Stretch Arm Strong

Presumably the void in Stretch Arm Strong's case is that area somewhere between the New York hardcore scene, the West Coast punk scene and the world of '80s heavy metal, because those are exactly what their hybrid sound evokes. Doing what many others do, only better, SAS has taken a very limiting genre to new levels through unparalleled degrees of honesty and emotion. This record is as powerful as anything Sick of It All or Snapcase have done, but with a slightly more introspective lyrical approach.