Figure Four - No Weapon Formed Against Us (2000)
Take off, you hosers--we've got us some more Canadian hardcore, eh?! Let me tell you that just listening to these guys will make you feel tougher. Figure Four plays straight-up hardcore that mostly stays in the mid-paced range of heavy grooves, but they have no problem throwing in the fast stuff to mix it up a bit. If you've heard the two Figure Four tracks on the Facedown sampler (which, by the way, is well worth the 2 bucks), then you have a good idea of what to expect, only this full-length is much better. The biggest improvement comes in the vocals. They have lost that high-pitched edge and aren't quite as muffled. They're basically more powerful and slightly deeper. The only real complaint I have for the album as a whole is the production, but it's still far from being bad. It could just be better; that's all. Like many hardcore cds, I think the drums suffer somewhat from a lack of intensity. The snare, especially, sounds kind of tiny, but, like I said, that's fairly common with lots of other hardcore discs I've heard. There's really not a whole lot to say about this album. Nothing really bad, nor anything that pushes it over the top. It's just a good, solid debut that should mark them as one of the new bands to watch out for. The lyrics are boldly evangelistic and straight to the point, but that's certainly not anything surprising. And, that's how I like them. My favorite line is simply, "I'm not saved by the things I do." Think about it, and then take some time to thank God for His grace. Some of the tracks tend to run together at times, but Figure Four delivers a good dose of relentlessly heavy hardcore to scare all the old ladies you pass while blaring it down the road. And, the bulldogs on the cover are cool too. Go ahead and get this one to put beside your N.I.V., xDisciplex, and Dodgin' Bullets discs because if you like any of these bands, then Figure Four will easily become a necessary part of your listening diet. If Facedown keeps finding bands like this, then it will have no problem becoming "the future of hardcore." This is a great label with killer bands that we should all support! -- Review by -- Jason