Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Straight Line Stitch When Skies Wash Ashore Company: Koch Records Release: 2008 Reviewer: Sinnercorp Genre: Metalcore

Likely to induce involuntary fits of body movement and air-guitar

Hailing from Knoxville, TN in the early 2000’s, Straight Line Stitch has the typical metalcore structure with giant breakdowns and a combination of screaming and singing. The only difference is that Straight Line Stitch is fronted by Alexis Brown. Straight Line Stitch is bound to draw comparisons to bands like In This Moment, who play a comparable style of music and also have a charismatic female fronting the group but few have yet to display the "fully-packaged" set of pipes that Alexis Brown does.

The band's instrumentalists -- guitarists Seth Thacker and Pat Pattison, bassist Jason White, and drummer Patrick Haynes -- support that vocal battle royal with music that similarly alternates between pummeling metal and melodic hard rock. But it's Alexis Brown who really catches the ear. And on the concluding track, "Yesterday's Gone," which she sings accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, she demonstrates that she can still get her feelings across. Alexis Brown really has no competition. She stands tall along with Lacuna Coil's Christina Scabbia as the best female vocalists in metal today. Not to mention the fact that they both can turn a head or two.

Straight Line Stitch creates several moments that are likely to induce involuntary fits of body movement and air-guitar. "Eucharist" and "What You Do To Me" are two of the disc's most metallically infectious tracks, while "Taste Of Ashes" (featuring Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta) and "Promise Me" could easily light a few fires in front of the stage. If you are looking for a great Metal band that you can play without getting tired of hearing, When Skies Wash Ashore deserves respect as a album that needs to be listened to. When Straight Line Stitch comes to your town, be sure to go and see them live. You will not be disappointed.