Darkness - Stitched Up Heart

In the months before I started doing these reviews, my daily iTunes shuffle (yes, I still use iTunes) was getting pretty stale. I had all the bands that I ever loved, all my favorite songs, but something was missing. I was hungry for something new. At the time I was listening to a lot of female vocalists, including my vintage favorites Joan Jett and Vixen, along with new blood Halestorm, New Years Day, and In This Moment. It was the only thing that would come on my shuffle that I wouldn't immediately skip. So I needed more. A quick "female singers in rock and metal" Google search led me to Stitched Up Heart. Honestly I'm not sure how our paths haven't crossed sooner. They spent last spring opening for Sebastian Bach on his Skid Row 30th Anniversary tour, which I almost went to go see but decided not to at the last minute. Oops. Anyway, I discovered Stitched Up Heart and a handful of other groups and I immediately bought a bunch of albums. Stitched only had one record out at the time, but I soon discovered that they had a new one on the way. That sophomore record became known as Darkness, an album that I bought the day it was released.

In full honesty, my first listen to the new record was rather forgettable. Maybe I was distracted, or was just in a weird mood that day, but I wasn't feeling it the same way I was feeling their debut record. But as I sit in front of my laptop now, spinning Darkness again, I'm feeling it much more than I did the first time. The opening track, Lost, features Sully Erna, the frontman from the legendary Godsmack. Personally the song kicks in a little abrupt for my taste, I like an album opener to have more build up than that, but the track is killer. I don't know why Stitched didn't use "Lost" as the title track for the record, as the one they picked, "Darkness" falls flat. It's not a bad song by any means, but the album opener is just that much stronger.

Stitched grows but also stays true to themselves on this record, much like NYD did with their newest Unbreakable. Not to compare records, but both bands are very similar in style. They both have a refreshing brand of techno-pop-infused-metal that works surprisingly well. Which record you prefer depends on where you fall on the spectrum. If you want more pop, look to NYD. If you want more metal, look to Stitched.
Okay, tangent over.

Darkness is packed with fun tracks. Every one has a chorus that will get stuck in your head, and impressive instrumental work. I found myself focusing deeply on the drums in many of these songs, especially on "Dead Roses." There were two songs that were in close competition for my least favorite track. "Crooked Halo" is just plain boring to listen to, but "Problems" wins least favorite track because of the weak lyrics and annoying chorus. Might be mean, but it's my take. And if you've read any of my previous posts, you already know I'm a dick.

At the end of the day, this is not a platinum-selling record. But it is damn good. I've spun it twice already this morning. If you're looking to get into a new band that you can see for cheap ticket prices before they make it really big, Stitched Up Heart is a good place to look. I know I'm looking forward to catching them on tour someday.

Darkness - Stitched Up Heart

3 - 13 - 2020

1. Lost

2. This Skin

3. Problems

4. Warrior

5. Straitjacket

6. Dirty Secrets

7. Darkness

8. Bones

9. Dead Roses

10. Crooked Halo

11. My Demon

Favorite Track: Lost

Least Favorite Track: Problems

Rating: 7.6