19th June, 2026
Stranded By Choice
'Marooned In Stone'
Montana hard rock/metal band Stranded By Choice return with 'Marooned In Stone', their fifth full-length album and first original release since 2023.
Nearly twenty years into their run, you would think that it would be easy to coast along on the great foundations they've built and the experience they've gained, but after listening to this and previous output, I can tell you now this sounds like a tighter Stranded By Choice, built around big riffs and melody - what more could you want?
Have a listen to the album below while you read ->
Stranded by Choice come straight out of the gates strong with riff fest (and aptly named) 'Workhorse', just wall to wall energy, full-throttle charge right until the end. Everything about this band feels professional, the production is crisp, modern yet the music is loud and in your face.
Hot on it's hells is 'Home Away From Hell', the intro here keeps the pressure on and doesn't let the foot off the gas until the verse and a powerful Stone Temple Pilots type chorus.
We are treated to a great clean tapping guitar section bang in the middle of song complimented by some nice Stefan Flores drum movement across the toms.
Then we are hit with one of the best solos on the album. Off to a strong start.
Flores stepping behind the kit feels important throughout - cool, interesting fills that add to the song yet never distract. On 'Big Fascination' the palm-muted verse riff gives the track an easy
head-nod swagger, something that would work well at a stadium sized gig. There's also some tasteful double-bass work to add some extra punch. Sean Young and Adam Rutt shine in the dual-lead sections here.
'Fog' works well as a sort of trippy, almost tribal acoustic interlude before 'Rumination' enters with stabby guitars along with the marching snare hits as an equaliser. Its bluesy clean passages add
some welcome colour in the verses before hitting into their usual SBC stribe. I feel the snare hit section from the intro is overused slightly towards the end of the song, a solo would have fitted well instead after the final chorus. Just one nitpick on an overall fantastic song.
Elsewhere, 'Thrown Away' brings a punkier edge with an octane tempo while 'Killer In The Night' is another standout, the kind of hard rock anthem Guns N' Roses should have written after Use Your Illusion
and arguably stronger than anything on Chinese Democracy. That's the level of songwriting we are at with Stranded By Choice.
Rich Feeley's voice throughout is a highlight in itself and remains central to the bands identity, sitting somewhere between Matt Barlows (ex-Iced Earth) metal authority and Mastodons Troy Sanders grit...with the tiniest sprinkle of Chad Kroegers bite.
That mix suits the albums blue collar mysticism, touching upon time/consciousness and the universe...but you still can't help yourself banging your head along and losing yourself in the sense of fun from some of the riffs at times.
Marooned In Stone is heavy, melodic and alive with road worn experience. Stranded By Choice still sound hungry and still know exactly how to make big guitars, vocals, bass and drums sound and feel exciting. Don't sleep on this one folks!
