STONEM is a metalcore act from Bavaria, Germany, which has been out since 2013, publishing their sophomore "Wasted" in 2015, releasing "Reset" in the beginning of 2017 and touring last spring with ANNISOKAY. STONEM has evolved since their debut and while keeping all metalcore elements they were able to add some trash and more classically metal features in the mix. This is immediately shown in the opener "R.I.P" which stars off with a dramatic guitar intro, turning soon in a metal riff, before Domme's vocals come in, alternating harsh shouts, growls and clean vocals from its quite catchy refrain.

"Off the Trail" sets thing back a bit to a more metalcore setup, introducing clean chorus refrains; "Bitter Trip" presents a powerful dialogue between Domme and the backing vocals, before going once again on with clean refrains, this time backed up by powerful guitar riffs. "Chromin Roses" is introduced by the aforementioned more classical metal arrangements which differentiates this album from their early works: reverbered vocals, mixed growled/clean voices in the refrain and angry second half of the song (with an ARCHITECTS' Sam Carter voice vibe) make it one of the best tracks of the album. While "Break Out" with Domme's staccato à la Corey Taylor is interesting but a bit unconvincing, "Mirror's Truth" kicks it with an awesome refrain sustained by proper riffs. Proceeding towards the end, "What Up?!" needs to be mentioned, as it an A-level synergy between Domme's vocals and the riffs and seems to be built on his ever-changing voice, going forward through breakdowns and changes of speed.

To diversify the mix a bit more, STONEM put in melodic death metal guitar riffs as backbone for the next "Set To End"; following "Unrest", while not drifting away too much from their new found path and typical song setup, introduces a downtempo section with clean muffled and whispered vocals, to regain momentum and explode anger in the end. On a more "cheery" choruses side, with acoustic Americana guitar inserts, "Weekend Warriors" close this 48 mins. STONEM with this "Reset" put together a good take on current metalcore scene, lacing it with various influences, from modern metal to melodic death: this gives the record a good layering and depth to be discovered with multiple listenings, which don't come hard to give it, even to those who're not so much into this scene. For being a self-release it shows amazing production quality and makes you wonder why they haven't found a label yet. Finding one could eventually help them develop a bit more originality, which in the end is the only limit and flaw in this record: while musically they gained richness in their sound, mainly in the guitar section, I feel they're still too much bound to vocals - chorus refrains classic metal core layout (which I repeat, they render in a good way, catchy and pretty danceable) and Domme's voice, although objectively very good in every stage, is yet to become "unique" and find its own place, avoiding the risk to be labeled as other major artists' copy.