STRAY FROM THE PATH | LIVE REVIEW
The Globe, Cardiff, Mon 9 Oct
Leftist metallic hardcore group Stay From The Path have burned a fiery trail through the years. With their on-the-nose political tracks growing in intensity with every new album, the quartet’s latest tour took them back to their roots in small-capacity venues like The Globe.
Renounced opened the evening’s show and created early-bird movement in the moshpit. The definition of your routine hardcore band, they delivered chunky riffs, dissonant chords and – slightly less textbook – throaty vocals, proving to be a promising start. Canadian hardcore quartet Obey The Brave were up next, and although two UK headline dates in July drew disappointing audiences, this rewarded them with the numbers they deserved. With similarities to Bury Tomorrow, The Ghost Inside and Five Finger Death Punch, their punchy music and strong stage charisma pumped adrenaline down onlookers’ throats. OTB set a high enough bar that third and final support Capsize fell short of it. The quartet’s emo/hardcore style failed to incur that level of chaos, consistent callouts to the crowd to become more involved left awkwardly floating in the air with minimal response.
Stray From The Path instantly awoke those lingering near the bar at the back with The Opening Move, the first track from new album Only Death Is Real. It’s structured perfectly as an introductory song for any live set, with its progressive rhythm build-up and steady lead into Loudest In The Room. Andrew Dijorio, who joined the band in 2005, remains an exciting, skilled and dependable vocalist, and across SFTP’s last few albums, each member has grown to form a singular, powerful contender in the hardcore world. Songs from their previous album Subliminal Criminals – Outbreak, Badge & A Bullet Pt 2 and D.I.E.P.I.G – prompted people to continually soar over those bashing hell out of one another below.
Concluding the night with the new album’s title track, Only Death Is Real may not be one of Stray From The Path’s most popular songs but is one of their most technically pleasing in terms of Craig Reynolds’ drumming and tempo alteration. This Cardiff date proved a wild night, one dedicated to supporting music that emphasises the importance of equality, diversity and challenging racism everywhere it rears its ugly head.
words and photos NATHAN ROACH
