Band: Hundredth
Title: When Will We Surrender
Label: MediaSkare Records
Release Date: March 30, 2010
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
1. Catalysts
2. Willows
3. Betrayer
4. Passion
5. Caving
6. Desolate
7. Fade
8. Sinking
9. Greater
10. Rise
11. Brighter
12. Sun
13. Shine
If you are anything like me, then you are really getting fed up with these new hardcore bands that are more metelcore than hardcore. Moreover, if they are hardcore they are just a cheesy knock off or a bad imitation of what hardcore really is. This is where Hundredth comes in. This is a band that will make you want to start a circle pit in your living room and maybe punch the floor a time or two.
I have been anxiously awaiting this album since last fall when I first found out about them. I have to admit I have put a lot of stock in this album and how good it would be and was a little afraid that I may have be disappointed. Much to my surprise it is every bit as good as I had thought it would be.
This album starts off beautifully with “Catalysts” and doesn’t really slow down until you get about two thirds of the way through the album when Hundredth finally takes their foot off your throat and lets you breathe through two softer tracks in “Fade” an instrumental and “Rise” an instrumental with some clean gang vocals singing “You are my everything.” Then after that they step on your throat a little harder to finish out the album.
Musically, Hundredth is not really charting any new ground but they are extremely talented musicians that do not disappoint. Their music is heavily laden with the double bass pedal with thick guitar riffs and brutal breakdowns. You will not be a bystander on the sidelines when Hundredth takes the stage! You will be right up front in the thick of things two-stepping and swinging some windmills.
Vocalist, Chadwick Johnson is an excellent front man for any hardcore band. I mean how much tougher do you have to be to actually punch the floor during a show? Lyrically, Chadwick does not shy away from telling you how it is. The lyrics in When Will We Surrender cover many topics but most of the songs have two central themes of rejecting the pressures and desires of this world and helping your brother or sister. In addition to the lyrics covering an array of issues, they are full of emotion and passion. In the November/December 2009 issue of HM Magazine Chadwick was quoted, “I’d like to think most of our songs are bred solely on passion. If there isn’t any anguish somewhere in the song, its not a Hundredth song to me.” There are three notable tracks for me that are worth showing you the lyrical content, “Caving,” “Willows,” and “Desolate.” In “Caving” Chadwick screams at those who have doubted and had it in for him. “They want to blot me from their memory. Forget me like a corpse in a grave. Throw me out with the scraps. Behind doors, they plot to ruin me. And I’ll be honest with you; it’s caving in on me.”
The best song on the album is “Willows” that talks about breaking away from other people’s expectations and standing strong and building a legacy that is not of this world. Chadwick starts out screaming, “Why am I wasting my time pleasing people around me? I’m sick of waiting around for nothing. Why am I wasting my time? I will not build my legacy on earth.” And finishes with, “I will no longer sway with the willows. I will stand strong on my own. When everyone lets me down. I will stand strong alone. I will stand strong alone. And when the winds hurl, I will not move. I’m destined for greatness. I’ll see it through. We will see this through.”
The other stand out track is “Desolate” that talks about becoming weary of this world and leaning heavily on God. Chadwick finishes the song with some moving lyrics, “Lighten my stagger. My conscience is weak. I’m begging for reparation. I am deficient of hope. Refine me with fire. Refine me with fire, oh God. Refine me with fire. There’s pain in my eyes, like I’ve never known. I’ve fallen short. Do you still see me as beautiful? I’ll never find my place on Earth. But I refuse to fade away.”
Overall: this is an extremely solid debut album from a refreshing up and coming hardcore band. From what I have heard, you really need to see these guys live to truly experience how great they are and can be. This album has been a long time coming. Hundredth finished recording this in May of 2009, but the wait has been well worth it. This album will please all hardcore fans. Please check these guys out and support their music.