Review by JD on November 29, 2009.

Searching around to the best of my abilities, I have not found a huge amount of information on the band that has named themselves Stonecast... yet I seemed to be really intrigued without any real basis to it. Metal from France is cool, but still pretty much unheard over here in North America... perhaps that is why I have had a bit of a time finding things about them out

What they sound like, is a little bit of an intriguing sort of thing... a hodgepodge that seems to come together seamlessly into one amazing package. They have some glorious Thrash roots that they base their sound on, yet there is a very clear hint of then having both some Death and some clearly Classic metal that is all fuelled with an adrenalin based attitude center that delivers some very good metal.

Most of the album is a straight out mega explosion of power and talent, but one certain track in particular really ends up standing out the most. 'Stonemachine' gets into your very mind and does not let go. It is as catchy as it is heavy, making it so great to hear. Other tracks such as 'A.D.A.M.' and 'Ethereal Whispers...' are also so strong, yet show a young band that has a big future ahead of them.

They are young, and the recording could have been done better, but thankfully because they are very good in both song structures and how they play... helps out overlooking this little speedbump of the project. Stonecast are a band that will be heard from at a later date... I hope that they can get better backing than what they have... and a better production team as well. Talent like this needs to be promoted heavily... and made to be heard.

Categorical Rating Breakdown　

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 6
Originality: 7
Overall: 7.5

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Adam M on October 10, 2018.

Voivod still bring forth a spacey science fiction feel to their latest release.  Their sound is very mechanical and it’s as adventurous as ever on this disc.  The tracks are fairly long and go through a number of twists and turns.  It is progressive, but is held back at times by fairly standard song structures. 

The riffs are razor sharp and make for an exciting listen, but I fear the band wanders into too weird territories at times.  This is a small flaw and their futuristic sound still has a lot of appeal in today’s musical landscape.  How does this compare to the classics like Nothingface and Angel Rat?  The band are able to bring aspects of those albums into play with a decidedly new approach.  I don’t think this eclipses those albums as they had something more original in them at the time.  That’s not to say this album doesn’t try anything different because it often does.  It’s successful in bringing together influences from other albums including the last one Target Earth into a melting pot and creating a fresh new set of songs.  This band is very different than a lot of others and this is part of what makes them so appealing.  I don’t see this music as game changing as a few have, but it’s definitely an enjoyable listen.

The band is appealing because of their weirdness, but I also feel this holds them back from being even better.  Make no mistake that this is more quality material from the band and highly worth checking out.  It brings the space laden style into great effect and crafts some intriguing songs in the process.  Though I don’t believe this topples their classic discs, it is still a highly desirable album.  Fans of the band should have no problem liking The Wake as it resonates with quality Voivod content.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10