FORFEIT THEE UNTRUE: Gather The Broken

Forfeit Thee Untrue
Gather the Broken
(Rottweiler Records)

Gather the Broken is the first new music we’ve had from Forfeit Thee Untrue since 2016. During that time, the band has endured multiple tragedies including the deaths of family members, essentially having to rebuild the band after members departed, and a lot of water has passed under the bridge. During the break, band founder Craig Palmer did a side-project in The Wolf My Teacher.

    Hailing from South Africa, Forfeit Thee Untrue have always been slightly difficult to
    pigeonhole into a genre. I’ve found that true of other South African Christian bands.
    Hardcore bands Neshamah and Aftertaste always hit just slightly differently from their
    North American counterparts, as did goth project The Awakening. FTU’s approach to
    metal seemed a unique concoction of metalcore and nu metal. However, this time I’m
    hearing a more cohesive approach to groove metal, with lots of nods to New Orleans’
    own Pantera.

    “Halo Crippled” starts off the 4-song EP with a strong groove metal sound with some
    touch of nu metal. There’s no rapping, but it its place are some 90s groove style harsh-
    yet-sung vocals. Hearing influences as diverse as Pantera, 90s Metallica and even
    some Avenged Sevenfold. Lyrically the song deals with a band who—contrary to the
    rock and roll sterotype—doesn’t want the spotlight. “Don’t write our name in lights, for
    we call the shadows home.” The song goes on to reflect the struggles the band has
    seen in the previous 8 years.

    The provocatively-titled “Your Jesus is Dead” is up next and features a metalcore with
    some thrash and death overtones. While there is a strong thrash influence, this isn’t
    straightforward thrash. It reminds me a tiny bit of the ‘alternative thrash’ of Betrayal
    before they delved into goth and industrial sounds, or perhaps of Brazilian band The
    Joke? The track features a sort of clean sung/spoken vocal on the verse with some
    cool gang vocals on the chorus, the haunting: “YOUR. JESUS. IS. DEAD.” Of course,
    at face value, this song is troubling, but we need to dig deeper to find out the meaning:

    Another counterfeit christ begins to wake
    Another, another, another
    Collections of fakes and belief in the lifeless
    A religion so flawed and heart so Christless
    Hell breathes you in and you breathe it out
    Temple worship, money, and lies; you are so devout
    Praise, tithes, worship, bow, pay, pray
    This congregation is the man in Gadara
    . . .
    Your Jesus is Dead!
    This is probably the strongest track on the EP.

    Up next is “Fragments.” A nu metal song with spoken word vocals, chunky riffs, and
    some thrashy tones, but with a nu metal/alternative choppy rhythm to it. The clean
    vocals actually suit this song really well.

    Finishing off the release is “Shine and Shatter,” which opens with an almost doomy riff a
    la late-period Trouble or Cathedral, with a faster tempo. The gang vocals are back here
    on the chorus, adding to the overall heaviness of the track. The song warns the listener
    of the decisions we make and lifestyles we lead, pointing us to the futility of trusting in
    ourselves and repeating patterns:

    Breathe in me, then let me go
    We become what we know
    Don’t we always think we have more time?
    Eyes to the sky
    Eyes to the sky
    From love to hate—these are the lives we feed
    We are the kings, slaves, and martyrs of how we bleed

    The band have clearly endured a host of opposition and difficult circumstances since we
    heard them last, and that shows both in the music as well as the lyrics. Heck, even the
    title of the EP is a testament to adversity. What I hear is a band coming to terms with
    their struggles and doubts, and working through their beliefs as they hold on to their
    faith. Personally, I’m grateful for the raw honesty and intensity here and the maturity it
    took to put it out there.

    3.5 out of 5

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