Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Every few years music hacks debate whether rock is really dead, etc, etc, yawn, yawn. But it seems that there has been a resurgence of the spiritual impact of rock with the emergence into international consciousness of bands like P.O.D., Creed and Lifehouse in recent years and now there's a new name to add to that list. 12 Stones. Creating a sound somewhere between Creed and Nickleback with plenty of vibe, 12 Stones look set to storm the mainstream with songs that explode including the single "Broken" and "The Way I Feel". Like all of the best modern rock music, sometimes the band's emotional state is a little angst ridden but somehow this doesn't matter a jot as the band's emotional intensity simply adds to the power of this debut album. Swathes of guitar energy make tracks like "Crash" and "Open Your Eyes" special and the band sound ready to make a pitch for promotion to the premier league. They could easily become this year's Creed but in the fickle world of rock, nothing's written in stone.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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