The Last Forty Seconds was a hardcore band from Northampton, Massachusetts, active through the late 90s and early 2000s. They released one full-length LP, two split 7"s, a compilation CD, a demo tape and a CDr before they split up in 2001. The members of the band went on to form Ampere, Her Breath On Glass, Montcalm, The Saddest Landscape, Wolves and Ritual Mess.
The Last Forty Seconds was fast, brutal and abrasive, with vocals shrill and emotive and instrumentals melodic yet fast and heavy. Somewhat comparable to Portraits Of Past or Orchid, their sound is very much rooted in hardcore/punk, complimented beautifully by Andy Maddox's distinctly emotional screams. All the bands formed by members after The Last Forty Seconds were also great, though each moved into different sounds. You can hear the elements that eventually fed into the member's later bands, The Last Forty Seconds having elements of Wolves with their complex guitar and dissonant intensity that would flourish in Ampere.
The Last Forty Seconds strikes me as one of those quintessential bands that I would show to someone completely foreign to the "emo" genre. They display all the key elements of my favourite sound and display them well at that. The perfect balance between angry hardcore and melancholic sadness resulting in a culmination of noise that is both passionate and reflective.
S/T 12" 2000 (Ape Must Not Kill Ape)
S/T Discography CD 2001 (Lebensfreude)
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