Carbonstone

Carbonstone Returns With New Single/Video “Not Like This”

August 7, 2026 — Leave a comment

It has been a little more than a year since we last heard from Carbonstone, but the alt-metal veterans from Maryland are back with a brand new song entitled “Not Like This.” The song is set to be released on August 8th with the accompanying video dropping on the 7th.

“Not Like This” is a standout track in Carbonstone’s repertoire, holding a darker edge than others in their career (which is saying something). Musically, it stays true to the heavier-is-better theme that has defined their last few singles, with crunchy guitars and a driving rhythm section layered under frontman Corey James’ haunting vocal talents. With well-timed placements of rage-laced screams, the song evokes rage, pain, and frustration before offering up a note of resolve. Yet perhaps the harshest ingredient in “Not Like This” is its subject matter.

“In a nutshell, it’s a song about losing yourself,” says James. “It’s about the chaos of manipulation, self-doubt, and the war that takes place inside your own mind…standing on the edge of despair, confronting the person you’ve become, and fighting to reclaim your identity.”

“Not Like This” acknowledges both the outer and inner influences that have shaped the narrator, forcing an internal battle that makes the person in the mirror one that (s)he doesn’t recognize. “Use me up like I’m nothing ’til you’re satisfied,” the opening line challenges. “Abuse me, tell me I’m ugly, a waste of your time…”

The song speaks to the hopelessness often felt during moments of self-reflection, digging deep to sort through others’ cruel words and actions that you’ve taken to heart, but also to admit that you are willingly clinging to your own negative thoughts and opinions. “Slowly, I’ll bleed out from these wounds I’m holding inside/Am I worthless? A shadow of myself/I’m dead and alive…”

The most difficult part of the process? Looking at oneself with unfiltered honesty and deciding to let it all go and move forward. “Not Like This” grants the listener that transition from despondency to determination.

“Is this how everything ends, standing on the edge, lost inside of my head?” the narrator wonders before answering, “Not like this again. No, not like this.”

Carbonstone has always been a band that doesn’t shy away from grim realities. They don’t peek behind the curtain so much as throw it wide, allowing the light in and showing the less ideal aspects of being human. “Not Like This” is another prime example of this, of bringing up what is often swept under the rug. The beauty of it all is that James offers us the other side as well, telling us that yes, darkness exists, but we can fight – and most importantly, we can win.

“Not Like This” hits streaming services tonight at midnight! And be sure to tune in for the premiere of the music video at 8 p.m. EST.

It’s Been A While

October 15, 2025 — Leave a comment

I haven’t shared a life update with pictures in ages, it seems, so here we go!

I turned 38 back in August. I was spoiled by my BFF and her husband that weekend. They took me to dinner, then I crashed at their place and did nothing but eat junk, watch movies, and swim. (Oh, and indulge in her fantastic cooking!) It was a much needed break from reality and did wonders for my depression. When we went out, I got dolled up and, honestly, I looked cute as hell. So cute, in fact, that we were barely inside the restaurant before a waitress ran over to tell me how cute I was. Lol.

My two work besties showed up, as well, which completed the perfection that weekend was. I spent Sunday with my parents, who bought me a red velvet cake. Then, on Tuesday, one of my older coworkers left a homemade lemon cake for me. I felt very loved.

In early September, I attended the Carbonstone show in Birmingham. They opened for Julien-K, Spineshank, and The Union Underground. Hanging out with Corey and Chrystal again was a balm to my soul. I also got to meet Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh from Julien-K. I almost chickened out, but Chrystal made me say hi to Ryan when he walked past their merch table, then Ryan was like “Come over here” and led me to their merch table. I bought a vinyl of my favorite album, Death to Analog, and we took a couple of selfies. It was an extremely good night, capped by my college football team winning their game.

Chrystal
Corey
Ryan and Amir

And now, it’s October. My favorite time of year – spooky season – is here. Which means, of course, that I’ve been living on fall drinks from Starbucks and Dunkin, and my mom and I have been exploring local cemeteries. Our most recent day out was spent at Athens City Cemetery. We actually have family buried there, but we kept our ventures to the older graves.

This is the Confederate Circle, taken from a bit of a distance.

October, November, and December are my favorite three months of the year, even if Christmas doesn’t excite me the way it did as a child. This year, though, my brother and his wife are back in Alabama, so maybe Christmas will regain some of its magic!

Hope all of you are doing well ❤️

Carbonstone Calls For a “Standoff” in New Single

May 29, 2025 — Leave a comment

Alt-metal titans Carbonstone are coming out swinging with their latest single and music video, “Standoff,” which releases May 30th. The new track boasts a vocal collaboration with Jonny Santos of Silent Civilian, Spineshank, and The Less Dead. With “Standoff,” Carbonstone has taken their raw emotion and relentless energy to the next level, and it packs the punch of a speeding freight train.

This song is multi-layered, both musically and in its history. Says Carbonstone frontman Corey James, “I actually wrote this way back in 2010. [“Standoff”] was originally released as a demo on an old EP called Strength in Silence. It was completely organic with zero electronic elements.” 

But the track stuck with him, as some songs do, and James found himself circling back to it. “I sometimes revisit songs from the past, and this one has always spoken to me. I thought it would be really cool to bring it back and give it a complete makeover.”

Enter Jonny Santos, an influential figure in James’ musical journey. The two artists began talking after James reached out. “I literally saw him make a post and took a shot in the dark.” The conversation turned to the topic of a collaboration and, says James, a reimagining of “Standoff” immediately came to mind. The result is an in-your-face piece with the electronic/industrial/nu metal stylings so true to Carbonstone.

“Standoff” is roughly four minutes of vented fury, unleashed in the form of crunchy guitars, steady percussion, and the vocal interplay between James and Santos. The track calls out those who take advantage of the people around them and gives a hearty middle finger to anyone who believes your only worth is in being used and controlled.

“It’s such a shame you betray everyone with the fucking words you say/You believe I’m so weak/Come and get a motherfucking piece of me!”

The song is another example of a story carefully constructed with music, something at which Carbonstone excels. Using a maelstrom of instrumentation with a dance between a low tortured growl and an outburst of rage-filled screams, it carries the listener through the narrator’s emotional journey of becoming fed up with somebody who is manipulative and breaking the chains that once bound them together.

Catharsis is then reached after the second chorus, when James and Santos declare “I’m letting you go.” Echoing the release of all the anger and the sense of resolve that has been found, there is a brief acoustic interlude, and the track reaches its conclusion with a sprinkle of flamenco style picking.

“Standoff” will be available on May 30th. The music video premieres at 8 p.m. EST, and the song will hit streaming services at midnight!

You can pre-save “Standoff” here, and you can find links to all of Carbonstone’s socials and streaming profiles at carbonstone.net.

Carbonstone Tackles Dark Inner Thoughts in New Single “Echoes”

October 25, 2024 — Leave a comment

Alt-metal band Carbonstone is back with new music. The Maryland-based outfit is set to release their latest single, “Echoes,” on October 26th, and after my first few listens, I have to say this one hits hard.

Carbonstone has never been a band to shy away from the darker side of self-reflection, especially the negative views we as humans often have of ourselves. “Echoes” puts words to that moment we peer into the mirror with complete honesty. It dives unflinchingly into the feeling of being trapped in your own head, succumbing to the belief that you are not enough and have failed in some immeasurable way because things didn’t work out as planned. 

According to front man Corey James, the song is about heavy reflection and looking back at “fucked-up tragic events, or ‘echoes,’ that ultimately shape us into who we are.” For better or worse, life happens, and we are molded by external factors beyond our control. “Failed dreams, failed goals and aspirations, failed relationships,” James lists. “Substance abuse, and so on.”

The track is penned as a note to oneself. “You take the time to watch me bleed/Over and over/It’s like you love my suffering/This pain is contagious…” It is only too easy to spiral into the abyss once the narrator begins listening to those internal voices. “I see my ghost, it’s echoing/Repeating my failures/When I’m alone, it’s so haunting/The shadows consume me…”

“Bury me underground, I’ll lie with you/’Cause alone I’m nothing/Searching for anything to get me through/I’m so self-destructive.”

“The hook/chorus is basically about just giving in and submitting to everything, as it’s the only alternative to facing yourself alone,” James explains.

“Echoes” is a juxtaposition of hauntingly melodic singing and heavy, gritty music: an audio presentation of the emotions poured into the song. The choice of clean vocals for the majority of the track works on multiple levels. James was able to masterfully color his lyrics with the pain and resignation expressed in the words. Raging screams threaded throughout are the cries of hopelessness. Meanwhile, the other band members – guitarists Josh Provencio and Steve Junkins, bassist Eric Dee, and drummer Ted Hile – intricately weave together a sonic manifestation of anger and frustration. One final scream and the closing chorus are the last ounce of fight poured forth before our narrator ultimately accepts his/her fate and throws in the towel.

“Echoes” hooked me in from the first note and is a song that is well-crafted, relatable, and holds its listeners in thrall from start to finish. Carbonstone nailed it on all fronts. The song will hit streaming platforms at midnight. Meanwhile, the official music video drops tonight, October 25th, at 8 p.m. EST! Make sure to tune in to the band’s Facebook live at 7 p.m. EST for some drinks and other shenanigans.

If you haven’t already, visit Carbonstone’s socials and follow them on your favorite streaming service so you never miss a release – starting with “Echoes.”

Carbonstone Explores the Complexities of Relationships in New Single “White Noise”

February 14, 2024 — Leave a comment

Carbonstone is releasing a new song, “White Noise,” on February 17, 2024, and this is one you don’t wanna miss! I was given an early listen of the forthcoming release, and it is certainly a standout track in the Carbonstone library.

“White Noise” has an edge, musically revisiting the band’s heavier side. The aggressiveness of the guitars, carried by the combination of a driving drum beat and rapid-fire bass line, are the perfect foundation for a song that is thematically dark. 

Front man Corey James utilizes his voice to evoke a visceral reaction from his listeners. The melodic delivery of the verses offers an audibly interesting contrast to the music; the clear intonation, almost a croon, lends beauty to the tale of heartache: “You poison everything, like you did to me…” Both the lyrics and the vocal performance speak of disappointment, a resignation to the situation our narrator finds himself in. “Somewhere I can’t be found, and now this wavelength is severed/We’re nothing but white noise.” 

However, as the track progresses, anger and frustration leak through, raw growls woven intricately throughout until the breakdown, when they crescendo into a lengthy scream of catharsis. “Suffocating, close to breaking, you left me buried alive,” Corey snarls, and a strong sense of breaking free seems to be implied. Perhaps the struggle is not yet over, but the light at the end of the tunnel has been seen.

“White Noise” is a song that deals with the complexities of our relationships, romantic and otherwise, and does so in a way with which we all can connect. This is a must-hear, so head to Spotify, presave it, and get ready for Friday!

Carbonstone Premieres Dark New Video For Their Latest Single, “Damaged Like You”

April 22, 2023 — Leave a comment

If you haven’t read my review of the new Carbonstone song, “Damaged Like You,” you should do that now. Here’s the link. I heard the track prior to seeing the video, and I must say that the eerie, foreboding imagery they used in the video was the perfect accompaniment to the overall atmosphere of the song.

Watch the video below and see if you agree:

Carbonstone Sends Powerful Message With New Song “Damaged Like You” (Review)

April 21, 2023 — 3 Comments

Having honed the balance of industrial elements with their alternative metal sound, Carbonstone comes out swinging in their latest track, “Damaged Like You,” which will be officially released on April 22nd. I was given an early listen, and I have to say that while this song contains much that you would expect from Carbonstone, there is something more at work here.

“The concept is based around mental health (self-doubt, loneliness, depression, etc.) and how inescapable it is,” frontman Corey James says of the song. “I feel like we’re all always on the verge of falling apart, in a sense. A lot of people are broken and lost out there. A ton of them are so empty inside, they can barely even feel anything. That’s really where I drew the inspiration from. The song’s not so much about myself as it is really about people as a whole.”

The band captures this concept with an artful mix of music and lyrics. Featuring their well-crafted blend of the heavy and melodic, Carbonstone uses synths, a hard-hitting rhythm section, and driving riffs, all topped by James’ extraordinary vocals, to build an atmosphere. Playing with a metaphorical give-and-take, the tension seems to build during the verses — complete with an abrupt bridge-like moment near the end of the second — only to break into chaos at the chorus, an echo of the story addressed in the lyrics. 

"Discomfort on your skin
It makes me wonder
How I can never win
You pull me under
I can see it in your eyes
There’s something cold about you
I think we're running out of time
And I know it haunts you 

You'll never be without it
It's always there when you're alone
Can't even breathe without it
Cut me open, I'm damaged just like you..."

While the subject matter seems dark at first glance, I feel that the message here is a positive one. “Damaged Like You” is a beacon, a signal to everyone who is struggling that they are not alone. As James growls “I’m broken, too,” there is a sense of acceptance, though the damage may still feel overwhelming at times, a fact that seems to be expressed in James’ raging screams that close out the song.  

Overall, “Damaged Like You” is a well-written, wonderfully put-together, relatable track that many people are going to connect to, and isn’t that the most beautiful thing about music? Carbonstone has, once again, nailed it.

You can find Carbonstone on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and any other streaming service you might use.

Anoxia + Carbonstone Share Official Visualizer For Their Cover of “In the Air Tonight”

March 25, 2023 — Leave a comment