This.Day.Forward

Originally released on Break Even Records in 1999, and now re-released by Eulogy Records, Fragments... predates This.Day.Forward's excellent The.Transient.Effects.Of.Light.On.Water disc, offering a glimpse back at T.D.F's embryonic metallic hardcore flailing. While still heavily drenched in the metallic/hardcore Converge-isms that dominated The.Transient.Effects, Fragments... is a much rawer, unrefined release whose technicality and structure sometimes falter but is carried kicking and screaming along by T.D.F.'s unbridled aggression and emotion. Included on Fragments... are three songs from The.Transient.Effects, "Kissing Perfection's Cheek," "If I Wore a Mask" and "Significant Others," which although unrealised and stylistically the most similar to current hardcore noise stalwarts, are the strongest tracks present. However, despite recording and execution flaws, much of the earlier material included is strong, as tracks such as "Arise," "I Repent" and "Dead Acres" attest to, showing glimpses of the promise to follow. While T.D.F. still need to fashion their own particular style, they are one of metallic hardcore's rising breed, and Fragments... is a necessary document of their origins and musically evolution, even if its appeal to non-fans is questionable, as most of these styles of documents are.