Customer Reviews

Free at Last

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've loved these guys forever. I bought Rituals of Life when it first came out, and a Revolution Transmission didn't leave my cd player for months after it came out. And.....I was dissapointed by engage. As Chris (singer) said recently, it was rushed. That brings us to Free at Last. At first listen, i was not impressed. Everything i was afraid was going to happen, did happen. There is much more melody and less hardcore. But....i've been listening to it all week now, and it's a great album. I'm usually not into this whole emo-core thing (or whatever you want to call it), but Stretch does their own thing and made an amazing record. I'm sure old stretch fans may be hesitant, but give it a while and you will fall in love with it, just like i did.

Stretch Arm Strong has really blended a more evolved sound (a.k.a more singing) while still maintaining much of the feel of their older albums. So many bands seem to go fully one way or the other but these songs are a really nice balance. Melodic when it should be, hardcore when it should be and just well-done all the time.

SAS kinda fell off my radar since so many other bands that I discovered along with SAS either broke up or took a turn for the worse. Luckily SAS is still going strong.

Being that Revolution Transmission is one of the greatest albums ever it is great that we finally have a follow up worthy of this praise. This cd is the ultimate blend of punk and hardcore. It has everything you would want in an album. It has punk tendencies but does not forget about breakdowns and two-steps. I love the sound that SAS has evolved to over the years and I can tell that this cd will be one that will be hard to pry from my cd player. It only takes a moments listen to "The Hardest Part" to know that this cd rulles! So pick a copy up if you haven't already especially if you are in to SAS at all. It is WELL worth the money spent!

This album has a perfect mix of punk/hardcore. This is getting my vote for best album of the year in that category

Stretch Arm Strong a very good local Columbia, SC band finally produced a major label album. The album is very good and the best songs include The Sound of Names Dropping, When all else fails, and (this may be in fact) as good as it gets. The other songs are good, but these are the best. A very strong album for Stretch Arm Strong

Thank God...Chris McLane's vocals are back. (I don't know what happened on "Engage".) As far as the album....it seems that Stretch Arm Strong puts out the same album every 2 years. i usually don't like when bands do this...but if they're all good, who cares? Fans of their other cds should not be disappointed. There is a bit more singing on this record than on others, giving it a more punk flavor. And thank god, no rap covers on this one. Flight 828 is very haunting and beautiful.

I'd put SAS on par with Rise Against and maybe Strike Anywhere. Clean vocal hxc punk with pop sensibility and shout out loud chorus'. If you like NOFX, Rise Against, Story Of The Year or Thursday, you'll like SAS and 'Free At Last'.

I picked up this album based on a review in HM magazine. It got a 4 out 5 and I've been a fan their music since their early days. Was it what I was expecting? NO not at all! But that's a good thing. There is definitley alot more clean vocals in this release, and it turned out to be a really good thing. I love the whole trend of Scream/Sing flowing through about every track. The chorus's are very catchy and will have you chanting along after a few listens. And the lyrics, are really mellow and simple, which is good at times. It also shines with very fast punk rythms and the signature Stretch screams. This band has provided us with a great mix of punk and hardcore. I Like alot, pick it up, most likely you won't regret it.