Album Review: Wild Visions

Christchurch resident band Stonehurst are certainly no strangers in the ever-evolving music scene we have here in New Zealand, and with their latest six-track album Wild Visions, they prove why they are our country’s finest!

Stonehurst’s, current line-up is Tim Hunt, Dave Hunt, Rhyz Bell, and Jay Arthur, and with their song writing, and musicianship, they show us why… their music is hard hitting, catchy, well written, and delivered.

Recorded and pre mixed at Audioganic studios, by Thom O’Sound, and mixed and mastered by leading mix and mastering guru Zorran Mendonsa, this album is a masterpiece in sound from start to finish. The sound is massive, the mixing is on point, leading to something very special!

From the beginning of the first track Medicine, you’re engulfed in a single building guitar riff, which, when shortly followed by the rest of the band, the sound becomes huge, but with the needed clarity to allow Tim’s hugely powerful vocals to carry through. A stand out from the beginning is the well-placed musical changes, great guitar tones, with a great layering of vocals, everything musically from instruments to vocals sat in its place perfectly.

Something you may want to check out on the album is the soundscape called Don’t Look Down, which is between tracks Whispers, and title track Wild Visions.

The title track Wild Visions, traps you instantly, with a song that not only straight away showcases tremendous guitar work, bass lines and drumming to match the intensity, but also a song to really allow Tim’s voice to complete the mix.

My personal favourite on this album is the track called Make Believe, it starts off with a great stripped back sound building into a full sounding chorus with a mesmerising vocal hook. Completing the already winning formula is a great guitar solo, and great mellow feeling breakdown, followed again by that huge chorus, it’s about this moment in the album, that you realise the gravity of what Stonehurst have done, and the level of musicianship involved.

I can honestly say that this album is truly amazing! The sound quality paired with the amazing songwriting, and musicianship, has made this album a true spectacle, and easily puts on display the level of music our small, but fierce little country has to offer,. I could easily keep talking about how great this album is, but I wouldn’t do it the amount of justice that it deserves, all I can say is, pre-save the album, and be sure to experience it for yourself

You won’t be disappointed!