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Stretch Arm Strong (three words, not two), hardcore punk underground band from Columbia, South Carolina, is back with its familiar style, but A Revolution Transmission is a slightly more versatile musical departure from their last two full-length projects, Rituals of Life and Compassion Fills the Void. 

The guys include their true-to-form, familiar, welcome-to-the-mosh-pit configuration with very up-tempo kick-off songs, "For the Record" and "Positive Aspects of Negativity," but right off the bat, something's changed. The production values are definitely improved in that Chris McLane's vocals are up in the mix and are now more clear and crisp (maybe I'm getting younger or just more in touch with Stretch). A clear standout song from this collection is "Positive Aspects of Negativity," which deals simply with a light in the darkness. Along the same lines and equally outstanding are "For the Record," "Still Believe, Part II," and "Worst Case Scenario." All four songs are incredibly focused performances, as guitarists David Sease and Scott Dempsey work very tightly with bassist Jeremy Jeffers and  
drummer John Barry. For the most part, this project sticks together like glue. 

Of A Revolution Transmission, McLane notes, "I think this is our best record because of the amount of time we put into each song... The songs, for the most part, are all very energetic and dynamic." 

McLane is correct; however, some of this project doesn't hold together as well as it could. Both "Take Back Control" and "When Words Escape" are excellent ideas but aren't quite as solid as the more outstanding tunes. The band's clear goal was to assemble a project that is consistent throughout, and the formula is close, very close. 

There's another "stretch" that makes this project interesting and unique. "The Truth About Iowa" includes barely-noticeable strings (why did they do this?). "Dreams Away" and "When Words Escape" are quite a departure from the band's punk sound, as the tempo varies in the midst of the band's highly-pumped tempo; the variation works for the former but not for the latter, from which the title of this project derives. Stretch also received vocal support from Mike Ski, lead vocalist for Brother's Keeper (the Erie, PA hardcore band from Trustkill Records, not the boy band), who sings alongside McLane on "Kill the Light." Ski repays the favor for McLane and 
Sease's participation on Brother's Keeper's latest project. 

Stretch Arm Strong has indeed transcended to a new level with A Revolution Transmission, as it is clearly evident that the band did take much time to put more than a spit-polish on these songs. I see perfection in store for Stretch, and they're almost there with this recording. If you have heard of Stretch Arm Strong and like their music, get a copy of A Revolution Transmission, as it's a fascinating listen! 

Olin Jenkins   July 15, 2001 

More of the same creative juxtaposition of hardcore with indie rock and a pinch of metal, though perhaps not as fresh or as aggressive as their Solid State debut (they had an earlier independent release also). The songs might be more diverse, with more actual singing and even some piano, but it's not different enough to turn off  old fans or bring in new ones. Their most compelling moments are still when they layer emotive clean singing (or wailing) with pained shouting, or when they repeat a meaty riff to drive a song home. No lyric sheet with this promo, but you can count on their words being intelligent, relevant, and free of cliche.

Josh Spencer     7/20/01