CARBONSTONE's "Not Like This": A Song About Finding Strength Amidst The Darkness

Written by: Annie Schlottman Photo credit: Beth Starner Photography

Anytime I see there is a new CARBONSTONE song coming out, I know we’re going to be getting something special. Longtime fans of this industrial alternative metal band from Maryland are drawn to their unique sound and creative music videos that always tell a story that reflects the deeper meaning of their songs.

CARBONSTONE just released a brand new song, “Not Like This”, Saturday, August 8th, along with a music video to go along with it. As soon as I heard the song, I knew it would quickly become one of my favorites by this band I’ve been following for over five years. As with all of CARBONSTONE’s videos, the one for this new track is another work of cinematographic art.

Based in Baltimore, Maryland, CARBONSTONE consists of: Corey James (songwriter/lead vocals/guitars); Eric Dee (bass); Steve Junkins (guitars); ande Ted Hile (drums). The “fifth band member” is the extremely cute yet sinister vampire hype bear “Frankie Carbonstone”, who is present at almost all CARBSONSTONE shows and regularly appears in the band’s music videos.

A staple in the CARBONSTONE creative process for many years has been Tony Correlli of Deep End Studio in Middle River, Maryland. He’s been working with them for years, and he’s basically another band member and a permanent part of the CARBONSTONE family. Tony knows Corey so well and is always on the same wavelength regarding the direction of each song. Together, Tony and Corey combine to form one of the best songwriting teams in the industry.

The new song, “Not Like This”, was just Corey and Tony working together. Tony always writes all the synth parts for CARBONSTONE songs. Sometimes they’ll try a few different pieces and settle on what sounds best. Other times, Tony nails it on the first try. Corey said that If it catches them on the first pass they know it’s a keeper!

For the “Not Like This” music video, CARBONSTONE teamed up with Finch Flores and Josh Matthew of Pink Elefants Media based in Baltimore. The band always has a blast working with them! They’ve actually done all of CARBONSTONE’s videos over the past couple of years.

The video was filmed in the basement of an old industrial building, which also happens to be the band’s rehearsal space. The room was loaded with spider webs, which they decided to keep to add to the broody mood of the video. Everyone was trying to dodge the spider webs while they were filming, and Corey joked that some were more successful than others.

Now I want to dive a little deeper into “Not Like This”.

Corey shared, “ ‘Not Like This’ explores the scars left behind by manipulation, self-doubt, and the feeling of losing yourself while searching for a way back. At its heart, the song is a declaration of defiance -- a refusal to surrender, even when everything feels as though it is falling apart.”

There is always a passion in CARBOSTONE’s songs that throws the listeners into the emotions that are being conveyed. Fear, despair, sadness, anger, rage – you can feel it all in your own soul. Corey pours everything he is feeling into the lyrics he writes. “Not Like This” takes us on another trip to the place where he’s at in his heart and mind during the songwriting process.

Musically, “Not Like This” has that signature CARBONSTONE nu metal vibe, but with modern rock elements mixed in. The combination of chugging guitars and creative synths keep the listeners on their toes. Corey expresses himself vocally with both singing and screams that reflect the meaning behind the lyrics.

As a fan of CARBONSTONE for over five years, I must say that “Not Like This” is kind of a throwback for me. It takes me back to the first song I ever heard by this band, “A.M. Trauma”,  in June of 2021. That song was on the band’s full-length album Dark Matter, which came out in October of that same year. As much as I love CARBONSTONE’s newer releases, it’s kind of cool to hear a song that reminds me why I fell in love with the band’s music in the first place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQhb70wN2Yc&list=RDpQhb70wN2Yc&start_radio=1

Something CARBONSTONE is known for is their cinematic, dark videos. Each one is like its own horror movie. For “Not Like This”, the band wanted it to reflect the song with super dark imagery. The concept roughly fell into place over a few discussions. They wanted a cramped, dark room to add a claustrophobic ambience, as if they were all being suffocated.

Corey’s wife, Chrystal James (who is also the frontwoman of her own band, ANOXIA), designed the costumes and also came through as always with a killer horror character, with her makeup resembling that of a sort of “twisted witch”, as Corey described it. She always plays these roles so well in CARBONSTONE’s videos, and you can tell she absolutely loves doing it. Corey knows how lucky he is to have Chrystal involved in his band’s projects, contributing her creative vision and talent. He said, “Chrystal always spends so much time perfecting her costumes. It’s really incredible to witness.”

In addition to Chrystal’s character, the CARBONSTONE vampire bear, “Frankie Carbonstone”, is featured in the video as always. He is a fan favorite who is always sought out for photo opportunities at shows, but at the same time he adds another element of dark mysteriousness to the video.

To take things even further into the darkness, video editor Josh of Pink Elefants decided to color grade almost everything in black and white. The final product gives off a creepy noir vibe that perfectly ties in with the song. It definitely reminds you of one of those old-fashioned horror movies from back in the 1930s and 1940s.

It’s been over a year since the last CARBONSTONE release, “Standoff” featuring Jonny Santos of Spineshank, which came out May 31st, 2025. Corey is a perfectionist and very detail-oriented when it comes to releasing music. He plans each release meticulously and always wants to make sure everything is done right so that each song and video has its own special life cycle. He doesn’t like to rush the process.

As Corey said, “In my opinion, so many bands and artists out there just drop single after single in an effort to stay relevant that I feel like it takes away from each individual release. As an artist, I believe each song is special and deserves its own lifespan and its own room to breathe.”

Corey shared that this will most likely be the only release by CARBONSTONE this year, but that’s not set in stone. They do have several more songs almost ready to go, but he believes those all belong on the upcoming album. More about that at the end of this story!

CARBONSTONE did a run of shows with their friends in Spineshank back in May, but decided to take some time off from performing after that to focus on getting this new single released. There is a killer show lined up for September, but it has not been announced yet, so stay tuned!

Speaking of the aforementioned album, Corey said that CARBONSTONE has a new album in the works, titled The Absence Of Self. It was originally set to come out in 1ate 2025, but with the amount of shows they had along with touring, they had to push it back. They are hopeful to get it completed and out early in 2027. There are also some big surprises coming next year, so keep your eyes peeled!

The best places to find CARBONSTONE are Facebook and Instagram. Also, don’t forget to check out all of their awesome videos on their YouTube channel!