Review by Alan good, Blast.ie
Set In Stone - Do It Myself
Set In Stone are comprised of Gary McGuinness on drums, Brian Byrne on bass, and guitarist / vocalist Shane Roche. Semi-finalists at the 2FM Unsigned Bands Competition, their sound is one that cannot be neatly packaged into any single genre - a notable quality in an up and coming young group, (all band members are only 17) particularly as this is their first offering.One part metal, two parts rock and one part emo, this band obviously have influences from all ends of the music spectrum.
Evident from the outset is that vocalist Roche has a voice that could strip paint off walls. His vocals are cleanly executed and he puts plenty of feeling into some haunting melodies, rarely slipping into a whiny drawl. The best exponent of this is "Miserable", a high-octane, rocky affair backed by a gloriously simple and catchy riff and powerful, relentless drumming from McGuinness. Reminiscent of Nirvana in one of their more up-tempo moods.
"Manouvers" is a mid-tempo passionate anthem characterised by lo-fi distorted guitar, and is a wise choice as the first single to be lifted from the album. However, Set In Stone let themselves down with "Stop Complaining", an altogether forgettable and repeditive track with unnecessary lyrical showboating.
However, on the plus side, admirable versatility is shown on "Cry", as the band prove they have numerous strings to their bow. This track owes its' grating opening riff to old school metal, and the constant changes in time signature make it a mosher's dream. "let me come in" is a more chilled-out and low key, with the vocals again prominent, but the chorus is lacking in power.
Perhaps the band could benefit from a second guitarist to add a different element of soloing, which would without doubt enhance the middle eighths. When Roche momentarily discards his chords to solo, the songs suddenly sound bare and in need of padding. Maybe we could also see a bit more of Byrne's obvious talent on bass this way.
Returning to the album itself, "Satisfied" sees the band embark on a brief sojourn into the world of punk, and pull it off with great success. 95 seconds of madness, this is a true fist-in-the-air anthem. Devil horns all round!
The ending threesome of "Belief", "Eye Of The Storm" and "Lost Time" typify the good and bad in Set In Stone. Well-written, intelligent songs,It is difficult to judge the full potential of this album as the copy this writer received was a pre-release - the finished product is due out on May 10th - and it will be interesting to see what the final effort sounds like, production-wise especially. Generally, when one is given the task or reviewing an album, the process is cut and dried. Particularly when it comes to demos, which usually filter into two distinct categories; ones that make you want to rip your ears off and never be subjected to again, and those that scream "MAJOR RECORD DEAL". "Do It Myself" falls into neither of those categories, and one suspects that this may be the problem:
Set In Stone are a talented band with a plenty of original material, which can only benefit them, but the likelihood of them being embraced by all and sundry are the same as the odds of them paleing into insignificance; it is impossible to predict. As much as I would hope the latter doesn't happen, I'd have to see their live show before I am entirely convinced.
Alan Good
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