Hardcore cluster bomb pt 5: Forfeit

Forfeit - The Lower Depths
2009, Reaper Records

This is an album that I've been spinning alot lately. It's the first full length of the band and an impressive one at that. These guys hail from Syracuse, New York and though their music is rooted in fast old school hardcore, they aren't afraid to embrace a heavier, mosh-inducing kind of hardcore as well, where chugging metallic breakdowns bring down the pace somewhat. This is one of the better hardcore albums I've heard in a while, especially in this particular style where we get a mix of Integrity-type metalcore and early Sick Of It All meets a somewhat slower Septic Death. Sort of. I know this album is a couple of years old now and I've been sitting on it for quite a while and never gotten around to reviewing it. I guess I kind of forgot about it, which is a shame because this shit rips. The music is aggressive and often utilize speed but they never drag on unnecessarily or go full on grind. There's something about Forfeit that makes me think of Judge and Burn. I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the combination of the burly screamed vocals and the bass-heavy chugging breakdowns. These guys also seem to pay alot of attention to detail, because almost all of the songs are riddled with nifty little hooks, twists and turns and melodies and the odd burst of tasteful feedback. This, paired with a great knack for writing simple but effective metallic hardcore songs make The Lower Depth a really impressive first exposure for me. I'm not really sure if these guys are still active or not, but I definately hope so because I would really like to hear more them. Immensely recommended.