12 STONES | Picture Perfect | Album Review

Coming back from half of a decade of not releasing any material can be a challenge for many bands, but there are the bands out there that find more of a passion to go on with their career after taking time off from the studio and music releasing routine. With a band like 12 Stones and their first album since 2012 entitled "Picture Perfect", it seems like the passion has been restored a bit after taking some time off from putting any new music out. The band signed with their new label Cleopatra Records early last year in order to craft this album, one where the label let them have creative control over the entire project and made sure that each track turned out the way the band wanted it, which in term crafted an album that the band is calling their favorite one yet. This is coming after a slew of fantastic works under the band's belt such as their first three records, especially "Anthem For The Underdog", as well as the EP that followed in 2010 entitled "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday". And also, their last album "Beneath The Scars", was one that has not aged quite as well as their past works, attaining some good ideas but also felt pretty standard and at times one-dimensional. So, it is nice to see a band like this with an album that they feel so passionate about after all of this time. And while I can't put this disc on the same pedestal as "Anthem For The Underdog", I can easily say that this is an improvement over the last disc, which, like I said, was definitely their least impressive. 

One thing to note right away about the overall tone of this album is that it's probably the most in-your-face 12 Stones album we've ever been given. The guitars here are very meaty and aggressive even though "Picture Perfect" as a collection of songs is not as aggressive as an album like their self-titled debut, and you really get the feeling that you're actually sitting there listening to this band playing along together with these 12 new songs, and the two bonus songs that are rerecordings of songs from their past material. The vocals coming from Paul McCoy don't have as much of a gloss put over them, and the drums has a very cohesive and "human" feel as these tracks go along, and that's something that I need to praise. This is a very different approach to their alt-metal or hard rock style than their previous albums, and it definitely gives these tracks an energy behind them even though there are definitely those moments where it doesn't work quite as well as it does on other songs. You are given a bit of a taste of that on the excellent opening track "The Killer", which has a good feeling behind it and Paul McCoy's vocals sound very charismatic throughout this track, as well as the track that follows it entitled "Blessing" which is probably one of the weaker moments lyrically. One flaw that is noticeable right away on this album is that some tracks on here aren't the band's best written songs, and "Blessing" falls under that category. However, since every aspect of the musical side is handled solidly with this track, I can't really complain. 

Although this album does have a rawness to it and it's certainly presented on tracks like "The Killer" and even the title track which was the first released song from the album (and a great one at that), it's not just raw because of the heavy moments. There are tracks on the disc that take their time and really present the softer side of this band. "Nothing To Say", which is Track 4 on this disc, is a song that starts off with just a clean guitar progression before going into Paul McCoy's vocals and the strong lyrical content that's on this track, and it takes its time to build up into something you can really sink your teeth into and get invested in. This track is one of the major highlights on this album that I have. Another softer track that has a raw fixture within is the album closer "Hello Suicide", which is a track that's primarily just acoustic guitar and somber singing, but mixing it in with some more strong lyrical content makes this track a very dark closing to this album and one that sucks you in and makes you listen and feel for Paul as he is singing on this track. It's a very stripped down feel and definitely a bit different than other 12 Stones albums, which have closing songs that have a lot of energy to them. I feel that "Hello Suicide" works just as well to end the album on a perfect note, and I don't think it's something that they've ever done before on an album (I'm not counting the acoustic version of "Lie To Me" from "Anthem For the Underdog"). 

The rest of the album is the heavier, more passionate hard rock that 12 Stones is pretty much known for. While there is the occasional misstep where the generic songwriting comes into play such as "Time" and "Save Yourself", there are other tracks that do have passion put behind them such as "Voodoo Doll", which is a very different sounding song for 12 Stones. Though "Voodoo Doll" is definitely definitive as a 12 Stones track, the acoustic guitar that is intertwined with the rest of the instruments on the verses here give the song a nice touch, and overall it feels like a very laid back, feel-good rocker. "Memphis", while it's not exactly a perfect track, has some pretty clever lyrical content whenever you consider the verses of this track, as it is a track all about our world today and how we are progressing as a civilization. 12 Stones has tackled this subject before, but I feel like "Memphis" is one of those that has more of a heart to it, especially in the verses with the "feed the rich and rob the poor" analogy that is dropped. And finally we have "How Long" which is probably a highlight next to tracks like the title track and "Nothing To Say". It feels like this track also has more time put into it as far as the lyrics go, which is something that this album doesn't have as frequently, but when it takes effect, it really does the job well, and that's a compliment. 

Overall, 12 Stones is definitely back with a punch. While there are a few moments on here that have elements that aren't as fleshed out as others, "Picture Perfect" still succeeds as an overall body of work. It's not on the levels of an album like "Potter's Field" or "Anthem For The Underdog", and it's definitely not the pinnacle of their career, but with moments on the album such as "Nothing To Say", "Memphis", and "How Long", there are still moments that you're going to come back to frequently on this album and won't ever get sick and tired of. The best way I can really put it is that this is a case where 12 Stones' next album could potentially make people turn their heads and leave their jaws dropped. This is a step in the right direction and shows that even though there are new members of the band the passion still hasn't left the original members, but it's really going to be the future material from 12 Stones that has the potential to blow the doors off of their hinges and the roofs off of the buildings. As for "Picture Perfect", this is an album I'd recommend obviously to 12 Stones fans who have been left waiting for new material, and I'd also recommend this to people who are stuck with the bigger names in rock music today and want something that has just as much energy behind it and songs you can relate to and enjoy frequently. 

RATING: 7/10 

What did you think about the record? Was it good? Was it bad? Let me know in the comments below. And of course, these are only my opinions. If your opinions are different, awesome! If they're similar, then that's great, too. So, don't hesitate- comment to me about it down below. Take care.