Band : Straight Line Stitch
Album title : The Fight Of Our Lives
Label : Spinefarm
Distributor : V2 Benelux
Release date : 09/05/2011
Release : CD

Although this Knoxville, Tennessee based Heavy Metal act is only up to its second nationally released full-length, Straight Line Stitch formed in 2000, and went through 2 male singers plus EP and a demo-album before finding their current frontwoman Alexis Brown in 2003. She would not be the only membership exchange, as currently the band is at its 3rd drummer, its 3rd bassist, and seen at least one of the positions at the twin guitar duo change twice...making the current line-up consist of Brown, guitarists Seth Thacker & Kris Norris, bassist Jason White, and drummer Kanky Lora.

After Brown's admission to the SLS ranks, the band first released the 2004 EP Everything Is Nothing By Itself, with the equally self-released full-length To Be Godlike following in 2006. The band filmed a video for that album's single “Remission” with video director Dale Resteghini (known in the music industry from having directed videos for the likes of Fall Out Boy, Lil Wayne, Hatebreed, and more), whom owned the production company Raging Nation Films, and in 2007 erected the Koch Records (now eOne Music)subsidiary label Raging Nation Records. Meanwhile SLS first released the 2007 EP The Word Made Flesh (which “Remission” was culled from), before becoming the first signees to Raging Nation Records, which issued the band's first nationally distributed album When Skies Wash Ashore in 2008. Hatebreed singer Jamey Jasta lent his vocals to the album's track “Taste Of Ashes”, and videos for tracks “Black Veil” and “What You Do To Me” became the perfect showcase the generally well-received and commercially successful album. During the touring for the album the band saw its audiences grow bigger and bigger, playing support act on the Bound By the Road tour (fronted by Napalm Death, Devildriver and Crazyfists), starting its own headliner tours with growing audiences, and in more recent touring supporting 36 Crazyfists andTaking Dawn (mid-Sept. to late Oct; 2010) as well as Soulfly and Incite (late Nov. to mid Dec. 2010). Realising the band's growing popularity, Resteghini brought in the Good Fight Entertainment (have bands like Cannibal Corpse and Children Of Bodom on their roster) agency to co-manage the band.

In order to give the band's new material a special treatment, they were joined by renowned artist, producer, and engineer Johnny K. (worked with music industry giants such as 3 Doors Down and Disturbed) during the writing and recording of the new album, the result of which (at least as far as I can tell) is really something worth paying top dollar for! As far as I can tell? Yeah, because on the download copy I got, only 4 of the 11 songs were left full-length! Of the other tracks I only got samples, under a minute's worth in 4 cases, 2 of which even under 11 seconds!!! Can't be a download glitch, as confirmed in the text accompanying the audio downloads, so I can only assume that what I'm dealing with here is the label, or in this case the label's European licenced dealer, trying to prevent dishonest music journalists and/or hackers from leaking the album onto the Internet. Whether that policy was forced upon Spinefarm by either the band, their management, or their US label...and whether I was thoroughly annoyed at finding 7 out of 11 tracks being stopped prematurely...all of that is really secondary in importance to the fact that the full-length and fair-sized songs show a band which deserves to become one of the main contendors in the heavier music business. Obviously a lot of people feel the same, because upon release the band's newest album shot through to #5 on the Billboard Heatseakers chart while making it onto #34 on the Top Independent Albums chart!

To me personally, those facts come as no surprise at all! I mean, stylistically the band deals in a Metal style which is very popular in the US at the moment, one which brings together the best elements of somewhat Progressive Heavy and Death Metal into songs which combine a slight complexity with catchy tunes which burrow their way into the listener's mind after only a few listening sessions. Top that off with the great voice of Alexis Brown, whom you'll find screaming her head off when needed while giving you some of the sweetest clean vocals (something like a mix of Gwen Stefani and Skin of Skunk Anansie, but with even more power than the two combined, ánd with an identity of her own) to boot, and you'll understand what's goin' on here. Nevertheless, I understand that you may need to héar things for yourself. I order to allow you to do that, the band posted audio and video of the track “Conversion” (off the new album) alongside 5 tracks off 2008's When Skies Wash Ashore at (www.) myspace.com/straightlinestitch. If you need more material to base your decision of buying/ not buying the band's new album, you can check the 30-second samples iTunes usually provides the potential customer with. Me, I'm buying, or ordering, the album net time I happenstance upon a record store...and putting the album in my year-lists, in spite of my annoyance with the European label.

98/100

Tony.