On October 17, 2025, Stonebourne return with their third studio album. It’s been a while since their self-titled EP (2018) and the full-length Squirrels on a Plane (2020), but the wait is over: the Nuremberg Über-Grungers are back. The cover doesn’t beat around the bush either – it flat-out tells us to give the record a serious backwards spin. So what’s hidden in the grooves of this new LP?

The press already credited the previous album with pulling off a perfect time-warp straight into the ’90s (Rock Hard Magazine), but Stonebourne aren’t content to just camp out in grunge’s mothballed attic. Instead, they’ve brought the whole thing up to date, pushing the needle firmly into the here and now.

Yes, the echoes of Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Stone Temple Pilots are there for anyone with an ear, but the four-piece from Franconia don’t stop at Seattle’s city limits. Their brand of heavy, uncompromising Über-Grunge kicks the doors wide open with urgent riffs and soulful dual vocals, carving out a sound that’s unmistakably their own.

Compared to its predecessor, Play This Record Backwards feels darker, heavier, more melancholic – but also deeper. Frontman and guitarist Sven Kartscher lures listeners into his brooding inner world with hooks that linger, laid over the pulsing groove of Dierk von Tesmar’s driving basslines and Heinz Salomon’s pounding drums. Lead guitarist Peter Loy alternates between crushing riffs and intricate solos laced with bittersweet harmonies.

Somewhere between Seattle and Franconia spins a record that breathes, sweats, and bleeds raw intensity, full of soul. Grunge isn’t dead. It just moved to Nuremberg.

Grunge is alive. From Nuremberg. Loud. Raw. Real.

Since 2017, Stonebourne have stood for their honest, uncompromising Über-Grunge made in Germany – handmade, heavy, and with an attitude that gets under your skin.
Rooted in the rough sound of the ’90s, the four musicians from Nuremberg bridge the gap between nostalgic melancholy and modern power.
With gritty guitar riffs, dark harmonies, and a double-vocal punch, Sven Kartscher (vocals, guitars), Dierk von Tesmar (vocals, bass), Peter Loy (guitars) and Heinz Salomon (drums) create a sonic world somewhere between Seattle and Franconia – raw, intense, and full of soul.
A bit of Drop D, a bit of teenage angst, weltschmerz, and plenty of anthemic, energetic rock. Their music recalls giants like Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, or Stone Temple Pilots, yet remains unmistakably their own.

With their self-titled EP Stonebourne (2018) and the acclaimed album Squirrels on a Plane (2020), the band built a steadily growing fanbase through their tours – reaching far beyond German borders. Now, on October 17, 2025, their third release follows:
“Play this Record Backwards“ – an album darker, more mature, and more profound than ever before. Along with the extensive tour of the same name, running from October 2025 to March 2026, Stonebourne are bringing their Grunge sound to stages across Germany and beyond.

And it hasn’t gone unnoticed: U.S. radio stations have already picked up Stonebourne tracks – a rare accolade for a German Grunge band.
Stonebourne is no shallow revival – Stonebourne is modern Grunge for the here and now, living by the motto: “We make Grunge great again! “

Press Quotes:

Grunge is not dead! Here comes Über-Grunge from Nuremberg.

“The quartet breathes the Grunge era with every pore and every brain synapse. An authentically dirty sound that perfectly captures the Grunge spirit and completes the time jump back to the ’90s.” – Rock Hard Magazin

„Squirrels On A Plane is full of romantic intensity, heady choruses, which we never tire of. I therefore invite you to take part in this Stonebournesque adventure of 15 stages in a landscape with massive riffs, shaken by good vibrations and where the emotional and bewitching singing works wonders.“ – Rock Metal Mag (France)

“Don’t be surprised if you hear more from or about Stonebourne in the coming months. Squirrels On A Plane could very well launch them onto the global music scene if they play their cards right.” – Boston Rock Radio

“Stonebourne can elevate your thoughts and throw you into a hole at the same time – and yes, they perfected the art of hypnotism to hook you with this 15-track album, start to finish.” – Calcutta Grunge Exchange

“Taking classic grunge and updating it for a new age, these fifteen tracks from Stonebourne show that grunge is far from dead.” – Loud Enough Magazine

“Kartscher sings wonderfully wistful in the best Kurt Cobain style and once again proves his knack for songwriting. Musically, this is very close to ’70s hard rock, a bit like early Soundgarden albums – with plenty of grit. A charming somersault back into the ’90s!” – Nürnberger Nachrichten

“Retro? Not at all – at best timeless. Frontman Sven Kartscher definitely has his own charisma, not only due to his tendency for soul-baring lyrics. An absolutely worth-hearing newcomer, from whom we hopefully get to hear much more soon.” – Musik Reviews