Give In To Temptation is a great title for the debut album from the Brighton hailing Stone Angels (not to be confused with The Stone Angels from Devon), as that is exactly what you do, inescapably submit to its eventful rock ‘n’ roll roar. Jammed with eleven fresh sounding tracks which brew up rousing exploits from admittedly pretty recognisable sounds and inspirations the album is hefty in anthems and punchy adrenaline charged stomps, and as high on that familiarity to others as it can be at times, Give In To Temptation lets no one down when it comes to thrills and enjoyment.
Stone Angels emerged in 2011 from the ever musically resourceful scene in Brighton, the experienced quartet rising from the ashes of ‘several broken’ bands. Drawing on inspirations from the classic LA rock and legendary UK rock scenes, and bands ramngimng from Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry, Black Spiders, AC/DC, Massive, and Rival Sons to Five Finger Death Punch, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Slash’s Snake Pit, and King’s X, Stone Angels’ hard rock incitement has seen them become one of the UK’s most potent live propositions. Now the band is looking to awaken even broader attention with the national re-release of Give In To Temptation, a prospect you can see gathering rather potent success.
The reason being songs like Misplaced Memories and Devil’s Child, they just the first two tracks on the swiftly persuasive encounter. The opener worries ears with a torrent of hungry riffs and spiky grooves meshed into a rhythmic web cast by drummer Ben Taylor and bassist Chris Wilson. There is grouchiness to the tone of the song and instant contagion on offer with the sonic enterprise of guitarists James Innes and Niall Kersey tempering the growl a touch with melodic enticement, especially the former’s precise grooves. Kersey’s vocals also carry a dusty snarl which only adds to the easily accessible and familiar but refreshing confrontation, a blend exploited enjoyably again in the slower prowl of the second song. Bands such as Black Stone Cherry and Rev Theory get hinted at though the song has a more vintage bluesy hue to it as it backs up the album’s forcibly engaging start.
That sultry air and texture becomes richer in the following fiery melancholy of Last Goodbyes where keys deliciously add a psychedelic strain to the increasingly eventful and impressive croon, Stone Angels revealing more good variety to their sound and songwriting. Uniqueness is, as suggested earlier, not a dramatic quality to their sound and indeed the song but it matters little in its persuasive bellow and not at all in Can You? straight after. Again attitude and melodic flames fuel the track, but it is the bewitching sonic hook and easy swagger which grips most prominently, they and the vocal lure of Kersey backed potently by the rest of the band’s calls.
At only two and a half minutes, the track is a swift, bait loaded jab and the relative shortness of most songs within Give In To Temptation does add to the rapier like feel of the album and its thick success on ears and appetite, this proven again by the not much longer body of Fantasy and swiftly after in the slightly lengthier Lines In The Sand. The album is like a heavy weight poking senses and satisfaction, this pair uppercuts of rock ‘n’ roll which has energy reeling and bodies exhausted. Both tracks unveil individual grooves which induce ears and hunger to arousal amidst greedy riffs adding enticing weight to the song’s tenacious grip.
Thousand Years slips into a mellower melodic reflection within a hazy flame of emotive intensity to bring a respite of sorts for adrenaline and energy whilst Falling Down gets funky on the listener whilst unleashing another dose of predatory riffs, wicked rhythms, and spice rich, bordering on salacious, grooves across guitar and bass. The first of the pair takes longer to find the right spot but is perpetually enjoyable nonetheless whilst its successor is an immediate stomp which just has bodies swinging, an anthem no doubt igniting venues for the band and calling out to be a single.
There is a darker almost sinister shade to the imposing blues rock stroll of Devil’s Grip and a lighter glaze of stoner-esque infectiousness to Fine Day, both songs rich with tendrils of sonic imagination and the healthy spices bred by some of the band’s influences. The latter is another single prospect for these ears; its Alter Bridge meets Shinedown character tantalising before Shadows Of The Black Sun is left to bring the album to a close. Again it is ripe with a familiarity which only seems to works in the song’s favour, as indeed for Give In To Temptation’s success.
Future demands might ask for more distinctness to the Stone Angels sound next time around though you are pretty much sure of some stonking songs at the very least anyway, but for an introduction, Give In To Temptation is one enjoyable slab of rock ‘n’ roll you can only have a thoroughly good time with.
Give In To Temptation is nationally released on Friday 4th September on CD and digitally through all stores.
RingMaster 04/09/2015
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