Stonelake is primarily driven by Peter Grundstrom on vocals and Jan Akesson on everything else except drums. They've had different drummers, but World Entry sees them collaborating with accomplished drummer Jaime Salazar whose work with Lande/Allen and The Flower Kings should suffice.
On their third album, the duo have penned 80's style hard rock meets metal, but with an enhanced, more modern production. Grundstrom has always recalled TNT's Tony Harnell to me; he has got solid pipes and does a great job on the higher register. He soars on "Deal with the Devil", also evoking Joey Tempest a tad during the pre-choruses. All songs contain a good dose of synths; even on the faster-paced, aggressive numbers such as "Body Talk" and "Rest My Eyes on You". The band goes all 80's on "Magic Signs" in the vein of Dokken, but the staccato riffery and drumming belies the comparison towards the middle. There are also ballads on the album: "Words Are Not Enough" and "One Love One Heart" are both punctuated by cool guitar arpeggios, soaring vocals, and ever-present synth layerings.
By no means anything special, but there are a good number of hard rock fans who will eat this up.
Track Listing
- Deal with the Devil
- Body Talk
- Words Are Not Enough
- City of Illusion
- Rest My Eyes on You
- Magic Signs
- Before I Go
- Cold Blood
- One Love One Heart