State Of Neptune - Pulp Of Stones

State Of Neptune

Pulp Of Stones
​self-released; 2022

3.9 out of 5

By My Nguyen

State of Neptune originally started out as a duo from Palmermo, Italy and then it evolved into a trio formed by Francesco Dalia (vocals/guitar), Elia Franzella (bass) and Manfredi Mansueto (drums). Together the band makes the type of music that will have you reminiscing of such bands like Queen of the Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine and Muse. With their debut album Pulp Of Stones, the band channels their influences for hard rock to give you this heavy undertaking that is a wild ride from start to finish.

Pulp Of Stones gets started with “Watershed,” where some repetitive percussion comes in at the start of this track. Next, some all-out guitars come in. The heavy and aggressive vibe felt very arresting. The adamancy of the music becomes more full-throttle with the help of a demented drumming beat. I was getting Rage Against the Machine and A Perfect Circle vibes immediately. Once Dalia’s vocals came in, you can feel the music come together to great effect. The vocals are in part spoken and screamed out loud. This gave the music a hard and heavy vibe. “Fury” segues from the previous track seamlessly. Adamant drums and other instrumentals come in full-throttle. Dalia’s vocals here seemed a little subdued. Not sure if this was done on purpose or not, but I thought more fidelity would’ve helped the sounds. Starting off to a slower speed comes the slow burning number “Porn To Chill.” Dalia’s vocals are silky smooth here. He coos and croons with feeling on this song. I was getting some jazz vibes here as well. I thought this was a nice change of pace from the band’s heavier sound. 

Some bongos are added to the percussion section of “Paradox.” Some rumbling bass also sidles in. There were some nice rhythms going once the guitars entered. Getting into their sound with a heavy and in-your-face vibe, I could feel the metal and hard rock vibes right away on “Umbilical.” Dalia shouts with feeling on this number, blitzing us with many a headbanger moment. “Compromise” proved to be a stripped back track with simply an electric guitar to accompany Dalia’s vocals. The sounds were very somber and haunting. Gradually, the bass and drums join in for a more full-on undertaking. This was another slow burning number from the band. Some synthetic horns added to the sounds here. 

A drumming beat saunters into “Dead Or Alive?” Next, some moody bass reels listeners in a stop-and-go-motion that includes Dalia’s loud scream-o vocals. Right away radioactive guitars immediately come in on “Shred Me To Bits.” The effects were very revved and in-your-face. The bass had some funk vibes which I felt drawn to. Dalia’s vocals sounded a lot like the frontman to Muse, Matthew Bellamy. There was something about Dalia’s whispery vocals that brought this to mind. “Heavy Rain Of A Sunny Day” opens up to the sound of rain. Next, some acoustic guitar comes in for a melancholy sound. I thought the pensive vibes here were a total 180 from the band. Next, the chord progressions on the acoustic guitar become more immediate. Dalia’s vocals come in up-close-and-personal. I was loving this intimate performance from the band. This seemed to be a good way to close the album.

​The band names Tool, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine, Death From Above 1979 and Deftones as some of their influences. With that being said, I can definitely hear these bands in State of Neptune’s sound, but I think the band is able to bring something to the table here that is unique and all their own. Unabashedly in-your-face and immediate, these tracks will undoubtedly get audiences’ attention. I look forward to seeing what’s next for them.

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