Stonebirds - Perpetual Wasteland - review
Stonebirds - Perpetual Wasteland - review
Tracklist
01. Circles02. Croak
03. So Far Away
04. Sea Of Sorrow
05. Lit By Fire
06. The Last Time
A review by
musclassia November 19, 2025
It’s not very clear to me from the band’s social media whether Perpetual Wasteland is Stonebirds’s final action of any form, or whether it is just their final album release, but it marks the last entry into a five-album discography amassed by the French trio (albeit with the first one referred to as a album-length demo in some places), who have sustained the same line-up for 4 of those records. Stonebirds have come a long way from the roughly produced stoner metal of Slow Fly, as Perpetual Wasteland fluidly spans several overlapping genres within metal.
There are faint hints of those early stoner days, most notably in the neat psychedelic conclusion to opening song “Circles”, but for the most part, this album finds itself fluctuating between alternative, progressive, sludge and post-metal, arguably leaning more towards the latter two. “Circles” gives off post-metal vibes early on with a rhythmically complex and textured opening, before sliding into a rambunctious sludge verse accompanied by roared vocals. The song doesn’t really have a chorus, although a very hooky lead guitar motif coming after each verse is just as memorable as vocals would be; that said, later in the track the band’s clean vocals are put on display for the first time, and a Chino Moreno-esque airy delivery offers a surprising change in tone.
These Deftones-esque vocals are at least partially responsible for my internally labeling the album as partially alternative metal, although tracks such as “Croak” and “Sea Of Sorrow” also owe something to the style instrumentally. Additionally, the relative complexity of certain riffs and song structures place the album in the realm of progressive post-metal at times, a thought process aided by moments in closing song “The Last Time” that are reminiscent of the lighter moments of The Ocean. These moments don’t always land for me; the chorus of “The Last Time” reminds me of Loïc Rossetti, but not necessarily his better vocal melodies, while the shouted chorus in the grunge-tinged “Sea Of Sorrow” is a tad grating.
That said, when Stonebirds are on form, there’s some great material to encounter across the spectrum of Perpetual Wasteland. I like the warmness that the Chino-style vocals can offer, such as when they very effectively contrasted pained harsh roars in the chorus of “Croak”, a track that first flexes its sludgy heft and then post-metal textures in its latter half. “Sea Of Sorrow” also glows in its latter stages, dwelling in slow doomy tempos for a grandstand climax with evocative vocal refrains and simple-yet-effective guitar leads to go with the thick distortion.
“Lit By Fire” is another song with a strong doomy conclusion, crawling along for its final couple of minutes while exploring guitar layering. It’s surprising when contrasted with the more hectic first half, which shifts between sludgy screams, chunky Mastodon-inspired riffs, and a brief yet emphatic snippet of blasting. “So Far Away” is another track that chops and changes between a few different sounds in its opening minutes, arguably to a point of excess as it jumps between alt-sludge grooves, prog/post-metal complex rhythms, expansive Deftones-tinged passages, and another Mastodon-influenced riff for the shortest glimpse.
Thankfully, after the first couple of minutes, “So Far Away” locks into a couple of different ideas for longer durations, and ultimately turns into the album’s best song. First, a tasty Gojira-esque chug riff offers enjoyable groove, but it’s what comes after that lands the knockout punch. The second half of the track is built upon a really evocative tone, with a very prolonged drum and instrumental build accompanied by striking high-pitched wordless vocal melodies almost reminiscent of Einar Solberg; eventually the build slides into a more regular drum rhythm, but this is just the catalyst for the introduction of more elaborate guitar parts that further shape the emotionality of this section, all of which is capped off by a rare synth cameo right at the end. It’s a really effective stretch of music that shows real songwriting acumen from Stonebirds.
From humble beginnings, it’s a slight shame to see Stonebirds now have such a well-established and distinctive musical voice, one that they’re capable of exploring a wide range of as demonstrated here, only to then decide to call time as a band, at least as a recording artist. Still, if Perpetual Wasteland truly ends up being the last that anyone hears from them, it’s a very respectable way to go out.
Written on 19.11.2025 by
Written on 19.11.2025 by
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This deserves a bit more attention, despite some obvious Mastodon influences here and there. Solid record with nice atmosphere
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Posts: 6677
This is an impressive album, a solid blend of stoner and sludge, with post-metal influences, the build-ups are powerful and intense. It's a shame I never got round to discovering them sooner and this will be their last offering, kinda sad how a band like this can go unrecognized really.
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