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Cornerstone — Once upon Our Yesterdays
(NMS/Escapi NMS009, 2004, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2005-09-01

Once upon Our Yesterdays Cover art Vocalist Dougie White and bassist Steen Morgensen form the songwriting backbone of progressive metal act Cornerstone, which hails from Denmark. White comes from the UK, having spent time in local bands, while Morgensen and the rest of the band have searched for an appropriate vocalist to fit the front end of their well-oiled machine. The quartet fits into the niche held by such assertive metal acts as Deep Purple, Whitesnake and even the occasional nod to heavy rockers Dream Theater. Lead Guitarist Kasper Damgaard really shines on “When the Hammer Falls,” much in the same vein as classic Scorpions catalogue. “Man without Reason” occupies the typical power ballad slot with cameo lead guitar from Peter Brander backed by a string section. Engineering and production work is top notch from Steen Morgensen, who has been behind the boards with the band for sometime. The title track relies on a military bolero style tempo create an effective base for Damgaard’s wailing but restrained lead guitar break. “Scream” even reminds me of some Queensryche’s sophisticated metal efforts with a few symphonic keyboards pushing straightforward rock finale. Closing out the disc are two live recordings from the band including a live version of “21st Century Man” that shows how easily the line-up can transport heavy riffing studio tracks onto the live stage. Overall this is a rock solid metal act whose poise and pop sensibilities should be making themselves the big money on the European metal stage.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 32, 2004 releases

Related artist(s): Cornerstone

 

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