Stray From The Path
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Stray from the Path is an American
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
band formed in 2001 in
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
, New York. They have released ten full-length albums. Their first three records were independently released – ''People Over Profit'' in 2002, ''Audio Prozac'' in 2003, and ''Our Oceania'' in 2004. Stray From The Path then signed with Sumerian Records and released six records with them; ''Villains'' in 2008, ''Make Your Own History'' in 2009, ''Rising Sun'' in 2011, ''Anonymous'' in 2013, ''Subliminal Criminals'' in 2015, and ''Only Death Is Real'' in 2017. They are currently signed to
UNFD UNFD (pronounced as an initialism ˈjuːˈenˈefˈdiː/ is an independent record label based in Melbourne, Australia. The label is home to a number of Australian artists including Thornhill, Ocean Grove, Hellions and In Hearts Wake, and in ...
and released their first record under the label in 2019 titled, ''Internal Atomics''. They have been seen on tour with bands such as:
Architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
,
Every Time I Die Every Time I Die was an American metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams wi ...
,
The Acacia Strain The Acacia Strain is an American metalcore band originally from Chicopee, Massachusetts. They are currently signed to Rise Records. The band has released ten full-length albums. History Forming in 2001, The Acacia Strain was started by h ...
, Terror, Norma Jean,
Underoath Underoath (stylized as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional member ...
, The Ghost Inside,
For Today For Today was an American Christian metalcore band from Sioux City, Iowa, formed in 2005. They released two EPs, ''Your Moment, Your Life, Your Time'' and ''Prevailer'', and six full-length albums: '' Ekklesia'' in, 2008, ''Portraits'' in 2009, ...
,
Stick to Your Guns Stick to Your Guns is an American hardcore punk band from Orange County, California. Members of the band include Jesse Barnett (vocals), Andrew Rose (bass), George Schmitz (drums), Chris Rawson and Josh James (guitars). They are currently sign ...
,
Bleeding Through Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. In 2004, ''Revolver'' magazine hailed Bleeding Through as one of eight bands ushering in the "Future of Metal" cover story, and '' Spin'' called Ble ...
, Comeback Kid, and
Counterparts Counterpart or Counterparts may refer to: Entertainment and literature * "Counterparts" (short story), by James Joyce * Counterparts, former name for the Reel Pride LGBT film festival * ''Counterparts'' (film), a 2007 German drama * ''Counterp ...
.


History

The band was formed on Long Island, New York, in 2001. Its original members were Thomas Williams, John Kane, Justin Manas, Ed Edge and Frank Correira. In October 2003, they went into the studio with Joe Cincotta and
Terrance Hobbs Terrance Hobbs (born April 6, 1970) is an American musician and the lead guitarist in the American death metal band Suffocation. Hobbs has been a constant member in the band since their first released title ''Reincremated'' along with band mat ...
of
Suffocation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...
to record their debut full length, ''Audio Prozac''. In July 2005, after playing extensively over the following eight months to support their record, they released ''Our Oceania'' on August 2, 2005. In November 2005 original singer Ed Edge left the band and was replaced by Andrew Dijorio (Drew York). After touring the country DIY, SFTP entered God City Studios and recorded
Villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
with
Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...
Guitarist,
Kurt Ballou Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for hardcore punk band Converge and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio. Early and ...
. Upon completion of the record, the songs spread to California, which led to a contract with Sumerian Records. After being recorded independently at God City, Villains was properly released on May 13, 2008. After touring North America, the band saw some lineup changes. Ryan Thompson replaced Frank Correira on bass guitar, Justin Manas moved from drums to guitar replacing John Kane, and drummer Dan Bourke, formerly of This Is Hell, took over the role on drums. SFTP entered the studio with producer
Misha Mansoor Misha Mansoor (born October 31, 1984), also known as Bulb after the name of his solo project, is an American musician, best known as the founder of and one of the three guitarists in the progressive metal band Periphery. He is also a part of t ...
and recorded 2009's
Make Your Own History ''Make Your Own History'' is the fourth studio album by Stray from the Path, released on October 26, 2009, by Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. ...
. After touring North America, and Europe vigorously, the band hit
Machine Shop Recordings Machine Shop Records is a record label founded by American rock band Linkin Park members, Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, in 2001. The label is notable for releasing music in rock, hip hop, underground hip hop, alternative rock and nu metal music ...
with producer Will Putney to record their latest record Rising Sun. This record featured guest appearances by Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid,
Cory Brandan Putman Cory Brandan Putman is an American singer who has been the lead vocalist for the metalcore band Norma Jean (band), Norma Jean since 2004. Career Brandan is a former member of bands Eso-Charis, Living Sacrifice, The Handshake Murders, and Use ...
of Norma Jean and Jonathan Vigil of The Ghost Inside. In 2012 they released a download only single "Landmines". They later released Anonymous in September 2013 which featured Jesse Barnett from
Stick to Your Guns Stick to Your Guns is an American hardcore punk band from Orange County, California. Members of the band include Jesse Barnett (vocals), Andrew Rose (bass), George Schmitz (drums), Chris Rawson and Josh James (guitars). They are currently sign ...
and Jason Butler from
Letlive Letlive, stylized letlive., was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band's final lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jason Aalon Butler (son of Aalon Butler, vocalist and guitarist of the soul group Aalon), guitarist Jeff Sahyo ...
. In 2015 they released ''
Subliminal Criminals ''Subliminal Criminals'' is the seventh studio album by the American rap metal band Stray from the Path. The album was released on August 14, 2015, by Sumerian Records and distributed by UNFD in Australia and New Zealand. Lyrical themes The guita ...
'', continuing the rapcore sound of their previous effort while delving into more social and political themes (including "D.I.E.P.I.G", which specifically reference child abuse allegations towards
Front Porch Step Front Porch Step is the solo acoustic project of Jake McElfresh of Newark, Ohio. History Front Porch Step began in 2012. In 2013, Front Porch Step signed to Pure Noise Records and released his debut album Aware. In 2013, he supported Never Shou ...
and
Lostprophets Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer and lyricist Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The band was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike ...
frontman Ian Watkins). This was to be the final album with Dan Bourke on drums, as he would leave the group in 2016 to be replaced by Craig Reynolds. On the day of the
2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...
, they released a single entitled "The House Always Wins". On July 12, 2017, they announced details of their new album ''Only Death Is Real'' along with single "Goodnight Alt-Right", which attracted criticism from right wing groups upon release due to its lyrics. In 2018, the ensemble toured with
Anti-Flag Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is known for its left-wing political activism. Their current members include Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Ba ...
,
the White Noise The White Noise was an American punk rock band from Dallas, Texas, later based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2009 under the name Set the Sun by guitarist and vocalist David Southern and drummer Alex Summers, the band has gone through man ...
and
Sharptooth Sharptooth is an American hardcore punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The ensemble has released an EP called ''Chompers'' and two studio albums, entitled ''Clever Girl'' and ''Transitional Forms''. History In May 2017, Shar ...
.


Musical style and influences

Their music has been categorised as
metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
,
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
,
rapcore Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, resp ...
,
rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and early ...
and
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
Their earliest material was metalcore containing elements of
math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...
, however over the years have developed a larger emphasis on groove and technicality.
Metal Sucks MetalSucks is a heavy metal music-themed news website. The site features reviews, interviews, information on latest metal releases and blog-like posts from the writers, most notably Vince Neilstein and Axl Rosenberg. History The site was fou ...
attributed this development as being due to the band's growing influence from
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...
. In an article for
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
, writer Joe Smith-Engelhardt described the band's style as a "Rage Against the Machine-worshipping take on hardcore". Jeannie Blue for Cryptic Rock described it as "behemoth Rapcore meets Rage Against the Machine". They have cited influences including
Refused Refused (also known as the Refused) is a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå and formed in 1991. Refused is composed of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, guitarist Kristofer Steen, drummer David Sandström, and bassist Magnus Flagge. Guit ...
,
Anti Flag Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is known for its left-wing political activism. Their current members include Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Ba ...
, Rage Against the Machine,
Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...
,
Glassjaw Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential i ...
and
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...
.


Political views and activism

The band's members perceive their status provides them with a platform to push their views, with their music covers portrays their opposition to
capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...
,
economic materialism Materialism can be described as either a personal attitude which attaches importance to acquiring and consuming material goods or as a logistical analysis of how physical resources are shaped into consumable products. The use of the term materia ...
,
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
,
racial injustice Social inequality occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly, typically through norms of allocation, that engender specific patterns along lines of socially defined categories of persons. It posses and creates gender c ...
,
pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...
and
far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
political ideologies like
fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
and the
alt-right The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity during the mid-2 ...
. In an article for
Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...
, writer Taylor Markarian stated that "As their band name suggests, Stray have never been shy about their opinions on social and political issues and deviating from mainstream thought. They have always been blunt and unapologetic about identifying and criticizing hypocrisy, corruption, racism, sexism and other social justice issues". In a 2017 article for
Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
, Williams stated: Publications have generally described their ideology as being
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
, however the members prefer not to subscribe to a particular side of the
political spectrum A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more geometric axes that represent independent political dimensions. The expressions politi ...
, with Williams stating that "If
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
was to say something that I liked – which may only be when hell freezes over – then I'll like it. I'm never going to not like something that someone says because of whatever label they're under. I've gone on record saying this, but
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
was scarier to me than Trump. Cause that guy will say shit to your face whereas as Hillary will shake your hand, smile, and then kill you in your sleep". During the
2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...
, the band were vocal in their opposition to both main party candidates, with Williams in particular showing support for
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
. In a 2017 article for KillYourStereo.com, Williams stated that "When people ask me about voting, I say that I don't vote and I never will vote. Because when you vote you send a message that it's okay for this system to continue".


''Actions not Words'' in Kenya

In 2018, the group travelled to
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
as representatives of the This is Hardcore Foundation to help bring clean drinking water to local villages. On the topic of the project, Williams stated that:


Members

With Full Force Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. The 2011 edition took place between 1 and 3 July at Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz. Lineups ...
2018" widths="180" heights="180"> Stray From The Path With Full Force 2018 24.jpg, Thomas Williams Stray From The Path With Full Force 2018 09.jpg, Andrew Dijorio Stray From The Path With Full Force 2018 07.jpg, Anthony Altamura Stray From The Path With Full Force 2018 11.jpg, Craig Reynolds ; Current * Thomas Williams – lead guitar, vocals (2001–present) * Andrew "Drew York" Dijorio – vocals (2005–present) * Anthony "Dragon Neck" Altamura – bass, vocals (2010–present) * Craig "Cowboy Crag" Reynolds – drums (2016–present) ; Former * Ed Edge – vocals (2001–2005) * Frank Correira – bass (2001–2008) * John Kane – rhythm guitar (2001–2008) * Justin Manas – drums (2001–2009), guitar (2009) * Ryan Thompson – bass (2008–2010) * Dan Bourke – drums (2009–2016) ; Timeline


Discography


Studio albums


Demos

*''People Over Profit'' (2002, Independent)


Split albums

*''How to Make a Ucalegon'' (with Lilu Dallas, 2007, Five Point Records)


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Metalcore musical groups from New York (state) American nu metal musical groups American anti-capitalists American anti-fascists Hardcore punk groups from New York (state) Musical groups from Long Island 2001 establishments in New York (state) Musical groups established in 2001 Sumerian Records artists Musical quartets