Sometimes, adages can fall flat. In the case of Buffalo’s Final Declaration, silence isn’t always more powerful than having the last word. Their late 2019 debut, The Line in the Sand, was a demonstrative and destructive mission of intent. This crew arrived fully formed. Just peep the devastating final minute of the aforementioned LP’s title track.
Now imagine a band that’s gotten markedly better. It’s a fearsome proposition that’s resulted in a band about to hit. Much like that essential ante-up of an LP, their latest and first for Sore Ear Collective, Fight 2 Survive, also finds them reveling in a similar realm. Populating the taut longplayer is the sort of heavy hardcore you’d expect from the hearty breed bred only in New York’s frigid and unforgiving upstate region.
Fans of modern brutality take note… the band’s deceptively simple punishment takes an accomplished group to wrangle. From their crushed groove backbone to churning and devastating breakdowns, it all swirls around the commanding vocals.
At the helm, the frenzied barking not mimics the muscled instrumentation but manages an oft overlooked facet of the genre. The vocals are relatively spare and easily decipherable, making their pointed barbs land more solidly. They take on all comers, lobbing well formed, politically charged lyrics that find their targets easily. I’m at once reminded of Trail of Lies, Eyes of the Lord, 100 Demons, and the early works of both Terror and Hatebreed.
Even a cursory glance at the guest spots on the record sports a jaw dropping murderer’s row of heavy hitters. Ace Stallings (Mutually Assured Destruction, Sentinel), Taylor Young (Twitching Tongues, God's Hate), and Brody King (God's Hate) appear on “Stone Ghost," “The Path”, and the title track; respectively.
Crushing cameos aside, this’ll find a spot amongst the upper crust of bands dispensing breakdown-loaded hardcore. Much like their friends in the 315, there’s something intangible that only the Queen City can produce and this bunch has it in spades.
Look no further than the aforementioned “Stone Ghost.” The track boasts the aforementioned Richmond-based frontman of Mutually Assured Destruction and is, fittingly, a righteous and rage-fueled takedown of the long overdue removal of his city's symbolic rubble.
No Echo is stoked, per usual, to bring you the exclusive premiere. This absolute heater is dropping soon and is extremely limited so don’t fuck around.
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Fight 2 Survive will be released this spring via Sore Ear Collective, and the pre-order is up now.
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Tagged: final declaration
