"Foghat on Ketamine..."

England's The Sleeping Shaman is the "heavier than thou" webzine. Check out what almighty Ollie has to say about our split single with Stone Axe -

So you've heard the proverbial saying about the unlucky loser who falls into a barrel of tits and comes out sucking his thumb? Well, Ripple Music at the moment seem to be riding a wave of good fortune and would be capable of falling into a barrel of shit and coming out having a foursome with Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Anniston and Scarlet Johanssen such is the quality of their releases and the praise that is getting lavished on them.

7" singles have, of late, become something of a holy grail for the devout music lover; a short, sharp 2 track shock that delivers a tantalising snapshot of a bands capabilities on some sexy wax. Split singles, even more so offering up a track each with which to grab the attention before selling out of whatever limited run they may come in. This latest release from Ripple pulls together two of America's finest exponents of retro rocking goodness to tease and delight us.

Stone Axe have, over the last year or so, gained a reputation that is second to none as 70's rock revisionists with their note perfect and passionate repackaging of heavy retrogressive blues rock that draws on the vibes originally laid down by bands such as Free, Led Zep, Sabbath, Thin Lizzy et al. Who would have thought that their backwards thinking rock and roll would also take in the nascent metal of Judas Priest and the early NWOBHM bands. On "Metal Damage" (the title should have been a clue), Stone Axe have rolled up their sleeves, donned a studded wristband, stuck out their tongues and flexed a metal muscle that has lain pretty dormant in their sound until now. Imagine some classic "Stained Class" or "Hell Bent For Leather" Priest style metal coming within the radar of that Stone Axe sound. Dru Brinkerhoff's vocals retain their soulful vibe but the riffs of Tony Reed display a tougher bite that we may have come to expect. The groove remains rock solid but the claws are out. This is possibly the best lost song from the "Sad Wings Of Destiny" sessions!!!

Mighty High have never fully targeted their heroes' sound as diligently as Stone Axe in their take on classic rock and roll. Their own self definition of "Black Flag Railroad" pretty much sums them up. This is a vicious punk fuelled, weed ridden take on some classic boogie. Imagine if Status Quo had been brought up on hardcore while a drug crazed maniac rants over the top as if the cops are knocking on the door and his hash stash is about to get flushed!!! "Don't Panic, It's Organic" shows a tighter, thicker and meaner sound than their "...In Drug City" album and owes more to Foghat on Ketamine than The Circle Jerks on downers.

Two awesome bands, a truckload of awesome retro riffery and all on one shiny little black disc...kicking it old school and definitely essential.

http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album/StoneAxe-MightyHigh.php

"Maybe you and your dad need to bond over a six-pack and some shitty weed."

Shane Mehling's review of the Mighty High/Stone Axe split 7" single in the December 2010 issue of Decibel magazine. Best bad review to date!

I am not into party rock, and this record’s definitely not going to change that for me. Here we have both lame ‘80’s metal worship (Stone Axe’s “Metal Damage”) and some mundane ‘70s rock/’80s hardcore hybrid (Mighty High’s “Don’t Panic It’s Organic”). This shit is just shallow and forgettable and not fun to listen to, but maybe you and your dad need to bond over a six-pack and some shitty weed. So, go for it.

High Times Pot 40 - AC/DCember 2010

Dude! Stone Axe at #20!