Blown away by the snippet of their Download 2011 performance last weekend, I was eager to get to grips with The Fight Of Our Lives, the latest release from Knoxville, Tennessee metalcore merchants, Straight Line Stitch.
It is a heavy affair as well, with the first three tracks sounding brutal, built to decimate in mosh pits up and down the land. Tear Down The Sky is fast and furious, and Conversion has some nice vocal exchanges between the guttural screams and the clean melodies as interjected by singer Alexis Brown, ably handling both sides of the coin to her great credit. Laughing In The Rear View has a pummelling backdrop for her to lace her intertwined melodies and screams, amidst some insane blast beat drumming, and shows that as one of only a handful of female leads in bands such as this, she can more than hold her own. The drumming is immense across the record, often utilising blast beats to phenomenal effect, especially in this track (and also in Bar Room Brawl, a track that appears later on the record).
The following track, Cold Front, slows things down a little, before the frenetic beats come back on No Tomorrow, as the screams subside to a killer chorus, built around some cracking drum beats and crunching guitars once more. For me, the clear highlight of the album comes in the form of Never Surrender, which has a brilliant hook, and a phenomenal metalcore chorus, but it is run close by closing track Ashes In The Wind, which is a fitting way to end an excellent release.
If you like your metalcore brutal, with the usual melodic moments, then Straight Line Stitch are right up your street, and could well be your new favourite band. There is so much to take in on this record, but on first listen, it is definitely a keeper. More listens will only make this sound even better, as some much needed familiarity will allow the listener to really understand the complexity of this album, as well as the talent of its makers. It makes a great instant impression though, and shows that the metalcore scene has some new faces on the block, ready to impress.
Straight Line Stitch make a huge statement with this album, and people are left with no choice but to sit up and take notice after listening to it. Fresh face to the metalcore scene, and ones who can hit hard, while still packing in a huge chorus where necessary. They have all the tools in their arsenal, along with a lead singer who is a true force to be reckoned with. Some killer headline shows under their belts, and their growing reputation could well go supernova. The majority of the tracks on The Fight Of Our Lives would make a perfect soundtrack to mosh pit action, and carnage could well ensue when these guys (and gal) throw down on our soil next time around.
7.5/10
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