NECROMANCING THE STONE brings together members from bands such as BRIMSTONE COVEN, ABSCENCE, ARSIS and BLACK DAHLIA MURDER to mine for Metal gold. Aside from the atrocious pun of the title, (the kind of joke that is hilarious in a bar at three am but in the cold light of day is as funny as the resulting hangover), this is a powerful love letter to metal. The band doffs their cap to the greats such as ANTHRAX, JUDAS PREIST, and DIO, and manage to create something comparable yet fresh. There are some monolithic riffs on offer here that could set off a minor volcanic eruption. The opening song is a prime example with the two guitarists riffing off in a competition to see who can do justice more to a song entitled "Crusher". Here, the higher pitched vocals really compliment the song. "Bleed for the Night" surprises with singer "Big" John Williams bluntly adding a Death Metal growl to counterbalance his high pitch singing,

The musicianship on here is nothing short of stunning. None more so than the twin guitar attack of James Malone and Justin Wood. They shift from burly riff to classic metal harmonics to blazing solos with consummate ease. The solo on the romping "The Descent" is particularly noteworthy. Also, watch out for a mesmerizing cameo from ARCH ENEMEY'S Jeff Loomis on "The Old One". The rhythm section are a force of nature throughout the album. They propel every song forward, anchoring the band throughout which gives them their brute force. The double kick drums on "Honour thy Prophets" could result in minor dental surgery while the cranking bass work on "Unfinished Business" is a lesson to bass players everywhere.

Unlike many bands that look to the past this is no retrograde step on the band's part. This is a band that add a modern sheen to Classic Metal and create such gems as "The Sirens Call". The song comes across like DIO fronting a MEGADETH song. That is a description that should excite any Metal fan. Expect to have a very sore neck after listening to the bridge. The band is not afraid to take risks to see what they can do with the genre. On "Unfinished Business" they add some thrash with a hint of Death Metal to sweeten the dish. There are hints of IRON MAIDEN and metal mavericks CELTIC FROST. It's a hell of a main course which makes the dessert all the more remarkable. Album closer "The Battle Of Morningstar" is a tightly wound beast of a song that closes the album with the force of a tectonic plate shift. The main criticism of the album has to be samey sounding vocals. Apart from the aforementioned Death Metal growls, many of the songs would benefit from greater range. Although they threaten to, the vocals never quite catch fire and there are too many occasions when the vocals fail to sustain interest over the course of the entire song. It's a shame because the backing is, at times, remarkable. NECROMANCING THE STONE offer suitably captivating paeans to Metal in all its glory. There is something on this for every type of metal fan from a band that have a commendably sure-footed understanding of what makes metal great.