Pros: Excellent guitars, laid groundwork for nu-hardcore, great songwriting, intelligent lyrics
Cons: Takes awhile for songs to stand-out, some tunes are more memorable than others
The Bottom Line: It altered several musical genres, and unfortunately, will never get the respect to match its influence. Fan of hardcore? You'll be a fan of Quicksand.
In the 80's, after the initial thrill and shock appeal of the first punk wave in the late 70's had faded, a new brand of music emerged from the scene, known as hardcore. This underground musical style was more aggressive, frenetic, and impossibly energetic than punk rock, and although this created many bands that wrote music that was much more intense and impassioned than their predecessors, this also meant that the majority of them would burn out at an even faster pace. Unfortuantely, this is a fate that would ultimately hold true for the early 90's innovators of hardcore, the New York City-based quintet known as Quicksand. If the punk rock history records are kind, Quicksand will forever be more influential then they were marketable (not a difficult task, considering the often less-than-stellar sales of their brief discography), adopting the difficult task of bridging the gap between the innovators of hardcore (Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Black Flag) and the new brand of emotional hardcore acts that are slowly gaining success in the new millennium (Glassjaw, Poison the Well, Converge). The band's first long-player, Slip is a forty-minute long excursion into the worlds of hardcore, alternative rock, with a pinch of brooding heavy metal thrown in for good measure. Though it has its imperfections, Slip is an outstanding album from a band that, most unfortunately, burned out long before their influence could even begin to be truly realized.
First of all, let me start out by pointing out a necessary fact that has a great influence on the perspective my review is based in...only recently, in the past year or so, have I actually discovered the joys of the hardcore genre (both new and old groups), so I am anything but an 'old school' fan of Quicksand. However, I have been a die-hard fan of grunge and alternative rock for as long as I've been enjoying music, and although it would certainly be wrong to lump Quicksand into the same category that harbors the likes of Pearl Jam and The Smashing Pumpkins, their music does convey some similarities to the edgier Seattle groups. Fans of Nirvana will be certain to enjoy the band's unique and enticing combination of accessible vocal melodies and screeching, distorted guitars. Also, anyone who owns a Soungdarden album will likely recognize a little influence in the band's spectacular ability to meld high-pitched guitar whines with swaggering, groove-driven metal riffage. Anyways, long story short, although I'm by no means a definitive source of the world of hardcore, I do recognize good music when I hear it, and Quicksand's Slip is an album that delivers with all eight cylinders pounding. That having been said, on with the review.
For newcomers, the similarities Quicksand bears to their musical peers may be one of the most noticeable factors in their music at first glance, however, in time, the talent, originality, and downright revolutionary influence of the band begins to shine undeniably. I personally noticed, immediately, a very strong resemblance between Quicksand and their fellow New York post-hardcore mates, Helmet. Helmet is probably the band that bears the clearest similarity to Quicksand, and because both groups a) both emerged in the musical scene around the same time, and b) made themselves known for an unbeatable recipe of alternative, metal, and hardcore, many listeners may be quick to group both bands together. I know I was guilty of this for a time. However, after a few listens, I was able to discern the differences between the bands (the main one being that Quicksand are the punkier counterparts to the more metallicized Helmet), and both still remain as two of my favorite bands of the early 90's scene. Similarities to other groups (notably the third and final group in the NYC post-hardcore triad, Unsane) will surely occur, but make no mistake, Quicksand are a band that have a strong identity all their own, and after a few exposures to Slip, any listener will be sure to make their own distinction between Quicksand and other groups that they are grouped with. One thing I really enjoy is that I can find strong, mutual similarities between peers as popular as Nirvana and as heavy as Tool, but regardless, they still maintain a sound very much their own.
Now as to my review of the actual album itself. I purchased Slip in a rather large cd order from Best Buy online I made earlier this spring, and it was one of the albums that has taken the longest for me to embrace, but has also reaped the most rewards. I was currently enwrapped in a blooming obsession with any and all the hardcore I could get my hands on (said Best Buy order also included albums by Poison the Well and Converge, as well), so I decided that, because I had heard some fuss about this band Quicksand, I might as well see what they had to offer as well. Initially, I must confess, I blew both the band and the Slip record off as largely ignorable...the songs seemed to have no identity of their own, and the songwriting was neither exciting nor catchy enough to be worth remembering (at least, not at first listen). However, after I began to give the album a few more spins, it grew on me like a virus, and currently, I am looking forward to picking up the band's other material (which, to my despair, includes only two other albums--their self-titled debut EP, and their final record, Manic Compression). Some other listeners may very well have the same problems I had when approaching Slip for the first time...indeed, I still have difficulty placing titles to their respective songs, and sometimes, the tracks do seem a bit meshed together. However, once this record is given the proper attention, I feel that virtually any fan of either punk OR metal would find this band (and their records) undeniably enjoyable. These are, actually, my only gripes with the album (aside from it's relatively short playing time of just over half an hour)...now on to the good parts.
Slip opens with the song "Fazer", a roaring song that begins with a diabolically good riff that is equally catchy and heavy (a trend that is repeated throughout the album). The 'quiet verses, loud choruses' approach of the song is nothing new (Nirvana is always assigned the blame/praise for introducing this technique to the mainstream), but while the band is not creating anything new by adhering to this popular type of song-styling, they do succeed in making it uniquely their own. "Fazer" also features a brief, effects-drenched bass bridge followed by a squealing high-toned guitar solo. Overall, a great way to kick off the album. Song two, "Head To Wall", is very self-descriptive in nature, featuring a sonic-barrage of both guitar and vocals. This is one of my favorite songs on the entire album, having something to do with the wonderful chorus melody wrapped in the middle of sweltering guitar riffs. The chorus goes like this; "Seven tries/head to wall/hurts your head/sort of trust/that you'll get what
you paid for soon...". This is another noteworthy part of Quicksand's musical armory, the fact they were one of the first so-called 'hardcore' groups to feature lyrics that were both emotional and intellectual, successfully adding some spice to their songs that keeps them fresh and worthy of repeated plays. The album's third song, "Dine Alone" (they have a penchant for brief but nonetheless original song titles) starts out with a creaking, scatter-brained guitar slide, and slowly unwinds during the choruses while singer/guitarist Walter Schreifels unveils his trademark (not to mention highly influential) ‘ravagingly apathetic’ tone in the song's vocals. "Dine Alone", while it certainly features some of the album's most creative fretwork, also demonstrates the strong link between the band's bassist Sergio Vega and hyperactive drummer Alan Cage. Track four, the self-titled tune of the album is not altogether bad, but does rely heavily on a lazy, repetitive verse riff, and is not the most memorable song on the album.
The next song on the LP, "Freezing Process" cools things down a bit with a soothing, swinging bassline playing a few measures before opening up to a slightly warmer, fuzzier guitar riff. This song sounds like a delectable combination of Badmotorfinger-era Soundgarden and a more down-tuned version of At The Drive-In; it definitely demonstrates the variety of songs this band can showcase, although partially limited, is not easily pigeonholed. Easily the most laid-back track on Slip. Next up is "Lie and Wait", one of my other personal favorites on the record, particularly because of it's strong lyrical content and equally powerful vocal presentation, as well as the strong tie between the drums and guitars on this track (another reviewer mentioned the synchronicity between six-strings and percussion for Slip...he was dead-on). Here's a lyric from the second verse: "A strong resistant Sunday feeling under weight of what's to come/tired of living under thumb, she wonders why did you say what you said?/Silently living is death/Shout him down, it's worth it no compromises on this." "Unfulfilled" is a sort-of self-fulfilling prophecy in this instance...the song builds on some very strong, tweaky guitars on top of a groovy bassline akin to Deftones’ bassist Chi Ching, but unfortunately, never completely fills itself out. However, I've got to commend Schreifels for having the uncanny songwriting sense to use the word 'excremental' in this tune. Bravo!
Track eight, "Can Opener" sounds like some death-defying mix between AC/DC's "Hell’s Bells" and any Bad Religion song you'd care to mention...but the craziest part is, it works! The following song, "Omission" relies heavily (take that word literally) on guitar-feedback and distortion-drenched riffage, but ultimately creates one of the album's heaviest, most enjoyable tunes. The combination bass/guitar riff used in the verses is very reminiscent of the breakdown during Tool's song "Stinkfist", released three years later on their Ænima LP...coincidence? I recommend this track, it's simple, but heavy, and very groovy. "Baphomet", the longest track on the album, is purely instrumental, and it does much to credit the band for their outright musicianship...while it isn't the most memorable song on the record, it is sure to be one of the most enjoyable, overall. It has enough bridges that would keep any prog-rock fan satisfied, while having enough punch to avoid betraying the inner punk in all of us. "Too Official" sounds too much like a Helmet song for me (still), and would've fit in more on their Meantime album than it would have on here. However, "Transparent", the closing song of the album, is one of the more experimental tracks on Slip, as frontman Schreifels and fellow six-stringer Tom Capone utilize a variety of different effect pedals and techniques, hinting that a bit of Fugazi or Sonic Youth influence has worked its way into their playing styles.
I would recommend this album to fans of the following bands: Glassjaw, Minor Threat, Tool, Soundgarden, Helmet, Gorilla Biscuits, Unsane, Nirvana, Sparta, Deftones, Hot Water Music, Fugazi, and Reverend Horton Heat. I would also recommend all these bands to any Quicksand fan.
I truly hope that Quicksand will go down in history for being one of the more intelligent, important bands in the history of hardcore music, because although they did not play in the true niche of the style (anyone expecting a Bad Brains remake will be sadly disappointed here), they have managed to do wonders with the potential that this genre holds, and in the process, have influenced many bands that are out dominating the post-hardcore scene today. They practically invented the 'wall of sound' technique that is so popular with bands such as Glassjaw, Thursday, and Converge, and it's no doubt that these guys have ample respect for their predecessors, Quicksand. Ten years after the release of Slip, its influence is still being heard (literally) in countless bands today, and it's no mystery as to why it was so popular with the afore-mentioned bands (in other words, it's just that damn good). I recommend this album to anyone in search of a more learned, expansive version of punk rock, a metal record with a more visceral feel, or someone who's simply grown sick of the same-old grunge clichés. Quicksand has originality, personality, and quality to spare, and any fan of the metal, punk, hardcore, or alternative genres would do well to buy this album.
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