The Violet Stones – Guinea Pig (2020)
Young, loud and insanely passionate, The Violet Stones is a grunge/alternative rock trio hailing from Sydney, Australia. After meeting in high school, Sarah (vocals and rhythm guitar) and Jarrod (lead guitar) founded The Violet Stones in 2016. Their bassist came in the form of Neil whom they met through a family friend; hence, we have an innovative and exciting new band. No strangers to The Other Side Reviews, this young trio has already graced our digital pages with their single ‘Shark’ (read the review here). The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Guinea Pig’.
Inspired by Korn, Nirvana, Incubus and Paramore, The Violet Stones have a powerful, energetic and captivating sound. Recorded in Sarah’s home studio, but mixed and mastered by Benedikt Hain, ‘Guinea Pig’ is a track inspired by the 1990s Seattle grunge scene. Touching on issues such as narcissism, greed, religious hypocrisy and taking advantage of others for personal gain, The Violet Stones pick at the scab of unspoken truths and splay them out for all to see.
The complementary balance between pounding drums, dynamic guitars and Sarah’s domineering vocals make ‘Guinea Pig’ authoritative, impressive and hypnotic. I once compared Sarah’s vocals to Courtney Love and the band’s sound as highly reminiscent of Nirvana; however, I wish to take that back. It’s true that the group is inspired by iconic grunge acts like Nirvana and Hole, but ‘Guinea Pig’ illustrates an evolution in their sound making them far more unique and innovative. Not only that, but the growth in Sarah’s vocals make her a combination of Courtney Love and Hayley Williams. In fact, she has developed a gritty sound that is her own.
Being a fan of 90s grunge, pop-rock and pop-punk, it’s needless to say that I am a fan of The Violet Stones. In my humble opinion, The Violet Stones continue to hone their sound with each new release and are creating something that is distinctive to this band. Bringing a modern twist on old-school grunge, I hope to see these Aussie kids carving their name into this niche and building a reputation as strong as Nirvana, Paramore or Incubus.
For more from The Violet Stones, check out their official website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify.
