Small Stone Records

Seven Planets – Explorer Review

By Carcharodon on February 22, 2020 in 2020, American Rock, Hard Rock, Instrumental Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Small Stone Records, 16 comments

“Sometimes, vocals — however good they may be — detract, or at least distract, from really listening to the moods the music is conjuring. This is how I feel about, for example, the instrumental records that accompany releases from The Ocean — while I typically listen to the full version, every now and again I will put on the instrumental version and float away. While West Virginia’s Seven Planets are a very different beast from that Berlin-based collective, their brand of instrumental rock, rooted in blues and groove, also aims to carry you away.” Seven paths to Uranus.

Pale Grey Lore – Eschatology Review

By GardensTale on September 21, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Small Stone Records, Stoner Metal, Stoner Metal, 10 comments

“Is there such a thing as a universal archetype of a genre? A band that perfectly embodies everything you expect from, say, melodic death metal or power metal, and nothing else? After all, many bands mix in at least some influence from other genres in an attempt to keep things fresh and not everyone has the exact same view of what such a default state should look like. Stoner metal, on the other hand, often seems bent on conforming to a template, perhaps more so than any other of metal’s subgenres. All you need is a bunch of catchy, straightforward riffs, generally played at mid-pace, with a good measure of fuzz and with a dusting of psychedelic interludes and solos, and clean, ’70s style vocals on top, and you got yourself a stoner metal album.” Desert rock for dessert.

Irata – Tower Review

By Master of Muppets on June 5, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Post-metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Small Stone Records, Post-Metal, Progressive Rock, Sludge Metal, 47 comments

“If I were to start babbling about an American amalgamation of ancient elephants, roundness without fault and the pitch of Yasin Bay’s voice, I’d know what I was talking about but I’d be the only one. Similarly, when the promo bin tells me something is “math metal,” no particularly useful information has been conveyed. I had no idea what to expect from Irata’s third album, Tower, because of this very tag. Turns out, a progressive post-rock sign would have steered me toward the right ballpark; had the bin/Muppet communicated in plain English rather than being a fucking weirdo about it, I/you would have known that much sooner that the North Carolinans in question sound something like Mastodon, A Perfect Circle and Deftones having a casual orgy.” Communication breakdowns, yo.

JIRM – Surge Ex Monumentis Review

By Huck N Roll on April 3, 2018 in 2018, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Small Stone Records, Stoner Rock, Swedish Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 28 comments

“First of all, look at that cover. If that isn’t one of the most glorious pieces of album art, I don’t know what is. It reminds me ever so slightly of Dio’s old mascot, but JIRM don’t worship at that altar. No, the band formerly known as Jeremy Irons and the Ratgang Malibus. play a groove-filled psych/stoner blend with plenty of progressive tendencies, and Surge Ex Monumentis is their first album under the shortened moniker. After three albums with their cumbersome old name. Why the name change? To distance themselves from a washed-up, mean old actor, or to just give us less to try and remember? And what else besides the name has changed?” Up the Jeremy Irons!

Captain Crimson – Remind Review

By GardensTale on October 19, 2016 in 2016, Reviews, Small Stone Records, Stoner Rock, Swedish Metal, Stoner Metal, 18 comments

“Captain Crimson are a different beast than the two debuts I praised before, however. With two records already under their belt, these boys have a confident swagger and straightforward gait, focusing on catchy riffs, a solid yet playful bass, and the voice of a 22-year-old kid cruising through Palm Desert in an open-top junker.” Sofa King stoner.

La Chinga – Freewheelin’ Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on March 25, 2016 in 2016, Canadian Metal, Hard Rock, Proto-Metal, Reviews, Small Stone Records, Hard Rock, 10 comments

“Every once in awhile it’s fun to shuffle through the promo pile in search of an album that explores the good ole days of rock—and by “good ole days,” I mean old-man Steely D days. Even when it’s done shittily, the outcome triggers special memories of sitting around listening to the godfathers of heavy metal and hard rock on shiny black “frisbees” (as we use to call them).” The olde ways are back in vogue (not vogueing though).