image courtesy of Glass Onyon PR
Single Review of Atom Stone: “Isn’t Love”
Atom Stone‘s “Isn’t Love” is a compelling heavy rock/new metal single with a blend of metal power and pop-friendly finesse that’ll grab the listeners attention and simply won’t let it go. Falling somewhere between Daughtry and Blog favorite Major Moment, “Isn’t Love” has a sound that can appeal to multiple decades of heavy rock fans.
photo courtesy of Glass Onyon PR
“Isn’t Love” was the second single released in advance of Stone’s upcoming album Bad Decisions, and it gives listeners plenty to get excited about. On this song, cowritten by Stone and Nick Sturms, Stone is joined in the studio by Nick Sturms, Jeff Sturms, and Conner Kearns.
Stone’s vocals start as a tunefully hushed near-whisper, then rise to an edgy slightly quivering power as the song builds, doing a great job of expressing an angry pain, delivering lines like “isn’t love supposed to feel like freedom, isn’t love supposed to come with trust” that lead to the conclusion “this isn’t love.” I guarantee this song is going to touch a nerve with a large subsegment of listeners.
At the same time, it rocks heavy. Crunchy guitars for emphasis. Distorted instrumentation to give that big, new-metal open-space airiness. And hushed, intimate moments, occasionally with just light keyboardwork, though more often accompanied by the song’s recurring crunchy guitar riff.
The song feels like it has a faster pace than it really does, and that’s due to the music’s power. Prog rockers are good at this, but it’s less common in a more mainstream act, which is why bands like Daughtry and Major Moment, which I compare Atom’s sound on “Isn’t Love” with, are so special. Harder rock ‘n rollers, this song is an absolute must-hear!
