Occupying the middle ground between Evanescence’s moody metal and Paramore’s punchy pop, Hanging on by a Thread presents the Letter Black as the latest in a long line of female-fronted hard rock acts. On tracks like “All I Want,” the group sounds downright vicious, with bombshell vocalist Sarah Anthony pitching her vocals over palm-muted power chords, cymbal crashes, and the occasional string orchestra. The group has roots in the church, though, and most of these songs are more melodic than metallic, drawing upon Anthony’s experience as a praise team leader for maximum singalong potential. Throughout it all, the Letter Black plays with Christian themes without explicitly flaunting their own religion, resulting in an album that targets church-going listeners without alienating those who are turned off by such things. – Andrew Leahey