I have S.A.S's previous two albums and would consider myself a fan. That being said, most of the reports I heard about their newest album about the time it came out, was that it wasn't worth picking up. Were they right? The album begins with two songs that fit the classic S.A.S. sound then moves onto a song that is less hardcore than punk. There are several more songs like it throughout the album, but that doesn't bother me and I don't think that's what people were complaining about. No, I think the main problem is the vocal arrangements in several songs. At some points they don't seem to fit the music like in "Rising Again," "Black Clouds," and "The Calling." I'm not sure what they were trying for, but these parts just really bring down the rest of the album. No one's against their evolving sound, but at some points while listening to Engage, I'm just down and out disappointed. The album is enhanced and contains a video of live footage from their 2002 tour. So is it worth picking up? I guess that will depend on how die-hard you are.
2/4
Other coverage for this album
Art for the Ears 2003Reviewed by Marco PovervestAfter two successful albums, Stretch Arm Strong returns with Engage. Still you can hear that catchy hardcore that combines melody and aggression so easily. Yet, after listening to the album a great many times, I can't get as excited as before. It's not the production that makes me feel a bit disappointed. On the contrary, Engage has a very neat sound in which each instrument is essential. What I…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Len NashAs raw hard music gains momentum in the hard music underground, one of the bands riding this current wave is South Carolina natives, Stretch Arm Strong. The new album is named Engage, and it's on more of a melodic thread than Revolution Transmission and Rituals of Life, their other produce. Although S.A.S. plays something called "posi-core" (positive hard-core), the band isn't Christian and not…Similar sounding releases
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