Hardcore music has taken a beating in recent years with all of the walls crumbling as so many wannabe emo or wannabe brutal bands pop up on the scene. One band that has maintained fluidity throughout the melding of genres is Buffalo, New York’s Snapcase. These guys have been at the table for almost ten years now, and their new album, called Designs For Automotion, presents a band on top of the hardcore scene, whether you like the not-so-aggressive or all-out-chaos hardcore.
“Target” and “Disconnector” are the first two tracks on the disc, and probably the finest on the album. “Target” has a danceable quality, with an upbeat tempo not heard in most of their previous songs. “Energy Dome” is probably the most hard-driving track on the disc, as it sounds like it may have originally been slated to appear on their last and heavier release, Progression Through Unlearning.
“Ambition Now” and “Blemish” bounce with a perfect mix of melody and heaviness. They seldom stray from the Quicksand-esque sound the band has grown into, which indicates a positive growth on Snapcase’s part. They’ve stretched their boundaries and lessened their grasp on being overly angry, and now find heaviness in emotionally charged lyrics accompanying their driving sound.
For a band to experience lineup changes with every album and still maintain its realness, Snapcase has to be taken seriously. They’ve voiced their concern for kids lost in the commercial haze of Korn and Limp Bizkit, and offer a scene that is more in-tune with people true to themselves. And Snapcase has always been true to themselves and their fans, which is why this album is so great. They made it by thinking for themselves, knowing that true Snapcase fans and fans of real hardcore would love it. And we do.
+ rick hinkson
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