It's been said you can't judge a book by a cover, but with the live photos that adorn the front and back of Stick To Your Guns' "For What It's Worth", most will already know what they are in for. Does hardcore with a metal slant, some call and response/gang vocals and tracks that rarely breach the 3 minute mark sound familiar? Of course there's some variations thrown in as well, but rest assured these are the pillars of which this album is built upon.

With that said, "For What It's Worth" isn't the Terror/Hatebreed clone you'd expect. Instead Stick To Your Guns attempt to define themselves by heavily adopting death metal traits - and not in the usual way. For you see, while the band liberally spew out death gurgles overtop of chunky riffs and a punchy rhythm section, they avoid the hyper-technical riffing and the haunting melodies.

That's not to say there isn't the odd breakdown that comes off like Vader commanding a circle pit, but generally the band strike enough of a sonic balance to ensure the tension and intensity will keep the listener alert. Whether or not the listener also stays interested is another matter unfortunately. While the music included here does have its merits and is unique enough to warrant a listen, it's also a bit simplistic structure wise.

This limitation does favor the bands aggressiveness, but doesn't exactly help out their longevity. Adept musicians, but perhaps not the most gifted songwriters, Stick To Your Guns may not have the best weaponry, but they definitely have a lot of bullets.