Review by SilentScream213 for Rorschach - Remain Sedate (1990)

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.