Hard to Forget - The Fire

Hard to Forget

The Fire
self-released; 2015

3.1 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

Cortland Goffena is the sole member of Hard to Forget. He is influenced by bands like Breaking Benjamin, Parabelle, State of Illusion and Chevelle on his recent release The Fire. I give credit to Goffena for attempting metal by himself but this is an extremely hard endeavor if you are using consumer gear to record with and even harder if you aren’t playing with other people.

If Goffena was strumming an acoustic guitar and singing he could pull of a decent sounding recording on a shoestring budget but what he is attempting is damn near impossible if he is hoping to be in the same league as the aforementioned bands.

Goffena puts himself out there and if nothing else that's something I can give him credit for. He is obviously passionate about the music he makes but it is often plagued by issues that are undeniable. The music is out of time here and there and Goffena needs to keep on working on his singing. He gets into some trouble when he tries to hit higher notes. 

The EP opens with “The Fire” which displays solid songwriting. I thought the lead guitar part was inventive and the chorus was decent. Goffena’s best effort is arguably the second track “Disappointment” which has thought provoking lyrics. He sings, “Is this really what you want to become / Show me where you belong / Give it all back / Like a heart attack / Show me that / You're just another Disappointment.” As the EP progresses into the next three songs there really isn't much deviation in his style, He likes his distortion and likes to rock.

I won’t sugarcoat that Goffena will need to make some improvements in both the production and delivery of his music if he hopes to be close to the same league as some of the best metal bands out there. One thing I will say and I do realize he lives in Lincoln, Nebraska but he should do whatever he can to find people to play with. The style he is attempting really needs other people to work.

​Gofenna is not a singer/songwriter with an acoustic guitar and not an electronic musician. It will ultimately make him a better player provided the people he is working with are half way decent and will let him focus on his strength, which is the songwriting. On that note finding a metronome like drummer to work with him would be a good start. Good drummers are a key to good metal.