Shatterstone is a Louisville-area (N'albany, to be precise) hard rock/metal band. I've still yet to catch them live, but keep meaning to. My next oppurtunity when I get back will be the Rock for Kosair event on November 17, which should be the Friday after I get back if I remember correctly, if anyone is interested in checking it out.
I discovered the band via reviews and eventually found a set of MP3s on their website. The Hard Goodbye is the second iteration of that set of MP3s. Overall the quality has only gone up, which is great to hear. I still would love to see some further balancing in the studio, but understand how tough that can be for smaller artists.
Returning from the previous set of files that I have are Nothing's Real and Invisible, both of which are probably the catchiest and most powerful of the songs that had been previously released, and good to see them. These pieces also help explain part of the uniqueness of Shatterstone. Shatterstone's Ricky Payne actually sings the lyrics, which in fact have real melody (and harmony in some of the newer songs). Nothing's Real, with its dark style is still immensely hummable and can get stuck in your head. It's such a rare skill that appears to be thanks to a much more varied music background than the average pop hard rock band (including the obligatory Country music influences from the Louisville area).
New songs like the slower Misery, pounding Tsunami, and the title track The Hard Goodbye round a good, if short, album that is well worth the $7 I paid for it. I certainly look forward to the next album, and to getting a chance to see a live show sometime.