Rorschach - Remain Sedate (1990)^{Release ID: 3130}

It has gotten to the point now where it is laughable for me to have thought at one point that metalcore was not for me. It took me such a ridiculous amount of time to understand its quite simple roots, with those origins far from being alien to me. In some of its later formats, modern metalcore does get lost on me, with Rorschach’s debut however, this bemusement is not present. Whilst they appear to have only been a short-lived outfit, the New Jersey quintet made their presence felt on Remain Sedate. Their anti-authority messaging is delivered in a frenzied manner across the twelve tracks here and whilst I do find the sound to be a little thin, which possibly gives them extra points on the underground sound in some opinions, there is no denying their intentions here.

I do not find that Remain Sedate plays too well as background music; it is over far too quickly to be fully appreciated in such circumstances. On the version I have on Spotify, the album is combined with their final full-length release, Protestant and the variation is interesting to hear as the band move into a more screamed vocal style that embraces more sub-genres than the debut does. Remain Sedate though is the darker child of the two that the band birthed. Protestant certainly upped the ante with the grindcore elements and overall heaviness, but in terms of if one album is better than the other, I would argue that they are two different albums from two different points in time.

Whilst it may not start off the best (the opening to Pavlov’s Dogs does annoy me) the album soon settles into a consistent rhythm of a series of short, sharp shocks that jolt the listener along the way. Cleverly though, Rorschach do leave some spaces for breath and atmosphere such as the more “sedate” No one Dies Alone. Whilst this is an obvious change of pace the track lacks none of the grit that is so prevalent across the record. It is clear to see that Rorschach had hit their stride early on in their career and had some great ideas and control around them also. I would hazard a guess based on the second album that they probably went when they were supposed to.

The revolutionary history of metalcore all began with this hardcore quintet from New Jersey. If you enjoy the sound developed and popularized by Converge or the recent noise-grind of Nails, Rorschach is the band to thank! Such a miracle wouldn't come without a misfortune. Shortly after their debut, vocalist Charles Maggio came down with Hodgkin's disease. After a 3-day cripple, he was able to continue shows to work up some smoke, sweat, and spit, though his vocal style would change for their next album.

Rorschach's debut Remain Sedate would bring a rebellious future to mankind. After the decadent 80s when metal and hardcore were two separate sides, the despondent 90s was when both genres have been united. Maggio had to fight his own battles when keeping together 3 jobs; his time in the band, being an accountant, and a father of twins, and all that energy would be put into making a real scene-changer. Rorschach has made the perfect stylistic formula for the most brutal hardcore at that time, transcending into a new style they wanted to invent. This is a relentless D-beat-inspired assault of crushing riffs and tormented screams like nothing before!

There wouldn't be much justice done if I describe in words the songs from the very first metalcore album, but I'll do my best, starting with "Pavlov's Dogs", blasting out into metalcore fury right from its very creation. "In the Year of Our Lord" can easily refer to this year being the year of the creators of metalcore. There's more of their impressive invention to come in the next 4 tracks; "Someone", "Impressions", "Clenching", and "So It Goes".

So that was the end of their first side, but they would strike again with their second side starting with "Lightning Strikes Twice". And their sound would never be alone thanks to "No One Dies Alone". Then we have the fast hardcore trio of "My Mind's in a Vice", "Checkmate", and "Exist". Finally, the chaotic dissonance fades out after "Oppress".

A new sound was unleashed like the end of the world but really a new beginning. Everything's a highlight with no tracks competing against each other, and no sh*tty filler. The slithering bass and jackhammering drums share the stage with the guitars and vocals. This raw formation of a new sound while channeling their own horrors is kind of what Black Sabbath had done when inventing heavy metal. Like Sabbath, Rorschach was a will-testing pioneer of something new. With this perfect offering, metalcore was born!

Favorites: "Pavlov's Dogs", "In the Year of Our Lord", "Impressions", "Lightning Strikes Twice", "No One Dies Alone", "Oppress"

The first real Metalcore album is, quite surprisingly to me, a fully mature and realized work of fantastic material. Usually when genres are just starting out, they go through a rough patch before hitting a sweet spot… not Rorschach. Rorschach aced the game day 1, and though the production is rough, the songwriting and musicianship are strong. Lyrically, Rorschach set the bar very high, and they take the conscious social lyrics of Hardcore Punk and give them a very dark, metallic edge that results in some seriously grim yet sharp writing.

The album is extremely short, and all the better for it. 12 tracks of dissonant aggression with simple but effective melodies is over in a flash with many songs under 2 minutes. Rorschach say an awful lot in that span, and leave an impact strong enough to birth a new genre, though they don’t seem to get this credit and remain strictly underground.