The world of mainstream radio rock has its favorites. Is sounding like a combination of all of them and touring with half of them (3 Doors Down, Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd in one bill!) enough for 12 Stones to join their ranks? Potter's Field improves on their self-titled debut, with better-crafted songs, although there's no clear-cut single like "Broken" from the last album. But the glaring weakness of 12 Stones is—and always has been—the competition. Paul McCoy is an admirable vocalist when he's not reaching for the lower notes, but compare him to the vocalists from any of the other bands above. Now throw in more competition from bands like Three Days Grace, Seether, Chevelle and Finger Eleven (who they sound eerily similar to on "Far Away," "Lifeless," and "3 Leaf Loser"), and it's not hard to see why 12 Stones gets overlooked. While Potter's Field is by no means bad, it has been done before. If you liked their S/T, you'll like them again, and if you're not disturbed by the frequency of airplay that unoriginal songs get, then there's no reason to avoid 12 Stones.
Editors' ratings — Doug 3/5, David 1/5
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Barry Nothstine12 Stones roars out of the gate chugging mightily with their sophomore release Potter's Field. The CD rocks heavily (and sounds better sonically than their debut), and the vocals of Paul McCoy are impressive. I especially enjoy the opening rocker "Shadows," the melodic, heavy groove of cut 4, "Speak Your Mind," and the different sounding opening strains of "Stay." Fans of the band's first…Decapolis October 2004Reviewed by Justin BrinkerI really wanted to have something positive to say about Potters Field the sophomore album from Wind Up's 12 Stones. After forcing myself to listen to this the past few weeks and find the good in the bad I have come to a conclusion that is not feasible. Potters Field is not only lacking in originality but in diversity to the point of sounding like one long mundane song. From the opener "Shadows"…Similar sounding releases
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