Stick To Your Guns have this ability to take you on a journey through their records, both lyrically and musically. True View is no exception. It's full of hard and heavy tracks like The Sun, The Moon, The Truth: "Penance Of Self" raging through a collection of dark melodies and pit hungry riffs, setting the bar high for the rest of the album. Single Married To The Noise continues the heavy feel, especially in the verses, but progresses into a mammoth of a chorus that shows off vocalist Jesse Barnett's pipes. Cave Canem is crammed full of dirty and bouncy riffs, and a breakdown with the ability to fold anyone nearby in half. The Better Days Before Me is one of the thrashier sounding songs on the record, and contains both shades of light and dark. Lyrically it focuses on looking back at the past and taking lessons and positives from it to help mould yourself a better now, and the ending section of this song is really powerful due to the weight behind their delivery.
There are some slower and softer songs that provide a bit of relief and pace change, too. 56 is noticeably softer from the off, and immediately changes the vibe of the record. In a good way, of course. It feels like a pop song with more aggressive instruments, complete with an infectious chorus and verse melody that's slathered an upbeat and positive feeling soundtrack. Album closer The Reach For Me: Forgiveness Of Self comes as a welcome surprise too, and is probably the most commercial sounding track on the record. It reminds me of some of the tracks on the most recent Thrice album which is partly due to the similarity between Barnett and Dustin Kensrue's (Thrice vocalist) voices, but also because of how the song has been structured. It doesn't sound like the Stick To Your Guns that we know, but doesn't sound like a completely different band. It shows musical progression and that they're exploring their sound, which I fully back and support. The track is a mellow and slightly sombre end to the album, closing with the lyrics "And if I can't forgive myself for the pain I've caused, it'll always haunt me. I'm so sorry". A powerful end to an impressive album.
I'll be honest; at first I didn't like this record. Not to say I hated it, I just struggled to get into it at first. Diamond and Disobedient were near perfect, and I remember being hooked after the first listen. This record didn't hit me like that. After spinning it a few more times though, it grew on me, and I'm confident in saying that this is a killer record. They've completely followed the suit of their back catalogue and ensured that there isn't a bad song on it. And what I like the most about the album is it's variety. There's a bit of everything on here. There's some absolute mosh ragers. There's slower, more heartfelt, "grab a mate and wipe your single tear on their shirt" kind of songs. There are commercial radio friendly bangers. And the way they're spaced out allows the album to be constantly refreshing, as the pace is always changing. This album is a definitive statement; Stick To Your Guns are just as strong as ever, and they aren't going anywhere soon.
If you're able to go and see them on their upcoming UK tour, I highly recommend doing so. I've seen them before, and to say they pack a punch is a huge understatement. To hammer my point through, I was never that hot on them until I saw them live, and all of a sudden the music made sense and I fell in love with them. They are something else. Plus the bill is incredible, as they're bringing Being As An Ocean, Silent Planet and First Blood along for the ride. I'll be at the Birmingham show with my better half, who is essentially an emo kid that enjoys a good breakdown from time to time. Come and join the party and enjoy good breakdowns with us.
D.S
x
No comments:
Post a Comment