Stone Gods
Silver Spoons & Broken Bones

After discussing Justin Hawkins and his Hot Leg, it seems quite obvious to also talk about the other ex-Darkness members.

With the departure of the group's leader, the remaining members Daniel Hawkins, Richie Edwards (who became the new singer), and Ed Graham, along with newcomer Toby MacFarlaine, formed the Stone Gods. After releasing an EP ("Burn the witch") in February 2008, their first real album "Silver spoons & broken bones" was released on June 23 of the same year. Driven by the usual curiosity, I listened to this album with great enthusiasm.

It starts off well with "Burn the witch," the best track on the album. It's a hard-hitting song with an intro that immediately draws you in and a long musical ending in Metallica style (proportionately!). "Don't drink the water" is very fast and immediate, a track that stands out right from the first listen. "Defend or die" quite resembles the latest Jane's Addiction (with Edwards surprisingly sounding like Perry Farrell in some parts), to which an interesting concluding part is added. "You brought a knife to a gunfight" is very simple, impactful thanks to its determined and catchy rhythm. "Magdalene street" is unique, at times reminiscent of The Kooks; it's fun but not superficial. With "Where you coming from" and "Lazy bones", The Darkness comes to mind. They are nice songs, but even though I think Edwards did an excellent job, Hawkins' absence is unmistakable. "I'm with the band" and "Making it hard" (separated by "Start of something", the most pop song on the album) are in 80's rock style, maintaining more than decent levels without quite making a significant impact. "Wasted time" revisits more commercial melodies, already heard in "Start of something." With "Knight of the living dead", they return to a more aggressive style, and the song is the best in the second half of the album, having also been proposed as a single. The album closes with "Oh whereo my beero", an honest track, not a masterpiece but a very respectable conclusion to a not-so-bad album overall.

"Silver spoons & broken bones" significantly diverges from the sound of The Darkness, offering more "hard rock" sounds overall and certainly less glam. Even though we are talking about a debut album, the experience of the members is evident. They know how to captivate the listener and know exactly what they want from each song. However, there is room for improvement.

My first impression was of a band without a real direction. They move from one style to another with ease, which makes the album varied, but it also highlights some of the quartet's limitations (such as in the more pop tracks, where there is a lack of originality). However, a review is not just about finding faults, so the Stone Gods should be credited with creating some excellent tracks and, overall, a very good debut album.

The most suitable rating would be 3.5, but I want to give it a 4 as a sign of trust... am I right? To answer that, we just need to wait for the release of the second album (which shouldn't be too far off), where I hope to find that leap in quality that would make the Stone Gods more than just a promising rock band, and I truly believe the talent is there to do so!