For over 16 years 12 Stones has made a name for itself being a premier Alternative Rock band known for their killer rock tunes. With the release of their sixth album in July, Picture Perfect will show the band’s next chapter.
12 Stones started their career in 2001 in Mandeville, Louisiana and have been going strong ever since. Paul McCoy on vocals and Eric Weaver on lead guitar have been the constant members of the band. McCoy gained success for the band after participating on the track “Bring Me To Life” with Evanesence and winning “Best Hard Rock Performance in 2004 at the Grammy’s.
The band itself has had songs in huge blockbuster movies such as “Daredevil”, “The Scorpion King” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” to name a few. Their albums Potter’s Field (2004) and Anthem for the Underdogs (2007) were successful and brought the band to new heights. With the release of Picture Perfect on July 14, 2017 on Cleopatra Records the band will be embarking on a new adventure and a new record label with their sixth studio album.
The album starts off with hard rock track, “The Killer” with its guitar intro accompanied by a steady drum beat making for a great prelude of what is to come on the album. The song continues with strong vocals and a killer guitar solo.
Some of the songs on the album have a country rock vibe bringing back the Louisiana roots of the band. There is just enough country and pure rock and roll swagger to entice both fans of each genre; One song being “Voodoo Doll” and the other “Lerlene”. Both are different in nature as “Voodoo Doll” has a rock edge and a guitar solo, while “Lerlene” features acoustic guitar and slide guitar at some points which give it a ballad type feel.
Sure to be fan favorites on the album are “Nothing To Say” a true rock ballad featuring beautiful guitar and vocal performances. “Time” with its vocal harmonies and a guitar solo brings a special touch to this rock song. Title track “Picture Perfect” is a killer rock song with some amazing solo work done by Weaver. A tune that truly is touching that has acoustic guitar and singing is the ballad “Hello Suicide” that features some great melodic vocals by McCoy. This is like no other song on the album but will truly be embraced by fans.
For the true rock fans out there some of the faster paced songs begin with “Memphis” with its hard rock guitar playing and percussion session. With a punk rock feel intertwined with hard rock beats is “Anthem For The Underdog,” fans are sure to raise a fist to this tune. “Hey Man” and “Save Yourself” have that traditional hard rock sound shining through that brings about what the band embraces musically.
The last song on the album, “We Are One”, has a great rhythm section playing alongside a powerful guitar part leading the way to killer vocals, proving 12 Stones is a band with a strong rock music background.
12 Stones has proved they have the staying power in a time when many bands have come and gone. With Cleopatra Records the band will prove again that they have even more to offer with Picture Perfect release showing a new musical side of the band.
