Formed in 2001,
Stray From The Path are an alternative hardcore band from Long Island in New
York. Well-known for their frequent touring schedule and angry lyrics, Stray
From The Path have a huge and loyal fan base. ‘Anonymous’ is their latest album
and it was released on the 17th of September.
It’s not very
often that the first track of an album will leave you wanting to listen to
more, but Stray From The Path have managed just that. ‘False Flag’ is an
angst-filled hardcore anthem filled with catchy riffs and harsh vocals. The
lyrics portray the negative attitude many have towards America: “Red white and
blue won’t look out for you… Land of the free? Where is our liberty?”
After such a
positive start to the album, it’s good to hear that the next song is just as
impressive. ‘Badge & A Bullet’ opens with an impressive technical guitar
riff, which continues throughout the whole song. The chorus is very catchy and
it’s obvious just from listening to the recording that it would be an
incredible song to hear performed live.
Drew York’s
vocals are very impressive in the third track ‘Radio’. His ferocious and almost
aggressive sounding vocals work well with the intense guitaring and fast-paced
drumming. Despite the title ‘Radio’, it’s probably not a song that you’d hear
on the mainstream radio stations, but it’s an amazing hardcore song.
“We were the
best of friends, but you don’t need me in the end. You fooled me once, that
won’t be happening again.” ‘Scissor Hands’ is a track which sounds like an
angrier version of the old-style Your Demise mixed with Glassjaw. Drew’s vocals
have an arrogance to them which works extremely well with aggressive and angry
lyrics and he’s an impressive alternative hardcore vocalist. The repetitive
nature of the song is far from annoying; it makes the song get stuck in your
head very quickly and it is a definite stand-out track from ‘Anonymous’.
‘Black Friday’
opens with an almost eerie-sounding guitar riff, making it one of the most
unique songs on the album. This song almost has a Rage Against The Machine vibe
to it, so it’s easy to see where Stray From The Path get some of their
influences from.
‘Counting Sheep’
is a fantastic fusion of hardcore and metal music, appealing to many different
music fans. The guitar riff is catchy and impressive to listen to, proving that
all of the members of Stray From The Path are talented musicians.
The next song,
‘Slice Of Life’ is both brutal and very heavy. The breakdowns in this song are
possibly the best on the whole album and enable Stray From The Path to prove
that they’ve mastered the main features of the hardcore genre. Despite going
for many years, their music still sounds fresh and innovative.
‘Tell Them I’m Not Home’ has a different
opening to the other songs on ‘Anonymous’ as it begins with a strong drumbeat
and catchy bass line. The guitar solo is well-constructed and leads into a
heavy breakdown.
Distorted and
creepy sounds open the track ‘Landmines’, which then leads into yet another
strong guitar riff. The harsh vocals and expressive lyrics merge well together,
forming an impressive alternative hardcore track. The song features a clip from
President John F. Kennedy’s speech which he gave at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
in 1961 about secret societies, further demonstrating Stray From The Path’s
interest both in history and the world around them.
‘Anonymous’ is
the last song on the album, and it is certainly as impressive as all of the
tracks before it. From the first track to the last, Stray From Your Path manage
to create an interesting and unique sound which manages to keep you engaged in
the album until the last second of the last song.
One thing that
is definitely apparent in this album is that the lyrics are well-thought out
and reflect some interesting views on both government and society in general.
Stray From The Path aren't just a band who say what people want to hear, it’s
clear that they speak from the heart, which creates some incredible hardcore
music.
Check out Stray From The Path here: https://www.facebook.com/strayfromthepath
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