STONEMAN – Human Hater

Stoneman is an Industrial / Goth Metal band from Switzerland. The quartet featuring Mikki Chixx on vocals and Mr. Fly on guitar have been around since 2004. Human Hater is their third full-length album, and chock full of tracks that are raw, dark, and hate-filled.

The general sound of Human Hater is not that of your run of the mill Dark Metal album. There are elements of classic sounds of Rob Zombie, Marilyn Mason, and Type O Negative heard throughout each of the tracks. The production is very tight, the songs are put together very professionally, and the musicianship is exceptional.

Although each of the tracks is laden with extremely heavy guitar riffs, the focal point of the album is the vocals of Mikki Chixx. Sinister, aggressive, and evil are just a few adjectives to describe Chixx’s vocal style. He displays an extreme dynamic range from an intense and growlish Death Metal style to a smooth and sultry deep baritone. The passion and excitement he puts into each song is infectious.

Lyrically, the main emphasis is hate. With song titles like “Hope You All Die Soon”, “Suicide Is A Suicide”, and “Built Of Anger”, don’t expect any inspirational messages of hope. Musically, most of the songs have catchy hooks and melodies built into the dark undertones. Most notably the track “Zombie Zoo”, which features a guest vocal appearance from Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13, is very reminiscent of the Rob Zombie radio hits of the late 90’s. Another appealing track along those same lines is “Sugar Mama”, a love song, if you will, about a dramatic (yet sexy) girlfriend. However, the most diverse song on this album is “No Sweet November”. This motivating Rock ballad really shows off Chixx vocals talents, as he portrays a very straightforward vocal style and puts out a very charming and haunting melody.

Human Hater is full of pleasant surprises. The album could be perceived as somewhat commercial in some aspects, but a shrewd listener will easily hear rawness and heartfelt aggression, which is the driving force behind this band. Metal fans looking for a fresh hard and heavy sound will be satisfied with the offerings of Stoneman… this is a band that may be making a big impact in the near future.