The early and mid-nineties is when hardcore once again went through a change. Younger bands were not only taking from their roots in the punk/hardcore
scene, but branching out into other musical influences. And no one did it better than Snapcase. They were ahead of the pack – you could tell from
their early recordings, like Looking Glass Self and the Steps EP, that they were onto something different. It was when Progression Through Unlearning
came out, though, that these new influences really showed – and Snapcase set the bar high! The mid-tempo crushing sound they’d had in the past was
perfected here, and the Helmet-like rhythms and time changes they mixed-in fit perfectly. Many people point at The Refused’s seminal album The Shape
of Punk to Come as the new innovation in hardcore, but they seem to forget: The Refused always followed what Snapcase did first. And yes, Progression
came out a year before Shape of Punk did. Snapcase’s influence is far and wide, from the new generation of hardcore bands to some of the big boys like
the Deftones. A must-have album.
Later,
Lou |
That Snapcase album is sheer genius and the
first ever hardcore band I saw & album I owned. I had some comps & Victory samplers before that but they nailed it for me.