Postive Hardcore Has Arrived
From teaching school kids, to touring the world with their hardcore band 'Stretch Arm Strong' - it's been quite a journey for these five guys from Columbia, South Carolina. Producing a pounding sound that strikes the perfect balance between aggression and melody - one minute you could be listening to Minor Threat, the next Green Day at their most poppy - Stretch are poised to break the walls of the hardcore genre. Armed with a strong back-catalogue, an ever-growing army of fans won largely by their triumphant live shows and now new album 'Free At Last', the 'We Put Out Records' label's flagship is ready to set sail.
Stretch creatively immerse themselves in numerous challenging and intriguing lyrical domains. 'When All Else Fails' tackles self-doubt and rejection head on, and stands steadfast and triumphant against these evils; it is, in their own words, "an anthem of defiance". 'Faces' deals with friends long gone, growing up and losing your "fire" and "rage" and running aimlessly through life. 'Hearts of Fire' takes Stretch down a political path, a scathing attack on "politicians [who] spread their canvas all around". It's clear that the guys have been through a tumultuous few years, as the futile lyric "all these years and no conclusion," suggests. Yet, whatever topic Stretch choose, it is inspiring that they always leave the song on a positive, fighting note; 'Every Last Minute' closes with the proclamation, "We can mend this suffering. We can break free from it," whilst 'To the End' closes with a rousing statement of intent and defiance, "As tough as this life that we have chosen is...we will prevail!" Stretch take all their anger, all their aggression and all their problems and turn them into something positive, powerful and, above all, into great music.
Musically, Stretch Arm Strong take the best parts of hardcore, punk and metal, utterly avoiding the metalcore trap en route, and stitch them together seamlessly. Stand out tracks such as 'Faces', 'To The End', and 'When All Else Fails' twist and tear their way through genres, surprising and impressing at every turn. Final track 'A Time For Peace' exposes Stretch's sensitive side, a mournful acoustic epitaph for a departed friend. Keep listening at the end of this track, and you'll hear something that scared me senseless at 1:00 in the morning, when I thought the album was over...
'Free At Last' should throw Stretch Arm Strong straight into the hardcore front-line, and based on this CD they'll survive the hail of gunfire. Their melody-infused hardcore-punk will certainly win over fans of the genre, and may also bring others into the fold. Continually entertaining the idea of being brilliant on this LP, although never quite attaining it, Stretch should be an exciting prospect for the coming years. There is always room for improvement, and further musical evolution should see them realise their exciting maximum potential, but for the moment 'Free At Last' is easily good enough to carry them effortlessly on their forthcoming tours. Discard your negativity - positive-hardcore has arrived.