Review / Multiple Authors
Final Fight / Life Long Tragedy
Split

A quick warning before you read this review: This will be the most biased review I've written for Scene Point Blank. Remove from the equation the fact that I have business relations with one band. Remove from the equation the fact that both bands I consider to be some of the best friends I've ever made in the hardcore "scene." This is the most biased review because these two bands have changed me for the better as a result of listening to their previous albums, and that alone will make this review horribly biased.

Finally, after almost two years, for both bands, we are blessed with new tracks from two of California's best bands: Final Fight and Life Long Tragedy. I think this split might be one of the most anticipated records of 2006 due to the fact that we have had to wait so long.

First, Final Fight graces this beautiful piece of vinyl with two songs, "T.S." (Tour Song) and "Rage." Both highlight the band's previous songwriting skills on Under Attack and expand upon them, including new elements that were not on their previous outing. "T.S." is classic Final Fight, a fast song with upbeat drumming and a catchy riff, complimented by David Tiano's signature vocal styling. A song destined to be sung by piles of kids at every show they'll play. The second song, "Rage," starts with a buildup that gets your heart pumping, a bass line sticks in your head that you'll hum for days. I think "epic" might be the best way to describe the song, with a melodic backup vocal provided by band friend Josh Linden giving the song a life that hasn't been seen with previous Final Fight songs. If "Rage" is the future of the band, Final Fight's next full-length will be one of my favorite of the new year. I remember saying to someone of semi-importance once that Final Fight will someday be the new Bane, a band that people will drive hours (or time zones) out of the way to see; a band that people will tattoo their words and images on them and speak of them in reverence. This record proves my point.

Life Long Tragedy also give us two new cuts, and the growth of the band continues, bringing a new feel with these two songs but still definitely written by one of the best bands ever conceived from Northern California. "Soul Search Party" and "Sweet Innocence" showcase a slower, more personal band, and while the Modern Life is War and Unbroken influences shined on their last record, they downright high beam the listener with these two songs. You can almost feel the sweat coming off vocalist Scott Phillips as he belts out both songs, sometimes straining to sustain words. Where as Destined for Anything might have shown Phillips - at sixteen - giving his more upbeat or dare-we-say positive view on the life around, this record shows Phillips - now at nineteen - embracing more darkness and despair, and showcasing both lyrics deeper with meaning and more maturity. The long road often burns anguish and the feeling of imminent collapse and these emotions have been put to paper and song as shown by this teaser for their upcoming full-length; a record that's sure to be on my top 10 of 2007.

Artwork is courtesy of Jacob Bannon (Converge) and definitely different than I imagined for this release. But then again, a unicorn fighting a dinosaur wouldn't have looked that great (damn, I almost got through the whole review without some bad inside band joke). I love everything Bannon does and this piece adds to my enjoyment of his unique style of artwork.

This record was one of my most anticipated of the year, and now that it's here, nothing about it disappoints me. This teaser for both bands' eventual full-lengths in 2007 wets the appetite and leaves me wanting more. 2007 can't come soon enough for me.

The vast majority of hardcore that's described as "heartfelt" comes off sounding "cheesy," "uninspired," and "contrived." The "emotive" vocals as "whiny." You get the idea. Southern California and Northern California's respective Final Fight and Life Long Tragedy are two vital exceptions, pioneering their own brand of modern hardcore. With their debut full-lengths in 2005, Under Attack and Destined for Anything, Final Fight and Life Long Tragedy wowed demo-fans and new listeners alike with solid as fuck releases. As good as both albums were, they left a want for more progression, and now with their split 7", the wait is over.

Both bands recorded two songs for the split. This 7" is essentially a preview of two full-lengths that'll be released in 2007. It's like killing two birds with one Transformer made from adamantium.

Final Fight once again strolls down a catchy, without sounding watered down, melodic hardcore route. Singer David Tiano sounds even more throaty this go around, which creates a more raw feeling. In the first song, "T.S.," he clenches the words, "Once stopped dreaming and once started thinking / You could not tie me down to keep me from leaving." All the meanwhile rhythmic backups are shadowing Tiano's gasps and guitarists Nick Synadinos and Shaun Benjamin create a dynamic as fuck mid-tempo backdrop. During the second track, "Rage," Final Fight proudly shows their maturity with melodic harmonizing backups that "ooo" and "aah." After hearing countless bands try to pull this off and fail miserably, Final Fight definitely succeeds in sounding triumphant and not somewhere between puberty and off-key. Both songs are subtle enough for the critical and instantly pleasing enough for those who just want something on in the background. If they'd add choruses to their songs they'd be huge in no time.

Life Long Tragedy takes a larger step forward: from uplifting and anthemic to despair driven progressive hardcore. As good as Destined for Anything is, in retrospect, it definitely sauntered onto cheeky moments. Two years later, Life Long Tragedy sounds a lot more experienced and weathered. In "Soul Search Party," what stars as a solid fast paced song drifts into an unsettling guitar lead. Scott Phillips voice sounds much more weathered in these recordings compared to Destined for Anything. His lyrics in both songs emanate feelings of hopelessness with hints of hope, while being quotable and worth reading as poetry on their own. "Sweet Innocence," the second and last track, takes the build-up feel that Modern Life is War played on My Love, My Way to the next level. This song is what Witness lacked and makes me very excited for the upcoming Life Long Tragedy full-length. Instead of breaking into mosh at the height of the crescendo, Life Long Tragedy continues at a mid-tempo into a final explosion of, "You walk alone to the sound of your own heartbeat / And I know it's not always so easy to see / But we are still all so fucking beautiful to me," and gnarled guitar riffs.

What really drags this record down is that the cover is the cover that doesn't stick out at all. There are black trees covered in yellow splatter paint. A release this good deserves better.

Without a doubt, this is the split record of the year. The fact that this is essentially two of the best EPs of 2006 synthesized into one release is mind-blowing. The split comes off sounding like two friends who haven't seen each other in a couple of years comparing notes of all the changes they've gone through over warm smiles.