Martin Mendez is the bassist for OPETH, and comes with a side project now called WHITE STONES. The project is on their sophomore release now, titled "Dancing into Oblivion," which contains eight tracks. "La Menace" opens the album. It's two minutes of an instrumental build-up of odd and eerie tones, leaving off abruptly, with Latin spoken words at the end...a warning? "New Age of Dark" features that unmistakable OPETH sound...residing somewhere between Rock and Metal, and old school BLACK SABBATH sound mixed with modern, Progressive tendencies. The drums roll with a steady double bass, and although the vocals are harsh, they don't take over the sound.

"Chain of Command" begins with a bit of feedback, and steady bass guitar notes. Some odd leads notes come in, but that dancing bass playing in unison with the guitars really steals the show here. If Martin doesn't write or co-write for OPETH, I would be surprised, because their signature sound is pretty evident to me, though the harsh vocals are something OPETH tossed aside years ago. "Iron Titans" is the lengthier song on the album, clocking in at nine-minutes. Mendez's bass takes center stage in the opening of the song here, which is easy on the ears. At the three-minute mark, a heavier sound approaches, with dancing bass notes and ominous tones that speak of death and torture. Wow, what a fantastic set of dual lead guitar solos as well!

"Woven Dream" is a short, two-minute instrumental, featuring some despondent tones with some jazzy drumming. It was so short, however, that it was hard to really get a handle on. "To Lie or to Die" opens with some percussion and in comes the dancing bass line. Whispered vocals hold tight to a dissonant melody line that is both dark and fragmentary. The sound is both Progressive and murky. "Freedom in Captivity" is the final lengthy song on the album. It begins with some smokey, bluesy sounds from the lead guitar notes. Harsh vocals kick in and the sound changes completely. It shifts between a few different styles as it moves along, keeping the listener on their toes. It's a captivating sound, but a bit on the sterile side.

"Acacia" closes the album; a short, under-two-minute instrumental, featuring passages of clean guitars and some dissonance. As a side project, this sounds in the vein of the mother band OPETH, but also contains many different arrangements that keeps it standing out from the band. One thing that struck me as just a bit off was the three shorter songs that really didn't have much of an identity. Still, the remaining five tracks were both unique and interesting. Is it just me, or does the album suffer from a central identity? It really doesn't matter much...it's a side project of experimentation that was able to be picked up by a major label. It's hard not to compare, but unlike the mother band, it just doesn't quite add up to as polished of an album.