Only Death is Real

Yes this metal core album slaps. A lot of similarities to RATM which is a good thing. So much anger funnels into this but the music is still so tight. Metalcore really isn’t my scene anymore and hasn’t been for about 20 years but I think I might have to keep this in my rotation for days I was the release some stress. A lot of

Politically savvy, packing an undeniable punch riff-wise, Stray From The Path indeed sees its frontman sometimes taking a page out of Zach De La Rocha's book in his screamed hxc-type vocals, and he does it over effective and inspired metalcore, filled to the brim with sharp edges and bouncy twists and turns. Beyond the usual hardcore fare (think of a middle ground between Comeback Kid and Converge), there are bits and pieces of Rage Against The Machine, Botch, Helmet or even Korn in their music, streamlined into a very neat package. A near-perfect mix in my ears, to the point where I'm amazed there haven't been more bands who thought of sounding exactly like this fifteen years into their discography, just like Stray From The Path does here. I imagine that some gatekeepers have probably complained about that evolution, but when I witness the political integrity still expressed in those songs, I don't give a damn about their opinions. Among the many highlights of *Only Death Is Real*, ("Loudest In The Room", "Let's Make A Deal", "Strange Fiction"...) "Plead The Fifth"'s main riff even manages to reach the genius level of Tom Morello without aping Rage Against The Machine. Terrific album, whose overall political message is all the more important to hear right now, which is also a huge plus. Oh and the last seconds of the closer and title-track are a thing of wonder. Using what sounds like an African American slave song for that final moment ticks all the right boxes for me, whether on a musical level or for a societal one. Awesome job here. So, many thanks to the user who suggested this album. From what I see in your worst-rated sections, we might not see eye to eye on many music genres, but when it comes to metalcore and hardcore, it looks like our respective stars align. Thanks to you, I know Stray From The Path have also released an album this year (hope it's not the final one, as they said it was), and I'll sure be spending some time exploring it soon. Cheers, as they say in my neck of the woods (or not so far from it)! 4/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 9/10 for more general purposes: 5 + 4 Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 45 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 57 (including this one -- right after listening to it, I also spun next Stray From The Path LP *Internal Atomics*, whose peaks impress me even much, even if the whole of *Only Death Is Real* feels more consistent, so I'm still hesitating between the two for my own potential list of 1001 keepers. Between Converge, Comeback Kid, Modern Life Is War, Ceremony and Defeater (plus a couple of other acts in that overall genre I may have forgotten about) I don't think I have enough room for a lot of modern hardcore albums, so I got to err on the side of caution here -- hope the user who suggested this album can understand). Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 108 --- Émile: voir ma toute dernière réponse sous le disque *Triage* au-dessus

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Goodnight alt-right, All day and night

At least their heart is in the right place

Strongly (overly, in my book) reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine, while leaning more into the metal/hardcore side rather than rock and rap. Generally agree with its political leanings but the content is pretty light on anything aside from shouty energy. Serviceable but slight.

I’m primarily an instrumental listener, and despite the band’s technical skill here I wasn’t floored by a straight run of djenty chugging and drums with no real melodic meat. It’s clear that the instrumentals are meant more as a platform for the shouting, and even if I agree with what’s being shouted it’s an exhausting combo all around – this felt much longer than its half-hour runtime.

Really not my thing, although it seemed well performed…

Nonsense