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ALBUM REVIEW: "Only Death Is Real" by Stray From The Path

   Stray From The Path have never been the embodiment of mature and measured political commentary, but even by the band's well established standards Only Death Is Real is particularly hard to take seriously - lyrically, that is. Granted, they are one of the most assured and confident voices in hardcore today, but with lines like "everything has a price, but the price is wrong, bitch" getting repeated nine times in a song and a sample of Trump's "they're not sending their best" speech it is sometimes hard not to roll your eyes at some of the messages. There's a pretty funny critique of lead single "Goodnight Alt Right" on YouTube (which is kind of just as cringy as the song itself) which you can see here, and that kind of says all there is to say about the lyrical content of this album. Having said this, one classic band I can draw similarities to, Rage Against the Machine, were sometimes criticised for the same thing (go and read about BBC's accidental broadcast of the uncensored version of "Killing In The Name"). Musically, though, Only Death Is Real is a hell of a lot of fun, if not entirely a game changer for the genre. There are hardcore riffs and breakdowns aplenty, and at 29 minutes it never outstays its welcome. As we have come to expect from the band, there is a strong emphasis on groove, and this was and still is the strongest element of the Stray's music. Drew York's vocals are still incredibly powerful and pissed-sounding, but some vocal features provide some welcome variety from his sometimes one-note delivery. In fact, one-note describes this album pretty concisely - which isn't necessarily a problem, depending on what that one note is. I had fun the first time through, but some might not enjoy Stray's music enough for that to distract from the lyrics, which could be enough to turn you off from their music completely. Basically, it's another Stray From The Path record. 

   Favourite Songs: Loudest In The Room, Strange Fiction and The House Always Wins

   Least Favourite Songs: Goodnight Alt-Right and Let's Make A Deal

   Rating: C

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