More like “A Demonstration in Being Awesome”

A little over six months removed from the release of the triumphant “Into the Baneful Fog”, STONE FANG return with a brand new EP, “A Demonstration of Soul Power” releases on January 31st, 2024.

I reached out to the band directly for the opportunity to review this one, and (honestly shocking me) they accepted. Because of that, we here at TheNWOTHM didn’t receive a traditional PR package, instead I just upfront asked the band what they’d like me to include here.

STONE FANG is the brainchild of Metas, and is deeply entrenched in the lore of the Demon’s/Dark Souls video game series. That makes the band join the, oddly short, list of metal bands whose themes are linked to specific video games (Need some Dragon Age metal in my life). Besides the Souls series, STONE FANG also calls legends such as MERCYFUL FATE/KING DIAMOND, SATAN, JUDAS PRIEST, and HELLOWEEN as influences. They also shoutout newer artists like ETERNAL CHAMPION and SMOULDER.

REVIEW

Holy hell, that album art is stunning! I’m a sucker for traditional art styles and drawings as covers (works better than some of that atrocious AI covers that have been coming out lately), and this one may stay in my list of the best album covers of 2024.

And as before, I love their logo so much. It’s unique, while still evoking some familiar imagery and motifs.

The first of 4 tracks on this EP was the title track “A Demonstration of Soul Power”, and what a monster of a riff to begin things! I find myself increasingly enthralled by the almost haunted nature of the vocal delivery. I was really feeling the groove in this one, particularly at around 1:30. Love the harsh vocals a lot, they really add a whole other layer to the track (same goes for the occasional keyboard/synthesizer in the background). Damn I love that solo at the end too, perfectly fits in with the vibe of the song. No notes.

After which we came to “The Ruined Path”, a much more in your face number, and with some killer drums in the beginning. Very heavy NWOBHM influence here, and that’s always neat. On top of that, there’s a noticeable speed metal sprinkling in it. Holy freaking sh*t… that banshee’s cry at 3:00 is spine-chilling. NOTE: Upon second listen, I have determined that the aforementioned banshee’s cry is still otherworldly.

The first of our final two tracks was “Clashing Blades of the Northern Lands”, and it gets a nice moody keyboard opening that really sent me back to my goth days. I’m also a complete sucker for that pipe organ sound, so I loved it. An absolute murderous riff after the intro that nearly took me out. Absolutely enthralled with the vocals in this song, the cadence in the way their delivered is just magic.

And finally, and most curiously, we come to the DEEP PURPLE cover “Bloodsucker”. I have to confess, I hadn’t heard the original before this, so I listened to it first, before diving into STONE FANG’s rendition. I applaud keeping the groove of the original intact, and while the vocals definitely should not work for this, somehow it does. Also, the keys in this are smooth as hell. Again, this shouldn’t work, but I really dug it a ton! Mad props to STONE FANG for being respectful to the original, while still making the track their own.

CONCLUSION

Wow, this was a doozy! I loved “Into the Baneful Fog”, and I adored “A Demonstration of Soul Power”. Seeing STONE FANG’s evolution will be a huge treat, hopefully for years to come. But even in such a short time, just witnessing the maturity of the band and the sound is impressive. Don’t miss this one, when it releases on January 31st of 2024!!

TheNWOTHM Score: 9/10

STONE FANG
Bandcamp: https://stonefangheavymetal.bandcamp.com/
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stonefangheavymetal/