Stick To Your Guns - The Hope Division
Record Label: Sumerian Records
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Things I felt like doing (and actually did most of) while listening to this album: Run through my door John Jacobs and his Power Team style, yell the infectious chorus to "Where The Sun Never Sleeps" as I walk down the street, reflect on those who deserve none of my time, help those who are less fortunate, vow to spend more of my time working with younger kids who say they have no positive influences, and think about those who have no hope.
If one album can inspire me to do what I've just listed, you know this CD is really something worth spinning.
While The Hope Division was being written and recorded, many long-time fans questioned whether or not losing original drummer Casey Lagos was going to change Stick To Your Guns for the worse. The simple answer is NO; STYG has done a great job at doing what all great bands do to be successful. What is that, you ask? Don't make the same CD twice. Comes From The Heart was different from STYG's debut album, and For What It's Worth, and The Hope Division are different from Comes From The Heart. In the end, what does STYG have to show? A discography of three diverse and powerful albums.
Lyrically, The Hope Division's overall theme is what you would already expect: Hope. "Where The Sun Never Sleeps" is an ode to STYG's hometown of Orange County, CA, "Faith In The Untamed" is about being progressive and taking charge of your own faith. "Amber", the first single from the album, is oddly reminiscent of a popular track from Comes From The Heart, "Accessory Children." One of the hardest hitting songs lyrically is the upbeat track "What Goes Around", which is about mentally taking a stand against those who may have physically or emotionally abused you and refusing to be what that person was; "We've learned and we won't make the same mistakes" lead vocalist Jesse Barnett bellows at the end of the track.
Musically, there's so much to get excited about; quite a few tracks have enticing intros that lead into powerful verses, such as "Amber", which also includes some talented bass parts from bassist Andrew Rose. If you don't start getting shivers from the opening to "Wolves At The Door," which is driven by drummer George Schmitz, there may be something wrong with you. Fans of heavy mosh parts will immediately need to check out the latter half of "What Comes Around," "Wolves At The Door," and "Faith In The Untamed". Finally, "Life Through Wester Eyes" is a tasteful soft track that transitions well into the much louder track "3/60."
Stick To Your Guns refuses to shut up, slow down, or give up, even though a portion of the hardcore community would love it if they did. The passion and drive found in The Hope Division is why it classifies itself as one of the best releases of 2010, and quite frankly raises the bar high for any future STYG releases. "We are fortunate enough to make a choice, to be a voice....I will be a HOPE BRINGER" declares a line from the album. Stick To Your Guns continues to be that voice in a hardcore scene saturated with despair and bitterness.
surprised with all the positive things coming from the new album, lost me at after the 2nd album, but i listened to the new song amber, i think the clean singing still kinda makes me tremble a bit but maybe i'll finally check this one out
I'm kinda confused about this album... instead of life through western eyes i got this track that kept saying Erida very repetitively.... and then i go play 3/60 and it plays the lyrics from life through western eyes... hmm... weird....
I'm kinda confused about this album... instead of life through western eyes i got this track that kept saying Erida very repetitively.... and then i go play 3/60 and it plays the lyrics from life through western eyes... hmm... weird....
iTunes had some of the song titles mislabeled for a day or so.
I'm really liking this album, and I love the cleans on this album. I really like when he screams "Orange County this one's for you" in Where the Sun Never Sleeps since that's where I live, hahah.
Just got this album yesterday, and I won't take it off replay. It's kind of funny because when a friend of mine referred me to STYG a few months back, I was firmly stuck in my ADTR phase and reluctant to move on. With this being my first exposure, I'm itching to get my hands on their previous albums!
surprised with all the positive things coming from the new album, lost me at after the 2nd album, but i listened to the new song amber, i think the clean singing still kinda makes me tremble a bit but maybe i'll finally check this one out
dont worry, there is minimal clean singing on about half the album, with really only 2 songs that have clean choruses. i dont even listen to much heavy music anymore, but i think this band and album are amazing.
I'm kinda confused about this album... instead of life through western eyes i got this track that kept saying Erida very repetitively.... and then i go play 3/60 and it plays the lyrics from life through western eyes... hmm... weird....
the lyrics are messed up in the booklet too.... so is track nine 3/60?
dont worry, there is minimal clean singing on about half the album, with really only 2 songs that have clean choruses. i dont even listen to much heavy music anymore, but i think this band and album are amazing.
yeah i already listened to it about 3 times this week and its pretty solid, something fresh to listen to among the stagnant material that is out there
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