Legendary hardcore band Focal Point, from Northern California, is well-known not so much for the music they created (tragically), but for the groups that had their origin in the quintet. Training for Utopia, Demon Hunter, Nyves, and Low and Behold all trace their origins back to Focal Point at least in part. As important as those connections are, it’s a shame that too few actually remember the music of Focal Point, as it’s probably my favorite of all the aforementioned.
They arrived on the scene late in the “new school hardcore” movement of the early 90s as hardcore was becomingly increasingly more metallic, and yet hadn’t fully shifted into metalcore, which would happen a year or two after Suffering of the Masses dropped. True to the spirit of hardcore, the band’s lyrics often reflected a concern for societal issues, yet they applied their Christian worldview to them.
“Neglected” addresses the widespread problem of child abuse and neglect, often fueled by drug or alcohol abuse. No wonder the song sounds so angry and intense!
Neglected
The apathy begins at birth
The absolute destruction of one’s self worth
When father comes home, the closet becomes a refuge and the drinking
Increases the abuse
This life-style of mindlessness must end before this madness receives
Acceptance
Bruised arms and legs fill the bodies of young children who do nothing but
Hide innocently
In attempt to avoid their insanity
Stop, stop, stop the abuse
This life-style of mindlessness must end before this madness becomes
Accepted
The band self-released a cassette demo in 1995, and sadly only one full-length album Suffering of the Masses in 1996 for Tooth & Nail Records (pre-Solid State) and a 7″ single for “Neglected” the same year for respected secular hardcore label Life Sentence Records.