The first incarnation of this malevolent Serbian
band was Stone to Flesh before they changed their name to the current, The
Stone, in 2000. While the mainstay of the band is black metal, there
are also pagan and death elements. Immortal, Dissection, Immolation, Amon
Amarth, Zyklon and Belphegor, all come to mind while listening to their
newest disc “Magla.” As the back of the promo disc demonstrates
“Magla” can be translated to English as “The Fog.”
An appropriate title for such a gloomy and mystifying release. “Magla”
has a varying tempo from mid to fast-paced depending on the part. Shredding
riffs, pummeling blast beats and raspy vox are core traits in their music.
They get into a good black metal rhythm every so often as well. A few decent
solos are also sewn through their intense music. With forty-four minutes
spread over six tracks, the song may seem lengthy, but when you listen to
the album the tunes don’t seem drawn out. You get through the tracks
much quicker than you’d expect. When you find something like that,
you know it’s appealing. It’s cool to see that Belgrade is represented
well with a band like The Stone.
Rating: 77
Reviewed By: Jeffrey D. Adkins |
