STRAIGHT LINE STITCH - Transparency
July 22, 2015, 8 years ago
(Pavement Entertainment)
Tennessee female-fronted metal band, Straight Line Stitch, has steadily been creating its own brand of metalcore since 1999. The band has gone through numerous lineup changes, yet vocalist Alexis Brown has remained a constant since 2003. On its five-track EP, Transparency, Metalcore is still at the band’s musical core, yet it’s not as contrived as most bands of this ilk. Sure, there’s a few standard breakdowns, typical down-tuned, distortion-laden riffs, and annoying stuttered samples and effects, but the band utilizes a hybrid of commercial rock and metal elements fairly well. There’s enough aggression mixed with melody, especially Brown’s soaring clean vocals, which she also mixes with harsh screams.
Instrumental intro “Out of the Shadows” is basically a waste of time to be included on a five-track EP. However, “Dark Matter” follows it with all guns blazing, consisting of ferocious riffs and a mix of melodic cleans and heavy screams. It’s a good example of what SLS does best. The powerful and emotional ballad “Out Of Body” comes early in the album order, and Brown really shines here with her clean vocals. “Face Of God, “Wilderness” and “Human Bondage” follow familiar territory and displays some of the band’s heaviest riffs. Transparency may display some familiar genre qualities, but it has some decent moments on offer as well. Hopefully Straight Line Stitch can translate this momentum into a challenging full-length album in the near future.