White Stones – Memoria Viva
Release Date: 28th June 2024
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Order/Stream
Genre: Progressive Metal
FFO: Opeth, Soen, Katatonia, Obsidian Tide.
Review By: Eric Wilt
When you listen to an album that features a member of a band you are very familiar with, it is hard not to do so with preconceived notions of what the record will sound like. That’s how I felt in 2020 when I first listened to and was blown away by White Stones’ debut album Kuarahy. The side project of Opeth bassist Martín Mendéz, White Stones play on the same field as Opeth (especially Heritage), but on his own, Mendéz is much more daring and experimental with his compositions. Dancing into Oblivion, another stellar release, followed in 2021, and on 28 June, White Stones is releasing its third opus, Memoria Viva. Of note is the fact that Memoria Viva is sung completely in Spanish, something that Mendéz has wanted to do for some time.
As much as I like to categorize bands by genre, the only genre White Stones accurately fits into is progressive metal. And even by saying this, I’ve already put the wrong idea in your head because White Stones doesn’t sound anything like Dream Theater or Haken. In fact, there are so many different styles of music to be found on Memoria Viva, that it’s perhaps best to just call it progressive. Mixing death metal, progressive rock, jazz, and whatever else the band feels like playing at the time, White Stones has created a tour de force of musical experimentation and expression that is unlike anything you will hear this year.
While every song on Memoria Viva is amazing, there are a few masterpieces that stand out from the rest. One such song is the instrumental Zamba de Orun. Filled with majestic guitar parts, mesmerizing bass playing, and even featuring a flautist, the song, which serves as an interlude, is a jazz number that could compete with any full-time jazz band out there. La Ira is another stand out track on an album filled with stand-out tracks. From the dizzying riffing of the intro to the atmospheric organ of the verse to the rocking guitar solos, La Ira is a challenging and satisfying song that I expect to come back to time and time again. Vencedores Vencidos is a final song that is amazing on so many levels. From the aggressive intro to the guitars that play predominately individual notes as opposed to chords, giving the song a jazz meets metal feel, to the powerful drums which keep the song chugging forward, Vencendores Vencidos is another example of how White Stones can fit an epic amount of music into a four-minute period of time.
If you’re a fan of Opeth, but you’ve always wanted them to be even more experimental, or if you miss the days when Åkerfeldt growled, Memoria Viva may be for you, but White Stones is so much more than an Opeth-styled band. Full of top-tier songwriting from a band that’s willing to take chances and isn’t just mired in one genre of music, Memoria Viva is my current choice for album of the year. 
(5 / 5)
