lukretion Denmark-based ensemble Cornerstone wasted no time and, less than two years after their excellent debut Arrival, released their sophomore record Human Stain. The band came together in 1999 as a collaboration between Royal Hunt’s bassist Steen Mogensen and former Rainbow’s singer Dougie White. The rest of the line-up playing on Human Stain is comprised of drummer Allan Sørensen (Narita, Royal Hunt), guitarist Kasper Damgaard, and keyboard player Rune Bring. Long-time Royal Hunt collaborator Kenny Lübcke sings backing vocals, and guitarists Jacob Kjaer (also Royal Hunt!) and Tony Rahm (Prime Time) provide solos in a couple of tracks.

Royal Hunt got mentioned quite a lot in the previous paragraph, but that shouldn’t give you the idea that Human Stain is a sort of Royal Hunt B-sides project. There are of course moments in the music when we are reminded of the symphonic bombast of the Danish maestros, but the album’s overall sound is quite different, and so are the main influences it draws upon. Soundwise, the album is much more guitar-centred than any album Royal Hunt have ever recorded. The bass also sits quite high in the mix and is a prominent driving-force throughout the record. This gives Human Stain a ballsy, no-frill hard rock sound that sets it apart from the lush symphonic productions of Mogensen’s other band.

The most striking difference, however, lies in the influences that Cornerstone take on board on this record, namely Rainbow and Ronnie James Dio. This was also the case on the band’s first LP Arrival, although that album lived in a more unique and special sonic space, mixing classic metal, hard rock and blues. Human Stain shreds off some of those influences and follows more decidedly the classic heavy metal sound of Rainbow. In some instances, the similitude with Ritchie Blackmore’s band is uncanny, also thanks to Dougie White’s voice that is remarkably similar to Ronnie James Dio’s, showcasing that irresistible mix of grit and melody that the American singer mastered so well.

The influence of Rainbow defines the album sonically, but also holds it back when it comes to assessing its overall standing in terms of contribution and originality. There is not much going on in this record that you will not have heard somewhere else before (most likely on a record where Dio was singing). Moreover, despite the generally good quality of the material included here, the comparison with those early Rainbow records remains firmly in favor of the British forerunners: no matter how good songs like “Wounded Land”, “House of Nevermore”, and “Midnight in Tokyo” are, they will never manage to outcompete untouchable classics like “Stargazer”, “Kill the King” or “Rainbow Eyes”.

Ultimately, Human Stain lives and dies by its influences. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable collection of high-quality songs, well arranged and with plenty of catchy melodic hooks that make them memorable. It’s hard to shake off the deja-vu feeling, however. But if you can ignore it, Human Stain is a great record to spin once in a while.

lukretion The name Steen Mogensen should tell something to any serious Royal Hunt fan. The bass player has been a cornerstone of the Danish melodic progressive metal masters since their very early days and until he left the band after the Eyewitness album in 2003. A few years before that, he decided to take a break from his day job and paired up with singer extraordinaire Dougie White to play some classy hard rock under the name Cornerstone. Arrival is their first LP and was released in 2000 via Massacre Records.

On Arrival, Mogensen and White received more than a little help from the bassist’s bandmates in Royal Hunt. Jacob Kjaer (guitars), Allan Sørensen (drums) and André Andersen (keyboards) all feature as guest musicians on the album. Kenny Lübcke (a regular backing vocalist for Royal Hunt) and Henrik Brockmann (Royal Hunt’s singer on their first two records) lend backing vocals. And Toni Rahm (Prime Time, but member of Royal Hunt for a short period in 1990) plays a couple of guitar solos. Altogether, this makes for a high-quality line-up that any fan of Royal Hunt would certainly find appealing and interesting. This is indeed what attracted me to this record back in 2000 when I was a fairly hardcore Royal Hunt fan and I immediately jumped on this record as soon as the line-up was announced. I still remember being very impressed by the slick, classy hard rock style of the LP back then. The album also stood the test of time, as I still find it very pleasant and well-done today, more than 20 years after its initial release.

With Mogensen as the sole songwriter, the music is inevitably not too different from the more hard rock / classic metal material that Royal Hunt released over the years and especially early on in their career. The material is highly melodic, with strong choruses and equally melodic and catchy verses. The songs have simple structures and mostly stay in the mid-tempo range, with occasional faster riffs, giving a majestic but also melancholic tone to the whole album. The arrangements are elegant and sophisticated, with a good interplay between bass grooves (which are much more prominent than on Royal Hunt’s releases), smooth guitar riffs, and delicate keyboard and piano motifs. There are also some great melodic solos provided by Jacob Kjaer (such a classy guitar player, and terribly underrated!) and Toni Rahm. The backing vocals have that vaguely AOR quality that one can also find on Royal Hunt’s releases, perfectly complementing the MASSIVE vocal performance by Dougie White. When it comes to his voice, the man’s CV’s speak for itself (Rainbow, Axel Rudi Pell, Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Schenker, Alcatrazz, and many others) and there is no doubt that he is a superb hard rock / heavy metal singer. His smooth, velvety voice can soothe and caress, but also rip and pierce your ears when he goes full power. The album deserves a listen if nothing else for the singer’s great vocal performance.

With excellent performances all-round, the songwriting is also strong. There are some great tunes on this album, very inspired and with the right dynamics and feel. The opening duo “Arrival” and “Walked on the Water” are nothing short of exhilarating, with huge melodic hooks on the choruses that provide an excellent climax for the tension built in the dark verses. “Jungle” is lighter and more up-tempo, but provides some good melodies and a nice guitar solo too. The album perhaps plods a little bit in the middle, with songs like “Top of the World” and “Gift of Flesh” sounding a tad less inspired and verging on filler. But the bluesy “Grain of Sand” and the epic closer “I’m Alive” set things right again and ensure that the album closes on a high note.

Overall, Arrival is a pretty strong, high-quality and classy hard rock / melodic heavy metal album that will surely please fans of these genres. Anyone following Royal Hunt should also give this LP a spin or two, because there are significant traces of the Danish band on this album too. Cornerstone will continue their career with three more studio albums, also of good quality. But Arrival remains perhaps their most inspired and exciting release.

Stephen 'Human Stain' is the second attempt of CORNERSTONE trying to emulate the classic sound of RAINBOW, especially the Dio years, and Doogie White did an excellent job of filling the singer's shoe here. However, as great as this album goes, I spotted a little inconsistency in songs quality especially on the second half. My personal picks here are 'Future Rising' and 'Midnight In Tokyo' being the best of the bunch; the uptempo 'Unchosen One', the classic hard rock piece of 'Some People Fly' with Hammond organ in it, and the majestic power ballad of 'Singing Alone'.

The rest are average to good. 'House of Nevermore' is a ballad that's similar to AXEL RUDI PELL style and 'Sail On Stormy Waters' could be a lost RAINBOW track. Perhaps, 'Forever Young' is the only weakest filler here. The production is great and I guess if you dig the style, 'Human stain' is worth to buy. Good album and I'll give it a 75%.