Review Summary: Absolutely nothing groundbreaking, this is simply modern/progressive metalcore done extremely well.
Based out of Washington DC, Friend For A Foe began as a small project for lead guitarist and founder Chris Purvis. With the addition of Chris Barreto (Ex-Periphery), Friend For A Foe began to really take off. Soon after signing with Myriad Records the band released their debut EP, Source of Isolation.
With metalcore clearly on the decline here at the beginning of the new decade, Friend For a Foe gives us hope for the future of metalcore. One of the biggest things that sets Friend For a Foe apart from other metalcore acts is the fact that they tend to avoid abusing breakdowns. In addition to refraining from overusing breakdowns FFaF, achieves the much sought after balance of heavy chugging and soaring cleans that popular bands such as The Human Abstract and Periphery achieve, but they do it in a more generic way.
Probably the highlight of the album is Chris Barreto. Chris Barreto's vocal abilities have greatly increased since his stint with periphery. His harsh vocals are absolutely phenomenal. He his cleans are as good as always if not better and they accent the music perfectly. His vocal range may not be as wide as current periphery vocalist Spencer Sotelo, but the tone of his voice is much more palatable especially to Sotelo haters.
All in all, fans of progressive metalcore will surely find this album to be better or as good as anything else out today. Go pick up the EP and support one of the most promising metalcore acts of the new decade.
Recommended tracks:'
Fallout
The Sky and the Fall
