Stray From The Path – “Anonymous”

I remember seeing U.S. hardcore maulers Stray From The Path some time last year and making a mental note then that they weren’t the sort of band you would want to be on the wrong side of. Listening to the raw, raging aggression pouring out of their latest album, Anonymous, nothing has changed that opinion.

Anonymous is an album fizzing with the sort of tension that one would usually associate with a band like Rage Against The Machine. Yes, it has a hardcore heartbeat pumping through it but everything from the delivery, the lyrical direction, the tension, the snappy, snarling riffs, this whole album sits uncomfortably well alongside the aggro-fury of Rage Against The Machine. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Anonymous is a mere Rage clone, it’s not but it’s hard to deny that songs like “Badge & A Bullet” and “Counting Sheep” share that same aggression that make Rage such an explosive band.

As the album progresses the lyrics vocalist Drew York spits out become more and more scathing as they match the tense, ferocious hardcore his bandmates are smashing out. Towards the end of the album, “Landmines” explodes into a fiery ball of distorted hardcore/metal while album closer and title track “Anonymous” spends two minutes building up until it crashes to its explosive conclusion.

Everything about Anonymous is brutal and uncompromising. Every minute is a harsh lesson in aggression. Yes, the riffs are catchy but the undeniable tension building throughout each track creates a dark, harsh, brutally honest and confrontational record and one that you’ll find hard to put down!

Track Listing:

01. False Flag
02. Badge & A Bullet
03. Radio
04. Scissor Hands
05. Black Friday
06. Counting Sheep
07. Slice Of Life
08. Tell Them I’m Not Home
09. Landmines
10. Anonymous

Run Time: 39:15
Release Date: September 17, 2013

Check out the song “Landmines”