Stretch Arm Strong – Rituals of Life – Review

Stretch Arm Strong

Rituals of Life (Solid State)
by Tim Den

Even in a sub-genre of an underground genre like “melodic hardcore,” there can be subdivisions. You have your Lifetime (which is Hüsker Dü plus the fast pacings of old school hardcore), Shai Hulud (intricate metal pickings), Good Riddance (a mix of new and old school hardcore with more than huge doses of pop-punk), Hot Water Music (kind of… those guys really defy categorization), all playing with distinct styles under the category. With a band like Stretch Arm Strong, another dimension of the melodic hardcore sound is created. This time it sounds like the minor-progressions of a metal band mixed with a nice combo of fast beats and chug guitars. There are plenty of gang shouts and breakdown parts to warm your high school bully’s heart, but there’s also enough “sad, in an ‘Orion’ by Metallica way” in the riffs to make it distinguishable from other hardcore (and melodic hardcore) bands. Decent stuff.
(PO Box 12698 Seattle, WA 98111)