Review: Speaking to Stones – (In)Human Error

Style: Traditional prog metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, The Contortionist, Dream Theater
Review by: Nick
Country: USA
Release date: 26 August, 2022

Hailing from Rochester, New York comes one of the latest traditional prog metal releases of the year. Speaking to Stones, originally formed in 2004, has blessed us with what I find to be one of the most interesting releases of the year so far. I may be biased as I live about an hour away from these guys so there is a bit of local pride that comes from finding this release, but that aside, this is a seriously solid record. It’s rare that traditional prog metal can remain gripping nowadays with how reliant bands are on the sounds of their predecessors, but this group blew my expectations out of the water.

To speak of inspirations with this band, one would be remiss to not mention Haken and The Contortionist. The combination of influence from these two is a trend that has been largely dominating the sound of modern traditional progressive metal lately. Bands like Ebonivory, Chaosbay, and Soulsplitter have twisted that sound into their own style. I’m happy to say that Speaking to Stones is a new addition to that list. A prime example is “I’ll Be Your Ocean” which sounds very VERY inspired by Language-era The Contortionist at first, but kicks into a sound that leans more bombastic than it does ethereal like Language tends to be. All this talk of djent may make some people worry, but there’s really no reason in this case. Speaking to Stones cleverly uses it as a vehicle for killer riff after killer riff as opposed to being a chug fest like so many bands can fall into.

As cliche as it is for a reviewer to say, this album really does have something for everyone. The best example of this may be “The Drowned and the Saved”. Within the first minute and a half we go from a powerful intro complete with a soaring orchestra to a riff-tastic transition into a very Dream Theater style with some sick keyboard work and then, finally, into a very beautiful piano driven section. And as chaotic as this sounds, none of it feels forced. Each moment feels like a natural evolution of the next. The lyrics also shine through pretty well, with my favorite line being the titular “How do we know if we’re the drowned or the saved?”. About three minutes of riffing later we finally get into a kickass guitar solo with some jaw dropping techniques and writing akin to established masters of the instrument like Plini.

In the end, (In)Human Error manages to achieve exactly what it set out to and then some. It’s a fantastic listen if you want some djenty traditional prog metal along the aforementioned veins of The Contortionist and recent Haken. It may not be an all-time classic, but it’s an absolute blast to listen to and will leave you coming back for more. Definitely worth the time to check out.

Recommended tracks: The Drowned and the Saved, The Last Word
You may also like: Ebonivory, Chaosbay, Soulsplitter
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Animated Insanity Records – Website | Facebook

Speaking to Stones is:
Tony M. Vinci – (Guitars, Synths, and Lyrics)
Mike Malyan – (Drums)
Maxi Curnow – (Vocals)