June 2026 Featured Release - The Revolution Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month's feature release for The Revolution, nominated by me (Shadowdoom9 (Andi)), is 1993's debut album by New York early metalcore/hardcore band Snapcase, Lookinglasself. This is one of the first ever metalcore releases outside of the founding trio of Rorschach, Starkweather, and Integrity. It's a solid way to develop the genre that anyone should try, especially metalcore fans.

https://metal.academy/releases/1827

When I was giving this album some listening for my review, I ended up dropping the rating from 4 stars to 3 stars because it isn't as great as I thought it was. But do I regret nominating this a feature release? Nope. It shall still be acknowledged as one of the albums that metalcore wouldn't have been the same without. Here's my review summary:

Well I wouldn't say their is entirely bad. It's more like laying down the blueprints for what they would do in their next album Progression Through Unlearning. And when their debut is at its good side, they strike hard. Vocalist Daryl Taberski was originally the bassist while vocals were done by Tiger Balduf and Chris Galas. Once Galas left, Taberski decided to switch to vocals, and he has the aggressive intensity to go with the raging riffing and breakdowns. That has helped with the rhythmic dissonance this album has. The hardcore riffing is so sludgy and adds to the brooding emotion. Their talent is on full display, until a few tracks in the second half having too much alt-ish experimentation that don't really bring forward any of its needed substance. Luckily, the closing track makes up for those flaws with a true prime example of metalcore in its very early days, and that is no illusion. Lookinglasself is the kind of album that you can understand its status of importance yet find some parts of it a little painful. It takes the right amount of ambition to shape up the sound they were going for, but the experimentation can be too much at times. Nonetheless, they have all they needed to fulfill their vision in their next album. So we gotta be thankful for the existence of Lookinglasself and its impact on metalcore/hardcore. Something decent can go a long way....

3/5

Recommended tracks: "Drain Me / Filter", "Deceived", "Lookinglasself", "Fields of Illusion"

For fans of: Earth Crisis, Integrity, Shawn Jonas-era Zao