Stray From The Path‘s Tom Williams guides us through the creation of the band’s latest release, ‘Clockworked’, out now via Sharptone Records.

Read Stray From The Path, ‘Clockworked’ | The Album Story below:

(Click ‘View Fullscreen’ for digital feature or scroll down for text only version)

TEXT ONLY VERSION:

On April 4th, 2002, Tom Williams experienced something that has stuck with him to this day. The location was the legendary Sahara in Syosset, a hotbed for underground hardcore and metalcore bands to thrive in the heart of Long Island. The occasion was the stacked line-up of Poison the Well, American Nightmare, Eighteen Visions, Codeseven, Every Time I Die, and Anterrabae, a true who’s who of American turn-of-the-millennium heaviness. And for Tom, it was what Codeseven did at the end of their set that struck the deepest chord. At the time, their album ‘The Rescue’ was yet to be released, but as the final chords of their set rang out, vocalist Jeff Jenkins pulled out a handful of copies and started to throw them to the crowd in front of him.

Serving as a chance for those present at that moment to hold onto and experience something physical that the rest of the world didn’t have access to, it’s a gesture that, 23 years later, in the era of instant gratification and technological addiction, may feel a littlealien to many. But it’s for this very reason that Tom thought it was time to replicate such magic. And it’s why over the Slam Dunk Festival weekend, Stray From The Path’s new album ‘Clockworked’ was available to buy at merch, as well as copies being thrown out during the band’s chaotically brilliant sets, a whole week before it was scheduled to be surprise-released. Spontaneous, exciting and punk as fuck.

“When I was a kid, I heard ‘Change (In The House Of Flies)’ on the radio or saw the video, and that was it,” Tom hammers home. “I then remember buying ‘White Pony’ on the day it came out, and that was when I listened to the record, too. And I think of the people who caught those Codeseven albums and what a special experience it was and how I have never forgotten it. And I feel like when you roll albums out now, there just isn’t that excitement because you already know that it’s coming. That’s why we wanted to do something different. It felt like there had to be a new and fun way to release records, and this felt like it.”

The urgency that has accompanied this rampant rollout is reflected brilliantly in what the album represents, too. A caustic and unrelenting takedown of modern complacency and how we have all sleepwalked into feeling like this is how things should be, it finds Stray at their most unforgiving, volatile and seething. A shared consensus on what so many of us are feeling and a rallying call for once again not staying quiet in the face of injustice, the need for the band to be this unrelenting has never been more necessary.

THE SOUND

From the get-go, chaos has always been the Stray From The Path model. Creating soundscapes that resonate with whatever direction heavy music is heading at that moment in time whilst also managing to sound like absolutely nobody else simultaneously, ‘Clockworked’ is no different. Picking up where 2022’s ‘Euthanasia’ left off in terms of the razor-sharp viciousness that encompasses it but pushing into even more discordant waters, the band have crafted an atmosphere that is as apocalyptic as it is audacious, as devastating as it is damning and as undeniably bleak as it is unapologetically crushing.

There’s ‘Can’t Help Myself’, which lures you into the darkness with a hip-hop-leaning underbelly before delivering the killer blow via a blunt force breakdown of the highest calibre as well as ‘Shocker’, which delivers the sort of machine gun battery that has helped solidify Stray’s name over the years, with quintessential “Blegh” thrown in for good measure. And it’s all heading towards the garish closing crescendo of ‘A Life In Four Chapters’ that feels like the ground caving in because it can’t take the strain anymore. 

Although the most unrelenting example comes from ‘Fuck Them All To Hell’, a song that Tom states was initially intended to be released on Election Day in the US. A mesh of blastbeats, pummelling riffs and bile-drenched intent, it is as dizzying and debauched as the record gets, which is fitting for the subject matter. A complete dressing down of the current American political system where no matter which box you put your cross in, the figure at the top is an abhorrent crook. 

“The only reason we didn’t end up going with it on Election Day was because of Kamala Harris’s vice president pick,” Tom admits. “I don’t fuck with Kamala or the Democrats at all. However, with Tim Walz, he had some progressive bones in his body, and if that’s a good thing, then we’re kind of standing in the way of it, and so we kind of advised against it.

“But we also wrote the song when Biden was the Democratic nominee, and it was Biden versus Trump. It was just like, ‘Man, fuck all of this.’ That’s why the chorus is, ‘The only way I’m writing your name is on a motherfucking headstone’. It’s not going on a ballot; it’s going on your headstone.” 

It doesn’t get much heavier than that, really. But when needs must, and you’re an artist with the sort of streak that Stray has, crafting your truth has never been more critical. Every weave and turn feels more and more like the end of the world than the last, which, on a record that flirts with such possibility within its subject matter, too, is more than fitting. The possibility of the end should be discomforting, scary, and hard to stomach, so by producing the most stomach-churning heaviness they can muster, Stray is more doing its part in keeping that association alive.

THE COLLABORATORS

Change is only possible when we stick together, which is why community has always been so vital to everything that Stray produces. And in the same way, as they have invited Sam Carter, Keith Buckley, Bryan Garris, Jesse Barnett and Brendan Murphy, to name just a handful, into the fold in the past, ‘Clockworked’ also serves as a platform for celebrating some of heavy music’s best, both from the past and present. 

Firstly, there’s the title track, an ode to not staying quiet because it’s easier, featuring a guttural appearance from LANDMVRKS’ Flo Salfati. The two bands toured the UK together in 2019, both serving as support for While She Sleeps, and the relationship forged over half a decade ago has clearly stood the test of time. And whereas a little bit of Stray made it into a LANDMVRKS banger recently, with vocalist Drew York appearing on their 2022 heater ‘DEATH’, the opportunity for Flo to express his own disdain for the state of things stands out in abundance here. A reminder that no matter what side of the Atlantic you are born and raised, the want and need to denounce oppression, antagonism and injustice will always unite us.

And secondly, there is ‘Bodies In The Dark’, which includes a spine-tingling verse from Jeff Moriera of the legendary Poison The Well. Considering how much that fateful show in 2022 stuck with Tom, having a personality that has served as near life-long inspiration appearing on such a vital album for them is clearly a dream come true. Yet for them to completely flip perceptions and croon their way through a hypnotically discomforting verse on the track rather than shred their vocal cords, slowing things down to a glacial pace, feels even more special. 

To represent and hold up such different corners of the scene is as much of a gift as a band can have. But it also serves as a benchmark for how every band should treat their peers. For those who have come before, it is about paying respect and allowing them the chance to see the lasting impact their legacy has had. And for those who are shaping the future, it is a case of holding them aloft and sharing their vibrancy and vision with those who may not be familiar with their game. It’s always been the Stray From The Path way, and by being open to who is out there waiting to be worked with, then the possibilities are truly endless. After all, it’s exactly how they ended up recruiting a drummer!

“In America, we were always a band where people didn’t really like us, but bands did,” Tom laughs. “So, we always got opportunities because our friends would take us out where we would do okay, but then we would go over to Europe and England, and they loved us and gave us so much. They gave us Craig! We met Architects, they took us on tour, and Craig was their drum tech. And now, Craig is one of my best friends and a main songwriter in the band as well. All because of opportunity.”

THE LYRICS

Though they have always worn their emotions firmly on their sleeves, it feels like there has been an awful lot more for Stray to be furious about this time around. Not just looking at what is affecting them but also considering the impact on people around the world, ‘Clockworked’ is as much about the plights on their doorstep as it is about the global consensus among citizens that we are sleepwalking towards a way of living that we promised our elders we would never let happen again. Be it watching on as a genocide takes place or allowing our planet to be sent even closer to the brink because of supposed technological advances, the band are leaving nothing to chance when stating how they feel.

A prime example of this is ‘Kubrick Stare’, written in response to Tom watching someone get shot in the face during a road rage incident on social media and, in scrolling past it, realising how desensitised to such barbarity being on our phone screens we had become, and how that relates to our reaction to much bigger parts of history playing out in front of it. 

“I don’t want to say I didn’t care, but, like, it just didn’t really affect me,” he laughs, knowing how strange a sentence that is to associate with such a horrible vision. “And it goes further to how people have been able to look the other way with Palestine. Like, I don’t know how you can because it’s so awful. But a part of me is still like, ‘Well, people see awful shit every day,’ and people have a hard time sympathising for people that aren’t themselves because they are probably struggling with their own family.”

That sort of skewed moral compass also comes into play on ‘Can I Have Your Autograph?’, a very real callout to those in the music industry who turn a blind eye to disgraceful behaviour just because those engaging in it have sold millions of records. 

And then there is ‘Shot Caller’, a song that details that if you push the people too far, they will eventually fight back. 

“You know, we made ’Shot Caller’ before that United Healthcare CEO got clipped, even though it’s essentially about that,” Tom adds. “How the people getting denied healthcare after paying for it for 20 years aren’t going to take the shit no more and are going to start fighting back. So we made that song, and then it happened. We were just like, ‘Motherfucker’.”

Every song is a no-holds-barred assault, leaving no stone unturned and nothing to the imagination in terms of where Stray stands right now. And it may be a testament to how closely tied to the will of the people they are that some sentiments are coming true. Of course, that has always been the case, but the limits that they are pushing feel even further, and the anger coursing through their veins feels even stronger. 

“It’s really just about the stuff that is affecting us and the stuff that we see is happening,” Tom admits candidly. “It’s getting hard to live, and it’s hard to survive, and that’s what we want to speak up on. It’s typical of Stray, but that’s just the way we are. We have had the privilege of touring the world and meeting people from diverse cultures. From Japan and Africa to England, Europe, America, and Canada. And everywhere we go, there’s a lot that’s fucking with everyone, so that means it’s fucking with us. And the thing is, we will never hide that.”

Throughout all of this, that aspect is perhaps the most important one. It is easy to be complacent, to feel like there is nothing that we can do because it is all much bigger than us. However, as a community, hardcore was built on the notion that all it takes to change someone’s mind and life is for one other person to stand up for them. If that one individual speaks out, then thousands may end up hearing them. It’s a notion that has followed Stray From The Path throughout their careers, from VFW halls and the back of bars to arena stages and beyond and has only grown more potent as they have become more prominent. No matter the stage, they will never be quiet, complicit, or hide their thoughts. So, to be using ‘Clockworked’ as their most unapologetic statement on the way they see this dumpster fire that’s only getting bigger is the least they can do because without speaking up, it will just keep on growing until oblivion is the only option. But also, what if it’s too late? As the last line of the record states, closing out ‘A Life In Four Chapters’, “Give peace a chance? It never stood a chance?”. If that’s the case, then at least there is pride to be had in trying.

THE TITLE AND ARTWORK

In the centre of the liner notes that accompany the vinyl version of ‘Clockworked’ is the sentiment ‘THE ONLY WINNING MOVE IS NOT TO PLAY’. This relates directly to the cover art that accompanies ‘Clockworked’. A simple yet effective diagram showing a game of noughts and crosses. All spaces have been filled in, except for one, the top right corner, with whoever’s move it’s in this hypothetical game being the supposed winner. But what if both eventualities are bad ones? 

Such a delicate balance is proposed when the space is left unfilled. We are one move away from the possibility of total disaster on either side of the table, and we don’t know who is sitting at it, about to make their choice. It’s a truly frustrating position to be in, but is it one that’s so different from how it has always been? That’s where the idea of the society we are existing in being ‘Clockworked’, that this situation has been the case for as long as the hour and minute hands have made their way through the hours. 

There’s undoubtedly an air of hopelessness to it all, as if there is no way out of the mess that some of us have made, and others have been left to wonder if it will ever be cleaned up. For a band like Stray, all they can do is keep the spotlight firmly on these facts, letting all that be known. 

Speaking of facts, we should turn our attention back to Slam Dunk Festival, where as well as being sold exclusively, the album was also advertised on both billboards around the site and in the special edition of Rock Sound that was handed out to patrons. The ad read:

NOT INTO POLITICS? OKAY. DO ME A FAVOR. GO HOME. TAKE ALL YOUR ALBUMS, ALL YOUR TAPES AND BURN THEM. CAUSE YOU WHAT? THE MUSICIANS THAT MADE ALL THAT GREAT MUSIC THAT’S ENHANCE YOUR LIVE THROUGHOUT THE YEARS? REAL FUCKING POLITICAL.

For Tom, it is another reason why the UK, and those attending Slam Dunk in particular, felt like the perfect place to share such an important moment with first. Because he knew that they would get it. That they would see these words and resonate with them. That in understanding that art has been, and always be, influenced by the matters of the world, they will also understand exactly where this body of work has come from. It’s once again all about connection, and in sharing the record with the UK first, Tom hopes that people understand just how much the support has meant to him.

“We always say, like, we’re from New York and the UK,” he beams. “I love the UK. We never have a bad show here. The UK, and Slam Dunk, have given us so much. It’s such a big part of our history. And, like, we weren’t going tell anyone ever about the album. No press, no nothing. But when we remembered how much this place has given us, that’s when we thought, ‘Let’s go tell them first’.”

THE FUTURE

The reality is that who honestly knows what tomorrow holds. The uncertainty of things is terrifying, to say the least, but Stray From The Path knows that they have done all they can to let their feelings on everything be known. And no matter where they roam, there will be an audience that stands with them. Of course, coming from a country that is so divided, those numbers vary depending on the city in which they reside.

“Back home, we will play Denver and absolutely crush it, but then we will go through Dallas, and there will be like 100 people there,” Tom shrugs. “Like, that’s alright because there is probably a clear reason why. But then it’s why it’s funny that when we go to Australia and Canada and the UK and Europe, and we crush it. It’s just the way it is. We love to stick out, and that has always been a good thing as well as a bad thing.”

And it is in sticking out, in not diluting their views and in always being completely themselves that one thing will always be true. For anyone feeling like they aren’t being heard and that nobody cares about how close to the end we are, Stray From The Path is a band that hears them. Stray From The Path is a band that sees them. Stray From The Path is a band who are as infuriated as them. If all of this were to end tomorrow, that fact would never change. In fact, it has been the case throughout the last 20 years of Stray’s career and will remain the case regardless of what the next 20 years look like. As long as we know we aren’t doing this alone, then there is still hope. And hope, even in drabs, is a remarkably powerful thing.