Stick To Your Guns – “Better Ash Than Dust”
Album Reviews | Feb 26th, 2017
Record Label: Pure Noise Records/End Hits Records
Genre: Hardcore, Melodic Hardcore, Metalcore
Link: sticktoyourguns.net
Buy on Amazon.com
Stick To Your Guns return with their first solo EP Better Ash Than Dust, an EP that features more of a return stylistically to their earlier material like ‘The Hope Division’ era sounds. One of the things that initially attracted me to the band was the addition of Walls of Jericho guitarist Chris Rawson, whose punishing hardcore riffs are definitely felt here.
Josh James formerly of Evergreen Terrace and Casey Jones fame came on for Diamond it was clear the band still had a lot of hardcore left in them but started to add in more melodic and clean sung parts. Their next album Disobedient kind of turned me away as one the released singles was heavily auto-tuned, but on this release it seems they’ve gotten away from that. That being said I slept on this EP for a while and figured I’d give it a shot, and aside from “Better Ash Than Dust” the EP 3 songs of all pit no quit reminding me or what got me into them in the first place. “No Tolerance” has some great NYHC styled riffing. While “The NeverEnding Story” features some clean singing, it’s as overbearing as what I didn’t like on ‘Disobedient’. The album closes with “The Suspend” which reminds me a lot of ‘The Hope Division’s “Some Kind of Hope” a great example of what a hardcore band can do when it wants to branch out and be more melodic.
Botton Line: This is a great EP and you can’t go wrong with these 5 tracks. These guys are one of the better modern hardcore bands out there today
Notable Tracks: Universal Language, No Tolerance, The Suspend
Overall Rating:
