STYG have poured their hearts, souls and creativity into this
album. Aggression, melody, agony, breakdowns, singalongs, anthems of
empowerment; all the elements that have helped the band pave their way so far were
carefully chosen and put into a true masterpiece. Vocalist and lyricist Jesse Barnett
puts his psyche out in the open now more than ever, willingly stepping out of his comfort zone
and into this vulnerable position.
Opener “3 Feet From Peace” (which I’m pretty certain Jesse was
reciting on stage on The Unbreakable tour) marks the beginning of the quest of
self. Short but compelling, has the listener engaged from the second the first
note hits. “The Sun, The Moon, The Truth: Penance Of Self” follows a similar thematic
path, with the band nimbly building tension before unleashing the good old (-school)
STYG heaviness. “Married To The Noise” is a call to arms for all the outsiders
who have found a place to belong within a music scene, cleverly composed to
ensure the greatest participation possible from kids at shows. And yes, I
intend to be one of them.
On “Delinelle”, Barnett is humble and human, taking accountability
for eroding a relationship. The track itself has a beautiful balance, allowing
the vocalist to be at the forefront with an intimate and personal performance,
while the band beautifully supports him with a trademark STYG composition. “Cave
Canem”, or “Beware The Dog”, is one of the heaviest tracks of the album. Touching
on social issues and the human condition, it is a beautiful hardcore song with
a catchy melodic chorus. And I bloody bet you that the breakdown will make you
want to trash your bedroom. Moving on. As soon as “56” started, the vocals gave
me the impression it could have been a heavier Trade Wind song. Energetic and
in the usual character of the band, the thing that stands out the most is the
bass in all its sharp and clean-toned glory. “Inner Authority: Realization Of
Self” draws elements from “Diamond” (the song) and is an anthem of
self-empowerment. Stream the hell out of it and sing it LOUD! Returning
to existentialism and the insurgent theme of “True View”, “You Are Free” and "Doomed By You" are both intense hardcore bangers blatantly
declaring importance of the individual being and feeling emancipated and
self-reliant.
As we entered the second half of the album a while ago, there is one thing that I keep noticing and which is very prominent in the tenth track, "The Better Days Before Me". Jesse fights his demons and, in all his brutal honesty, it feels like he's raising the flag of the revolution. This song also has an gripping build-up that leads to a pulverizing finale. "Owed Nothing" follows the path the previous tracks established, while "Through The Chain Link" brings the ideal of freedom back to the forefront. "The Reach For Me: Forgiveness Of Self", the melodic third single, is the epilogue of "True View" and the trilogy of self-realization.
In all its fierceness, "True View" is a very emotional album and it hits hard. Real hard. As stated above, it contains the deep emotions of "Diamond", the anthems of polished anger of "Disobedient", and the frustration of "Better Ash Than Dust". The album revolves around the axis of empowerment in three steps/acts: identifying the problem, deciding to take action and then, consequently, to be truly liberated. It is very interesting how this thematic applies to every context on "True View"; whether we're talking about personal struggles (especially the prominent trilogy) or social issues, the approach/dialectic is the same. The underlying PMA and hope are the key components to achieve absolute freedom.
The creative chemistry in Stick To Your Guns is striking, enabling them to translate it into a testament of dissent and self-awareness. We should also point out how underrated George Schmitz is as a drummer although he gets better and better in every release. Finally, a big plus for the album is the crispy clean production which allows the listener to pick up and enjoy all the tiny details, especially the basslines of Andrew Rose. It's evident that the entire band gave their best performance and created the most integral and significant album of their career so far.
Bloody 10/10, is this even a question?
As we entered the second half of the album a while ago, there is one thing that I keep noticing and which is very prominent in the tenth track, "The Better Days Before Me". Jesse fights his demons and, in all his brutal honesty, it feels like he's raising the flag of the revolution. This song also has an gripping build-up that leads to a pulverizing finale. "Owed Nothing" follows the path the previous tracks established, while "Through The Chain Link" brings the ideal of freedom back to the forefront. "The Reach For Me: Forgiveness Of Self", the melodic third single, is the epilogue of "True View" and the trilogy of self-realization.
In all its fierceness, "True View" is a very emotional album and it hits hard. Real hard. As stated above, it contains the deep emotions of "Diamond", the anthems of polished anger of "Disobedient", and the frustration of "Better Ash Than Dust". The album revolves around the axis of empowerment in three steps/acts: identifying the problem, deciding to take action and then, consequently, to be truly liberated. It is very interesting how this thematic applies to every context on "True View"; whether we're talking about personal struggles (especially the prominent trilogy) or social issues, the approach/dialectic is the same. The underlying PMA and hope are the key components to achieve absolute freedom.
The creative chemistry in Stick To Your Guns is striking, enabling them to translate it into a testament of dissent and self-awareness. We should also point out how underrated George Schmitz is as a drummer although he gets better and better in every release. Finally, a big plus for the album is the crispy clean production which allows the listener to pick up and enjoy all the tiny details, especially the basslines of Andrew Rose. It's evident that the entire band gave their best performance and created the most integral and significant album of their career so far.
Bloody 10/10, is this even a question?
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