or the simple but wrecking ball heavy "Liar", when that shit takes you back to the times when you didn't have to worry about your job, changing reeking diapers, politics, religion or relationships and were getting "pocket money" to buy the new Scorpions or Europe along "Rust in Peace" record?

Although, I do remember how I heard "Countdown to Extinction" (Megadeth) for the first time thinking it actually better than the black Metallica album every other Polak worshipped? How I took a train to the 30 mile away Katowice to find the CD only to come back empty handed and, following my best friend's advice found it in an antique store in my own birth city of Gliwice! Or , how enamoured with Megadeth and having discovered even better stuff with "Rust in Peace", wanting to buy it one day, I hoped to get the money from my mom and she went and actually BOUGHT me that motherfucker for my birthday? Oh, those were the days of my European upbringing!

Speaking of Megadeth, I get this "my Megadeth" feeling I have not felt since "Countdown..." (17 years!) with the new, "Th1rt3en" album, an album I constantly rotate in my car or listen to on my iPod along with this here Stone Lake CD. I know the new 'deth disappointed many and garnered mostly bad or average reviews but I am actually very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this offering. I also find it strange that no one bothered to review it here nor on Eternal Terror website, especially since it was done for "Endgame". It has been generally ignored more than Ron Paul by his own party. 

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Voodoo Highway made me question Massacre's judgment, Love Might Kill made me reconsider but Stone Lake got me thinking if they're this good, keep them coming! There is a magic to this album that, despite some flaws, will not let me rate it below 5 / 6, so be it.

www.stonelake.se
www.massacre-records.com

Rating: 5 / 6

Composed by Dethster4life