CARBONSTONE, an industrial alternative metal band from Westminster, Maryland, just released a new single, “Damaged Like You”, and a music video to accompany it. Like all of this band’s music, this new song provides an insight into the mind and heart of frontman Corey James, and shares emotions that anyone can relate to in their own lives.
Members of CARBONSTONE include Corey (songwriter/vocals/guitars); Neely Johns (guitars/additional live screams); Eric Dee (bass); Jeremy Robertson (drums and programming); Tony Correlli (synths and production); and, last but definitely NOT least, “Frankie Carbonstone” (nightmare hype bear). Frankie has quickly become a CARBONSTONE fan favorite, and is a fixture in videos, at shows, and on the band’s Facebook live video streams.
CARBONSTONE has an interesting history. After eight years on hiatus, Corey brought the band back in 2019. They dropped an EP called Oddity and a few singles up until 2021. Corey calls the process of recording the 2021 album Dark Matter “crazy”, and the band couldn’t wait to finally get back on stage They had all of the pieces except for one – a drummer. Corey says finding the right drummer is always the toughest thing for a band. Fortunately, synth player/engineer Tony knew the right guy for the job. Here’s an unbelievable but true story – Corey met this drummer, Jeremy, at one full rehearsal just two days before playing their giant return show in Baltimore. Thanks to the “band Gods”, Jeremy handled the stress and pressure well and the band nailed the performance!
When it comes to songwriting, lyrics are very important to Corey. He says he likes to think of each song that he writes as a tiny sliver of the madness inside his head. And there’s a lot, he says jokingly. Corey shares, “Musically, I always write the core foundation of each song – guitars, vocal melodies, and song structure. I’ll demo it with Neely once I feel the entire song is complete and ready enough to take the next step. After it’s properly demoed, I then take it over to Tony’s studio where he and I will drink coffee or beer and upgrade the song with all of the killer synth elements.”
Corey says that CARBONSTONE had an entire team backing them on “Damaged Like You”. “I’ll say right off the bat that this was actually Jeremy’s first time tracking drums to a CARBONSTONE song since joining the band. Up until now, all of our drums had been digitally programmed. He did a wicked job on this one and Tony crushed it as usual with his mixing and mastering. I’m super happy with how the whole song came out!” Corey gives huge props to TJ Darpino from Darpino Media and Josh Grosscup from the band Pink Elefants for their killer work on the music video. TJ did all of the filming and Josh did all of the editing. “They are both absolutely talented dudes and I couldn’t be happier to have them as part of the team!”, Corey shares.
CARBONSTONE songs always seem to be written from deep down in the depths of Corey’s heart and soul. He says, “It’s all mainly whatever I’m feeling at that moment in time when I’m writing. I tend to draw from my past a lot. I have a lot of not-so-happy memories from my earlier years. That’s why this one (“Damaged Like You”) is extra special for me. I was able to write it from not only my own perspective, but as anyone dealing with depression, sadness, trauma as a whole. It’s definitely something I know we can all relate to, unfortunately.” This is one of the many things that draw fans in to the music of CARBONSTONE.
The guitar riffs on “Damaged Like You” are intricate and multifaceted, and the bass and drums combine in perfect unison. The synth/electronic elements add so much complexity to the track. The song varies in tempo, with the verses being fast paced, compared to a slower pace for the chorus. That changes up at the end of the song, when the chorus picks up in intensity, featuring rapid-fire drums. Corey’s distinctive, passionate voice portrays the emotion of the song, and there are some growls and screams mixed in for emphasis. I’m just going to say that, after following CARBONSTONE for a little over two years now, “Damaged Like You” just might be this band’s best song yet.
The video for “Damaged Like You” is dark and symbolic. Corey came up with the concept at almost the same time he was writing the song. He always tries to incorporate some kind of “horror” theme into his videos because he is a mega horror movie fan. He looks at each video as a chance to make a mini four-minute movie. Corey’s wife, Chrystal James, the frontwoman of ANOXIA, and their good friend and photographer Beth Starner did an amazing job with the costume for “The Wraith”. It actually took them a few days to assemble it together. The band wants to thank their good friend Roger and his family. Roger went “above and beyond” for the music video. The whole thing was shot on their property in March.
The setting for the video is the band playing in a forest with flames and smoke. This is the same forest featured in the cover art for the 2019 Oddity EP. “Frankie Carbonstone” is featured prominently in the video, which fans of CARBONSTONE love. He stirs up “The Wraith” (portrayed by Chrystal James), and it is finally revealed who the hand from the Dark Matter album cover belongs to. Corey says “The Wraith” is the physical manifestation of darkness, sadness, depression, doubt, etc. The green glow from the lantern “The Wraith” carries is particularly emblematic. There are some moments later in the video where Frankie is lurking behind Corey, like a haunting presence that won’t go away.
Corey says writing music comes in waves for him. He’s not sure when the next new song will be, so he wants to see how far “Damaged Like You” can go. The song and video are already getting great response. He hopes people enjoy this new track as humanly (or “vampirically”) as possible!
CARBONSTONE is currently booking shows for the summer. The band is scheduled to play at Rock On The Hill in Hanover, PA May 13th and The Sound 228 Dirty Thirty Fest at The Juke Joint in Ocean Springs, Mississippi July 22nd. The bamd cam be found on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Beth Starner of Beth Starner Photography.
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