Several days ago, the outstanding Spanish trio Stone Sea released a brand-new full-length album that already stands as a top contender for one of the finest albums of the year. Written, composed, recorded, and produced over a couple of years, “Ad Astra” not only sums up their collective creativity, skills, talent, experience, and knowledge but also demonstrates a reinvigorated, improved, innovative, exciting face of alternative rock music, a direction many bands should follow in 2026. While lyrically focusing on a wide array of topics, such as transformation, internal conflicts, addiction, technology, cycles of decay, and renewal, “Ad Astra” points out many important, meaningful factors that define life as it is. All the struggles and bright moments are going around in circles, and if you’re careful and wise enough, you’ll take advantage of them and adapt to the current situation. The way Stone Sea explore various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances goes beyond comprehension. Although they mainly embrace all those fundamental elements of alternative rock music, it’s good to mention that it’s not the only music genre they explore throughout the entire album. Quite the contrary, you’ll notice many similar styles along the way, such as grunge, stoner, sludge, and metal, found their way into this sonic equation. They expertly merge them all together, depending on the song’s mood and ambiance, but these experimentations work to their advantage every time. That’s only one of the strengths of this marvelous band. That knack for threading various approaches, techniques, and styles together until they become a singular, colossal slab of harmonious noise. Another thing worth pointing out is how their music resonates with that warm, cozy, powerful sound, evoking the best times of nineties rock, an era when mentioned music genres ruled the airwaves. Still, the band keeps their music in modern waters, keeping “Ad Astra” as contemporary as it could be.
This epic sonic journey begins with “Stain,” a marvelous introductory piece where the band demonstrates just a glimpse of what you might expect from the remainder of the album. With this track, Stone Sea found that sweet spot between modern and retro alternative rock, but also infused an additional power, showcased by each instrument, to elevate everything to new heights. Right off the bat, you’ll notice how multiple vocal layers interweave while the lead vocalist delivers honest, soulful, convincing lines. The guitar works are complex enough, but the band has its moments where even the simpliest riff becomes an excursion into the depths of an alternative rock masterclass. In the meantime, the equally impressive basslines and incredible rhythmic sequences keep everything in line while dictating groove and pace. Each orchestration is carefully designed to serve its purpose. And then the “Time To Change” arrives in all its glory. This composition leans into more modern hard rock waters, with all those bluesy, soulful, catchy guitar riffs that in one moment feel so subtle and then burst in so many ways because of their powerful output. By this point, you realize that Stone Sea are masters in crafting music in any rock subgenre, and whenever they explore alternative, grunge, stoner, hard rock, or metal, they feel comfortable playing it. Also, the way all those beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and other percussive acrobatics sit in the mix perfectly match that emotional and soulful vibe of this track. Talking about the drumming performance, “Age Of Tears” is another perfect example of how the drums play a significant role in shaping a colossal atmosphere. You’ll immediately notice how all those moderate, heavy, groovy rhythmic patterns match the chunky, powerful, generously distorted riffs. This particular song has its speedy thrash metal moment, where the band speeds up and amplifies their tremendous presence. Beneath all these instrumentations, you’ll hear how those clean, warm, heavy basslines rumble, offering more than necessary support to both guitar and drums. These low ends are rich, deep, dense, and heavy, just as they should be in songs like these.
Beside exploring all those music genres, you’ll also notice some experimentation with psychedelic rock and progressive rock. Songs like “Alien” carry those particular moments, with profoundly melodic, soulful vocal harmonies offering one dosage of melody that floats over the top, while the guitar act as a technical support where all those complex yet psychedelic gutiar works shape a completely different realm. These are the moments where Stone Sea’s dedication to the craft truly shines in the limelight, as they break all the rules and shapeshift the boundaries of each music genre they’re interested in. The way this composition evolves with each segment, and the sheer amount of various sections carrying different vibes while retaining sonic direction, make “Alien” a complex yet ear-appealing journey. “Left To Be” is definitely one of the standouts, with its sweet spot somewhere between alternative, grunge, and stoner rock. You’ll immediately notice how guitar and bass articulate together harmoneously, making each riff tremendously heavier than before, and then, all of a sudden, descending into those mindblowing progressions where it seems like these instruments go separate ways but somehow stay together till the end. The vocals also sit in the mix perfectly by adding another dosage of those soulful, emotional, passionate harmonis that make this song an even better listening experience. Stone Sea thought about everything while composing this track, and their dedication to the craft is vividly hearable. This epic sonic journey comes to an end with a title track, a song that gradually evolves with vocal lines and reverby chord progressions, then you’ll hear those low-end punches and snare hits. But the band never intended to end this epic sonic journey with calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal notes. Not at all, as they introduce all those downtuned, heavy, sludgy riffs and basslines, half-step beats, and even more marvelous vocals. This composition sums up everything you need to know about Stone Sea, as they merge all their interests into a singular piece of sonic artistry. Such a perfect closure of an incredible album that you need to hear as soon as possible.
If someone deserves to be heard by a large audience, then that must be Stone Sea. It’s one of those bands that invested all their knowledge, talent, ideas, and musicianship into six exceptional songs full of emotion, passion, and power. These folks are not joking around with their music, and they show that through each riff, bassline, drum beat, and vocal harmony. “Ad Astra” is an absolute modern rock masterpiece, designed to suit even the pickiest listeners. It’s a bold, exciting, fascinating, emotional rollercoaster through an expansive sonic universe. Head to your favorite streaming platform and check it out!
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