The members of Snapcase should
have quite a bit on their minds tonight.
They should be thinking about their new album, which goes on sale
to the public that very night.
They should be thinking about how to upstage the acts before them,
which seemed to have sapped all the energy from the audience.
Most of all, they should bear in mind that in terms of the shelf
life of a hardcore band, they are the elders of a scene they helped
to shape.
But when the lights go down and the sounds of a symphony tuning
up fill the PA speakers, all five members joke with each other,
performing mock preparations and sarcastically demanding “more
smoke and strobe lights!”
Seemingly out of nowhere, guitarist John Selemi simply says, “Okay,
let’s go.”
The band silently enters the stage of the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh.
Marching out single file, they man their instruments, and without
second thought unleash a full on audio assault, bringing the crowd
to fever pitch that asserts once again why they are still the most
revered act in hardcore.
Since their conception in 1991, this Buffalo, N.Y., act has single-handedly
created and redefined hardcore music. Through all three full-length
albums, countless lineup changes, and relentless touring all over
the world, Snapcase has raised the bar for hardcore music.
The current incarnation of Snapcase is comprised of Dustin Perry
on bass, guitarists Frank Vicario and Jon Selemi, vocalist Daryl
Taberski, and Tim Redmond on drums.
On their latest effort, “End Transmission,” they chart
even further into unexplored territory that abandons almost every
musical construct they helped to create.
The most noticeable thing from the outset of “End Transmission”
is its attention to texture and production, crafting songs that
are dramatic and channel into an untapped reservoir of experimentation
lacking in hardcore.
Songs are slower, more thought out, and production tools were definitely
utilized to breathe a whole new life into already musically solid
songs. Their trademark heaviness still remains, but it is brought
into a whole new light when set against the slower, moodier parts
of the album.
While the music is solid and can be enjoyed on its own, the entire
scope of what “End Transmission” is cannot be seen until
reading into the liner notes and their elaborate layout. Tracks
are listed in a different order than those on the actual CD, and
lyrics for songs that don’t even appear on the album are printed.
Above certain tracks, “background information” is provided;
for lack of a better word, “End Transmission” is a concept
album.
“For me, the lyrics have been based on personal awareness and
motivation and things like that,” said Taberski. “I can
only write so many things like that. This time around I wanted to
expand on that and do something a little different. So I decided
to write a concept album and have all the songs connect more or
less lyrically.”
“End Transmission” was also a massive undertaking for
the band in other respects.
“We wrote about 19 or 20 songs and we recorded almost all of
them,” said Taberski.
Following a theme of revolution, the tracks explore the idea of
captivity on many levels and encourage rising against oppression
in an attempt to return to the proverbial “root.”
“You can revolt against just about anything,” said vocalist
Daryl Taberski. “It could be something silly, something small
and personal. It could be something on a bigger level like a community
issue. But what it comes down to is the believing part. You have
to believe in something before you can revolt against it. I think
a lot of people don’t believe in what they fight for.”
Among the ideas of revolt lurks an eerie post-9-11 stigma that adds
a new darker quality to the overall feel of the album.
“The last thing I would ever want to do is write some sort
of Sept. 11 album,” said Taberski, “but without a doubt
Sept. 11 made an impression on me. I think subconsciously it brought
out a different angle and some different emotions.”
Still with the progressive steps Snapcase has taken on “End
Transmission,” Taberski is aware their new sound will be met
with mixed reactions.
“It gets challenging because people that have been with you
from the beginning are the ones that don’t want you to change
too much,” said Taberski. “But a band has to change. For
us, we made an album that has us more excited than ever before.
Hopefully some people will grow up with the music and they’ll
like the change and progression that we’re doing.”
Snapcase will continue to tour the United States
in support of “End Transmission.” For more information,
as well as .MP3 downloads, visit their website at www.snapcase.com |
