Life often resembles a game of chess. Players outside of our control make moves that affect our everyday existence. However, recognition remains the first step to revolution. Once you know the game, you can make a difference in the outcome. On their sixth full-length, Only Death Is Real, STRAY FROM THE PATH survey the playing field and provide a book of bloody battle notes etched in hardcore energy, metal fire, and hip-hop poetry.
The first taste of Only Death Is Real, comes in the form of first single, “Goodnight Alt-Right” A full-blown aural assault, it goes straight for the jugular, confronting and courting controversy head-on.
“When Richard Spencer, a white supremacist, was punched on-camera a few months back, it was great to see that he and his hatred were not being tolerated,” guitarist/vocalist Tom Williams explains. “We were shocked to see that people were actually defending him though. They said he should have freedom of speech. They’re not wrong. People should be able to exercise free speech. Sometimes, the things you say come with consequences. There is enough hate, misery, and division in this country that we don’t need a televised white supremacist saying, ‘This country belongs to white people.’ Bottom line: if you preach hate, expect hate.”
The Long Island, NY quartet—Thomas Williams [guitar, vocals], Andrew “Drew York” Dijorio [vocals], Anthony “Dragon Neck” Altamura [bass, vocals], and Craig Reynolds [drums]—outline that fight on the record’s very cover art.
“The king equals the elite, the queen equals the government, the bishop equals the church, the knight equals the military, the rook equals the police, and the pawn equals the people,” explains Williams. “This was the first time the vision and the theme of the album came before the music. We had the artwork first. We wrote this during a pretty dark and reflective time in our lives. In an age where government has failed, they made us feel as small and as insignificant as ever. In this game, all of the attention is turned onto the people: white versus black, Democrat versus Republican, gay versus straight, or Trump versus no Trump. They know if the fight is within the community. There can be no fight against the establishment.”
Only Death Is Real is available for preorder now via 24Hundred and iTunes.
