After ten years of being a band, Foundation is calling it quits. With that decision they join the ranks of Have Heart, Champion and other great Straight Edge Hardcore bands who decided to quit at the peak of their success. It needs no doubt that Foundation will soon gain the same legacy. But before they close the door, Foundation say goodbye with a few final U.S. shows and a new EP.

Foundation’s final release is titled Turncoat and serves as a conclusion to their career. The EP consists of five pieces of straightforward hardcore reminiscent of Bitter End, Harms Way or even Xibalba. Turncoat runs you over like a tank but is refined at the same time. The repetition of lines creates recognition and makes the songs stick in your head. The best example is the earlier released track ‘Failure Breeds Failure’. For Foundation, refined never means soft though. If you don’t believe it, check out the breakdown at the end of ‘Devotion III’.

While their music surely is above average, Foundation distinguish themselves the most lyrically. On a newly created Bandcamp page, Foundation describe their music as “Poetry over Thug-Rock”. God knows what Thug-Rock is but Foundation definitely are true poets. With Turncoat Foundation explore the same war theme which was present on their first and only full-length When The Smoke Clears. It would do Foundation wrong to describe Turncoat solely as a war themed record though. Throughout the record Foundation fire multiple shots at modern day society. Final track ‘Silence Above, Quiet below’ opens with a sample from the 1960 atheist movie ‘Inherit The Wind’ and is a fierce attack on organized religion. With ‘Devotion III’ Foundation ruthlessly end a grim trilogy that began five years ago on a Triple B Records album ‘America’s Hardcore Compilation’.

“What we do is all that matters!” repeats singer Tomas Pearson at the end of the record. Who are we to disagree? With Turncoat, Foundation perfectly ends a career that has mattered a lot and will continue to do so in the future.

Track list – Turncoat:

1. The New Faith
2. A Warm Place In Hell
3. Failure Breeds Failure
4. Devotion III
5. Silence Above, Quiet Below

Foundation: Facebook / Bandcamp / Order Turncoat

Written by Wannes Dewanckel