This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Too many punk and hardcore bands are obsessed with trying to blow you away — they want to be the fastest or the hardest or the loudest or the sludgiest or the whateverest.
Figure Four, thankfully, aren’t out to set any land-speed records on their third full-length Suffering the Loss. Which is not to say they don’t bring the pain — this consistently potent assault packs more than its share of raw-knuckle punishment, low-neck guitar grind, pumping double-bass intensity, brooding murk and blistering blowtorch vocals into its half-hour running time. But along with all that relentless power and unyeilding passion, Figure Four display other more vital strengths that set them apart from most of the neck-tattoo brigade: Solid songwriting chops and precision performances. Instead of charging headlong in a frenzy for the finish line, these dozen cuts are deliberately paced, intelligently arranged and flawlessly executed, striking a near-perfect balance between brain and brawn. Consider me blown away.
