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In 2011, the economic situation made things difficult for the Irish, in comparison to most of the rest of Europe. And everyone just needs to sit and wait to see whether that will change in the near future. But at least people don't need to sit around and wait any more for the third output by the Irish Power-/Prog band, SANDSTONE. "Cultural Dissonance" is the long-awaited successor of the highly praised predecessor, "Purging the Past”, which reaped the comment from Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson in 2009 when he stated that it was the most impressive album to come out of Ireland for years - and it is hard to argue with someone like him, who knows the scene so well. "Purging The Past” paved the path for SANDSTONE into many metal hearts. The clever mixture of power and progressive elements with a high standard of melodies easily keeps pace with such benchmark bands as Fates Warning, Queensryche and even Iron Maiden. "Cultural Dissonance" continues to display the trademarks of the band, but considered overall, the material comes across much straighter, heavier and more in the direction of Pagan's Mind, Symphony X and Vanden Plas but still connecting to the bands named above. In other words, Sandstone have compressed their talents and, instead of using the same mould for their 2011 album, have cast new dies in the song writing sphere. Sandstone was founded in 2003 by guitarist Stevie McLaughlin and singer Sean McBay and from the very beginning they insisted on writing and playing their own material. Even at this early stage the two musicians could rely on the experience of their extensive careers. The two lads found themselves harmonizing so well, that they soon began to record songs in their own studio and continued to work on them. In the meantime, Stevie's brother, David McLaughlin (bass) and Paddy Flemming (drums) completed the band. The quartet was keen to present the songs live and it did not take long before SANDSTONE became well known on the Irish scene. As a result they signed a record deal with Casket Records in 2006 and shortly afterwards released their debut album, "Tides of Opinion". The album mainly comprised of material that the band had composed and written since they first got together. Press reviews were universally positive and full of praise. Comments such as "...haven't heard such an impressive hard rock album for ages..." were the rule of the day. With "Tides of Opinion", SANDSTONE truly impressed from start to finish. The fellows did not rest on their laurels but played every show they possibly could. In 2006 and 2007 their live activities were extended to include a tour of England. The British music mag "Kerrang!", generally quite critical and not particularly known for fawning, almost turned a somersault at the band's live performance. The lads began working on their second album in 2008 and reduced their live activities for the purpose of getting on with writing and composing. Once again they used their own studio, which had the advantage of being able to work when and for how long they wanted without a cash register ringing in the background every hour. And the fact that they used this advantage can be heard in the songs. Right from the first notes, "Purging the Past" displays the enormous escalation, development and creativity at the group's disposal. Their style had been enhanced and the band had strengthened their musical character, in other words, SANDSTONE had taken the next step up the ladder with ease and the press honoured them with excellent reviews. The album was again released by Casket Records and this talented band came to the attention of LIMB MUSIC, who licensed the album. The first half of 2010 was relatively easy-going for the band but in summer they began working on the next album in their own, rebuilt BoxRoom Studios. The second half of 2010 also brought a line-up change with it, fortunately before the official recordings took place. Drummer Paddy Flemming left the band and was replaced by Dan Lafford and shortly after, the band could then begin work on "Cultural Dissonance". Having Sean take the roll of second guitarist allowed SANDSTONE to push more guitar power into the sometimes complex song structures and this became manifestly and audibly obvious on the album. "Cultural Dissonance" is alive with much denser guitar power than its predecessor and allows the band to work more directly, more dynamically. And of course the melodies are by no means lost in all that power, they being, after all, a marked cornerstone of SANDSTONE's song writing. SANDSTONE moves cleverly between the lines of heavy rock, metal and progressive rock. The unusually fast 'Reckless Thought' with its wall of guitars is the first song to convince any doubters, and the melodic chorus stands in stark contrast to the harder underlying structure of the song. Much proggier and convoluted is 'Little Forgeries' - and yet, here too, a great feeling for heaviness and highly melodic parts are not overlooked. It is a perfect example of the "new" SANDSTONE at work. The very demanding song writing is a truly unexpected experience for the listener. The clever exchange between slow, melancholic parts with straight, single-line passages which complement themselves in an excellent way, such as in 'Carefree Moment', underlines how great a band SANDSTONE is. Even a ballad like 'Sleep', with its incredible lead guitar running all the way through it, deserves special attention, for this is the soul of the band talking and not the demands of the music market. And it is a wonderful platform for the very individual voice of Sean McBay. Sean's voice is one of the true, great highlights of this varied album, which is peppered by songs, which will really get under your skin. SANDSTONE are without doubt one of the few European bands which are able to combine complex, heavy song structures with softer melody lines without them sounding forced. "Cultural Dissonance" is the logical next step for the talented Irishmen.