STONE VENGEANCE

MICHAEL COFFEY's STONE VENGEANCE was formed JUNE 1978. For more info visit their official website WWW.STONEVENGEANCE.COM. From BELGIUM....METAL TO INFINITY! 28 years and still rocking hard! That's the applicable definition for Stone Vengeance, San Francisco's Metal Legends! The band started back in 1978, and perhaps, they are the first metal band with an all black members line up ! Some of you might remember bands like Sound Barrier and Hirax, but the pioneers of black metal are doubtless Stone Vengeance. One of the main man of Stone Vengeance is Michael Coffey, ethnicity is black / African descent, and he's taking care of the vocals, electric and acoustic guitars. Second in row is Anthony Starks, the man on the bass and ,now and then, he's taking care of occasionally lead vocals. Drumsticks are handled by Darren Tompkins, and those three guys are so dedicated to their musical preference, that they create great songs with a lot of musical variety.Their first release, back in 1987, was entitled ''Here Lies... Stone Vengeance'', followed by the ''Stone Vengeance'' EP in 1990. After a few years of absence, the band came back with ''To Kill Evil'', which included 14 tracks of great metal music. Finally, their latest output was released in 2000 as ''The Angel'' and the songs on that release are less metal, but more intuitive.''To Kill Evil'' starts with breathtaking riffs and a cool 'sing along' chorus, so raise your fist and shout it out loud : 'Kill Evil' ! There is a bridge in that track that goes into an experimental phase, but within seconds, the mean guitar riff attacks again, followed by a great guitar solo ! Vocals are high and imminent and in some parts, my mind recalled John Cyriis of Agent Steel fame . Nice and a very good appetizer for what's next to come ! On this album, they compiled demo songs, a few tracks from '87 and '90, plus some new tunes. There are two versions of the track ''Pain'' (one regular and one extended version), and don't forget to listen to ''Foxy Lady'' (originally by Jimi Hendrix).''The Angel'' was released two years after ''To Kill Evil'', and it indicates that the band evolved through that time. I guess that this album is the renewed, modern version of Stone Vengeance, while ''To Kill Evil'' referred to the earlier years of the band. The openingstrack starts with bongos and African drums, soon to switch over to some great Bay Area Thrash Metal. It's like time stood still and we got back to the S.F. scene of mid 80's ! So, go to the Stone and the Omni Club in Oakland, check out the free BAM music newspaper and be sure to check these guys out live ! They definitely kick ass and have no remorse or time to slow down !Final statement: Stone Vengeance is here to stay and let the next 28 years come ! Great band, great attitude, great musicians, and... a very own style that needs appreciation !! www.stonevengeance.com My rating: both albums are equal: 92/100!Patrick de Sloover on behalf of Metal To Infinity Webzine. BELGIUM! /mspmb