Guitarist of Stone is Roope Latvala is now in Children of Bodom.

Stone (Mechanic) 1988

1. "Get Stoned" (4:22)
2. ''No Commands" (5:44)
3. "Eat Your Pride" (4:22)
4. "The Day Of Death" (3:53)
5. "Reached Out" (3:50)
6. "Real Delusion" (4:12)
7. "Brain Damage" (6:15)
8. "Escape" (5:23)
9. "Final Countdown" (:56)
10. "Overtake" (3:43)

100% thrash metal released in 1988. This would be the only Stone album to be released internationally. Surprisingly, considering the year it was released and how good this album is, Stone didn't achieve international acclaim. I own a vinyl copy of this album and am searching for a CD copy.

Stone - Emotional Playground (Black Mark) 1991

1. "Small Tales" (5:24)
2. "Home Base" (6:49)
3. "Last Chance" (4:44)
4. "Above The Grey Sky" (6:16)
5. "Mad Hatter's Den" (2:39)
6. "Dead End" (6:00)
7. "Adrift" [instrumental] (1:45)
8. "Haven" (4:46)
9. "Years After" (5:03)
10. "Time Dive" (5:47)
11. "Missionary Of Charity" (4:52)
12. "Emotional Playground" (3:42)

Stone are a Scandinavian thrash metal band. "Emotional Playground" was their fourth release and for the most part continues in much the same manner as their classic '88 debut. The band mixes mid-paced, chugga-chugga grooves and fast thrash riffs, along with shouted vocals to create a sound that may not be completely unique, but isn't run of the mill either. "Small Tales" starts the album off on a fast and furious note. However, not ever song on "Emotional Playground" is straight forward thrash metal. The band experiments with their sound a bit here and there. "Adrift" is a short, melodic instrumental that acts as introduction for thrasher "Haven". "Years After" shifts gears from fast thrash to a Black Sabbath inspired doom break. "Above The Grey Sky" is a slow, doomy song with a bit of progressive experimentation, not unlike something you might expect from Voivod. "Time Drive" also reminds me of Voivod. The album finishes off with the droning title track, which has a bit of a Middle Eastern flare. Thrash metal purists may be put off by the experimental qualities of "Emotional Playground". Personally I enjoy a bit of experimentation; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In the case of "Emotional Playground" I think it works to give the songs distinction and character.

As far as I know, "Emotional Playground" was re-released on Megamania (MGMCD2041) in 2005. The original Black Mark (BMCD 13) release is rare.

Stone - Complete (Megomania) 2013

Stone was a thrash metal band that formed in Kerava, Finland in the mid-1980s. They released four full-length studio albums in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, before disbanding in 1991. The band released their debut worldwide on the Mechanic label in 1988 to little fanfare. The sound was 100% thrash metal, not unlike UK band Xentrix or US band Testament, with a touch of Motorhead and a punk attitude mixed in for good measure. Despite their lack of mainstream success outside of their homeland, their legacy has continued to build over the year. With thrash gaining new momentum in the 2000's, Stone seemed to have gained a whole new fan-base and appreciation. In fact, Stone's legacy has provided inspiration for many of the countless metal bands who emerged during the popularity explosion of the genre during the 1990s. Perhaps the most notable of these bands is Children of Bodom, whose lead guitarist Alexi Laiho credits former Stone member and current Sinergy and Children of Bodom bandmate Roope Latvala as a major influence on his playing. Though the band have not reformed and released any new material since their break-up, they did get together to plays some concerts in 2000, and a few years later in 2008.

Along with Roope Latvala, the other musicians that performed in Stone were bassist/vocalist Janne Joutsenniemi (Suburban Tribe), drummer Pekka Kasari (later in Amorphis and Ajattara, currently in Pahuuden Prototyyppi) and two other guitarists, Jiri Jalkanen, who was one of the founding members, and Markku Niiranen, who replaced Jalkanen in 1990.

The first four CDs are the band's four studio albums. "Free" is a live album. "Demos & Rarities" is as the title so cleverly alludes, a collection of demos and rare tracks. The last three CDs are all CD singles.

The band's first album is pure, raw thrash metal and the only album to see a worldwide release. Though the sound is raw, it's actually very good especially considering most of the band members were teenagers when this album was written and recorded. With the follow-up I had the inclination to say that the music was "more mature". However, that's not really the case. Rather than "mature" the album is more refined. "No Anaesthesia!" is still raw, crunchy thrash metal, but with a better musicianship, tighter riffing and even more memorable songwriting. Also, rather than all speed-for-speed-sake, the band mixes tempos up and offers some more mid-paced numbers such as the punishingly heavy "Empty Corner", with it's slightly progressive metal leanings and head-banging main riff. The title track is an epic number which also has some more progressive, technical thrash leanings. Overall, "No Anaesthesia!" may arguably be Stone's best album.

"Colours" was the band's third full-length album. (Original guitarist Jiri was replaced by ex-Airdash man Nirri Niiranen on this album.) Coming into this box set, "Colours" was the only studio album I was unfamiliar with, so I gave it plenty of listening time. A quick search on-line reveals after a few listens revealed that many consider "Colours" to be the bands 'worst album'. I completely disagree. If the first album was pure speed and aggression and the follow-up leaned more towards the Bay Area sound, "Colours" is more progressive and experimental. The band uses more mid-paced tempos throughout, throwing in the up-beat thrash parts when they deem necessary. I can understand why some fans would be put off. The album isn't as commercially viable as the first two and takes a few spins to really digest. My favorite song of the batch is "White Worms", a heavy song about the horrors of nuclear holocaust. The album ends up with a surprising track titled "Friends". The song title did not immediately bring thoughts of "hey, this is a Led Zeppelin cover", but that's exactly what it is. Though the song is recognizable as Zeppelin, the band takes many liberties and make it sound like their own song.

"Emotional Playground" was their fourth release and for the most part continues in much the same manner as their classic '88 debut. The band mixes mid-paced, chugga-chugga grooves and fast thrash riffs, along with shouted vocals to create a sound that may not be completely unique, but isn't run of the mill either. "Small Tales" starts the album off on a fast and furious note. However, not ever song on "Emotional Playground" is straight forward thrash metal. The band experiments with their sound a bit here and there. "Adrift" is a short, melodic instrumental that acts as introduction for thrasher "Haven". "Years After" shifts gears from fast thrash to a Black Sabbath inspired doom break. "Above The Grey Sky" is a slow, doomy song with a bit of progressive experimentation, not unlike something you might expect from Voivod. "Time Drive" also reminds me of Voivod. The album finishes off with the droning title track, which has a bit of a Middle Eastern flare. Thrash metal purists may be put off by the experimental qualities of "Emotional Playground". Personally I enjoy a bit of experimentation; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In the case of "Emotional Playground" I think it works to give the songs distinction and character.

Without getting into every detail of every disc on this awesome box, suffice it to say that "Complete" is a fantastic release. The CDs/DVD come in a sturdy box and includes five photo cards, a sticker and a 36 page booklet packed with photos. Unfortunately the book is written in the band's native tongue so I cannot read it. Regardless, a killer set.

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