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%.