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An unoriginal, patterned identity crisis.-
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| Straight Line Stitch: The Fight of Our Lives |
Alternative Rock, Metalcore
eOne Records
March 22nd, 2011
- Tear Down the sky - 4:15
- Conversion - 4:23
- Laughing in the Rearview - 4:21
- Cold Front - 3:54
- No Tomorrow - 3:36
- Bar Room Brawl - 4:21
- One Reason - 3:29
- Never Surrender - 3:21
- Living Dead - 3:26
- Sound of Silence - 3:31
- Ashes in the Wind - 3:30
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| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 38:07
Review posted on March 20th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 3.5/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Everything in Nothing by Itself (2004) | To Be Godlike (2006) | When Skies Wash Ashore (2008) | The Fight of Our Lives (2011)
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| EP(s): |
The Barker (2001) | Jagermeister EP (2003) | The Word Made Flesh (2007)
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| Review |
Straight Line Stitch is a Metalcore act from Knoxville, Tennessee. The band formed back in 1999, and since then hasn't necessarily been the center of attention for the Metalcore world. For the most part, the band's material had been self-financed and found release without a label. Due to this, the band's name hadn't really gotten around as much as it should have until their third full-length effort, and first to not be financed and issued solely by the band, When Skies Wash Ashore, finding the band a home on Koch Records in 2008. This could have been mostly due to the inclusion of female vocalist Alexis Brown who joined the group back in 2006. After a few other line up changes, leavng guitarist Seth and bassist Jason to bring in newcomer Kanky Lora on drums, and former Darkest Hour guitarist Kris Norris to fill out the line-up for their eOne Records deal to put out The Fiught of Our Lives, the fourth full-length. One could speculate that the latter of those new members being a former part of a fellow label-mate act had to dow ith the signing, but one listen to this release will show that the band deserves a decent amount of recognition themselves, even if the material isn't the most original or unique.
It's hard to step back and listen to a Metalcore release anymore without hearing a heavy influence of pioneering groups who defined the style, and some influence from Killswitch Engage as well as Bullet for My Valentine does linger as the staple foundation for the group, but the band does manage to build up on it from there. The music here is extremely catchy, and the female vocals are very well done and come far from being a traditional performance. The rhaspier screams have a little distortion on them, which adds more of an edge the voice to match the intensity of the sound, though it doesn't really feel needed, especially with the amount of energy behind them. The clean singing sounds a lot more mainstream oriented too, and while that may sound like a put-off, it really isn't due to how well it works with the melody in the chorus. However, the vocals do pose a bit of a problem as the release goes on, as the band does follow the same pattern that many bands in the Metalcore, even Melodic Death Metal style have fallen prey to over the years, and that's screaming the entire song, but singing the chorus. While the clean vocals are excellent, it grows very repetitive, and eventually just starts to wear on the listener despite the energetic performance.
Musically, the album is strong and, as stated, has a strong melodic presence at times, especially in the chorus. "Laughing in the Rearview" proves that well with the intense traditional Metalcore sound with a slight Groove element to it driving the intensity home, then switching to a more melodic chorus for the soft clean singing to come in and the music alters slightly to a more melodic style without interrupting the flow of the song. And for that it's highly commendable. However, that's literally every song on here. Heavy, intense, then melodic solo, repeat. The only real difference is the breakdown that starts off "Tear Down the Sky", as well as any other random breakdown that might appear, though they are heavily restricted. Another difference that appears once in a while is a slower moment where the music essentially stops, or is echoed as if in the distance with the vocalist singing over it, then crashing back into the chorus, a typical transition in many Alternative Rock, Mallcore, Metalcore, Gothic Rock, Gothic Metal, and Melodic Death Metal bands, especially those with female vocalists, that follow the scream verse, sing chorus pattern so close. "No Tomorrow" does this, and while it sounds great, it's once again absolutely nothing new, it's just done well.
And that's the vibe of this album. The Fight of Our Lives is nothing new at all, everything on it is generic ideas with a staple pattern. Outside those random moments, the other aspect that really brings in a difference, and has a slightly unique element that makes the music sound a little more intense then going to a strictly melodic chorus, though there's no disputing that it isn't melodic in any way, during "Bar Room Brawl", which really shakes things up with it's chorus that has both screaming and singing, and a really heavy and appropriate breakdown later on that really just matches the intimidation factor, but even then the song itself sounds like nothing new, as when it comes to the end of the breakdown, it has the typical deeper intimidating simpler chords that most commonly act as a build up, but instead go directly back into the chorus. Really, the only track that stands out at all outside of the energetic and well done performances is "One Reason", but that's because it takes the music in the direction of Flyleaf and doesn't really have much of a Metalcore sound to begin with, but takes the sound to an Alternative Rock track. It's not bad, as it's a breath of fresh air from the scream verse sing chorus pattern thanks to it's soft harmonized whisper verse sing chorus that is rather contemporary for Alternative Rock, but not necessarily as abused by bands in that style.
But that Alternative perspective doesn't stop there, as the band repeats it again, this time with just clean singing with the random shouting in the background again on "Never Surrender", the weakest track off the album because, say it with me, it's all been done before! The track sounds like an attempt to emulate In This Moment to the point of even having the vocals clearly performed differently to try to immitate that sound. Outside of "Bar Room Brawl" (perhaps that's not even original but a take on the song title "Ball Room Blitz", who knows at this point), the only other song that truly sounds unique is "Living Dead", which again is just an Alternative Rock sounding track that takes from ideas like Flyleaf and In This Moment with a more pop-oriented vocal approach, but the softer music and general Hard Rock attitude does set it apart, as the song does feel a little more like their own then just a carbon copy of other styles out there. But, that doesn't save it, as the song itself isn't that entertaining, coming off pretty bland and not really having much of a bite, and isn't even that catchy, coming off more as just a filler song. "Sound of Silence" brings the album back to the heavier Metalcore sound once more, and it's actually got variety to it, but at that point it's too late, and still sounds remarkably like Killswitch Engage, but with enough of a unique spin to it with the female vocals to make it sound unique. The vocals are all screaming, no singing, but the energy just isn't there outside of in the drumming, which is obvious by the end when they seem to just start going batshit crazy and don't even stay in rhythm with the guitars, though the vocals do hit higher screams then anything heard on the CD. But, by this point, it's just too late.
The Fight of Our Lives really does come off as the fight of their lives. There is pretty much absolutely nothing original except maybe two tracks if that. The only unique thing about this recording is the fact that the vocalist is female. A majority of the material sounds like Alternative Rock inspired Metalcore with heavy influences from Bullet for my Valentine and Killswitch Engage, though the latter seems to take precidence over the first. The constant abusing of patterns, the constant mimickery of other bands like Flyleaf, and a few bland songs missing an energetic performance outside a random seizure-like questionable drum solo, leaves this CD really struggling. I wanted to like this CD, as right from the start it pulled me right in with it's perfect mixture of intensity and melody, but quickly the realization set in that this is a forgettable album for all those reasons, and the only reasons to come back are the catchy tracks, and the energy that lures you in right from the start. Other then that, this is just another release in the Metalcore pile that will probably only gain popularity because of it's mainstream appeal with a rugged side we've all heard a million times over, except just done well. The Fight of Our Lives isn't an album that will wear thin right away, but right after that first listen you'll start picking and skipping until that quick and inevitable moment arrives where it's shelved for a good while.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
eOne Records.
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