Hypno Magazine writer Dan Snow gave Stavesacre's debut album, Friction, a 10 out of 10, saying, 'It's not often that I use the word beautiful when describing a hardcore album, but this record is truly remarkable... the only ten I will probably give out all year.' In the magazine's four year history, only one other artist had ever received a 10 out of 10.
Likewise, the Boston music magazine Lollipop said of Stavesacre's debut, "Three thumbs up, 11 out of 10, A++, this is truly a masterpiece. . . driving, heavy, passionate hardcore that just sweeps you off your feet!" No wonder Friction became one of the best selling albums ever for Tooth and Nail Records.
Featuring former members of the legendary hardcore outfit The Crucified, Stavesacre's first release was surrounded by enormous expectations. Friction superseded these expectations and turned Stavesacre into a brand name in and of itself. Needless to say, Stavesacre's follow-up album, Absolutes, is arguably one of the most anticipated albums ever for Tooth and Nail Records.
To give their album an edge, Stavesacre once again turned to producer Bryan Carlstrom at El Dorado Recording Studio. Carlstrom's experience stems from being first engineer to super-producer David Jerden (who co-owns the studio with Gary Gunter). With Jerden, Carlstrom has worked on albums ranging from Alice in Chains' Facelift to The Offspring's Ixnay on the Hombre. For Stavesacre, he offered an ear for sonic excellence, a world famous studio, and tons of custom and vintage recording equipment and gear. The resulting album has all the power, force, and sound for which a hardcore fan could only wish.
Musically, Stavesacre has been writing mature and sophisticated hardcore songs from the beginning, but the time between records has only reinforced their talents. The band did over one hundred shows in '96, including four tours across the States and then local SoCal gigs with bands like Strife, MxPx, and Man Will Surrender. On these tours, they played such major festivals as Cornerstone, Crossroads, Sunshine, and the Spirit Fest. Stavesacre's music is even being featured in the independent film "Godmoney", alongside such bands as Pennywise, Dance Hall Crashers, and Blink-182. According to the film's producer, Stavesacre will have at least three songs in the movie and one on the Virgin Records soundtrack.
Without question, Stavesacre has remained true to the purity of their hardcore debut. The music has powerful bursts of energy, sweeping mood changes, and enormous tempo swings. Likewise, with the addition of Sam West (former Scaterd Few) now on drums, Stavesacre has even more kick than before. Even lyrically, Stavesacre remains deep and emotional, all the way down to the album title Absolutes.
Regarding the album title, Salomon remarks, "People do what they believe, and when what they believe is absolute, that belief takes complete control. I believe in gravity absolutely, so I'm controlled in such a way that I'll do whatever its laws demand I do. The question is do I believe in God absolutely? When we wrote this record, I was going through significant personal trials. I had to ask myself whether I was going to quit or have the faith to see it through, and if I was going to see it through, would I see it through to the end no matter what? If the album has a theme, it's a challenge to consider what in life do you consider absolute and what should that mean?"
As they step up to another year of touring, Stavesacre has the chance to show another hundred crowds the energy of their lives shows and heart of their hardcore premise. Stavesacre is a band that's not afraid to challenge their themselves or their fans, and that challenge is absolute.
Discography
Go to Stavesacre's website
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