| Post-hardcore | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1980s, United States |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Crunkcore | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Local scenes | |
| Other topics | |
Post-hardcore is apunk rockmusic genre that maintains the aggression and intensity ofhardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term "post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad constellation of groups. Initially taking inspiration frompost-punk andnoise rock, post-hardcore began in the 1980s with bands likeHüsker Dü andMinutemen. The genre expanded in the 1980s and 1990s with releases by bands from cities which had established hardcore scenes, such asFugazi fromWashington, D.C.[6] as well as groups such asBig Black,Jawbox,Quicksand, andShellac who stuck closer to post-hardcore's noise rock roots.[6]Dischord Records became a major nexus of post-hardcore during this period.
The genre also began to incorporate more dense, complex, and atmospheric instrumentals with bands likeSlint andUnwound, and also experienced some crossover from indie rock with bands likeThe Dismemberment Plan. In the early- and mid-2000s,post-hardcore achieved mainstream success with the popularity of bands likeAt the Drive-In,My Chemical Romance,Dance Gavin Dance,AFI,Underoath,Hawthorne Heights,Silverstein,the Used,Saosin,Alexisonfire, andSenses Fail. In the 2010s, bands likeSleeping with Sirens andPierce the Veil achieved mainstream success under the post-hardcore label. Meanwhile, bands likeTitle Fight andLa Dispute experienced underground popularity playing music that bore a closer resemblance to the post-hardcore bands of the 1980s and 1990s.
Hardcore punk typically features very fasttempos,loud volume, and heavybass levels,[7] as well as a"do-it-yourself" ethic.[6] Music databaseAllMusic stated "These newer bands, termed post-hardcore, often found complex and dynamic ways of blowing off steam that generally went outside the strict hardcore realm of 'loud fast rules'. Additionally, many of these bands' vocalists were just as likely to deliver their lyrics with a whispered croon as they were a maniacal yelp."[6] AllMusic also claims that post-hardcore bands find creative ways to build and release tension rather than "airing their dirty laundry in short, sharp, frenetic bursts".[6] Jeff Terich of Treblezine stated, "Instead of sticking to hardcore's rigid constraints, these artists expanded beyond power chords andgang vocals, incorporating more creative outlets for punk rock energy."[8] Post-hardcore generally incorporates more complexchord shapes andprogressions. According toSiriusXM, "tempos could be slow, or as fast as metal, and singing was allowed to be inventive."[9]
Britishpost-punk of the late 1970s and early 1980s has been seen as influential on the musical development of post-hardcore bands.[6] As the genre progressed, some of these groups also experimented with a wide array of influences, includingsoul,dub,funk,jazz, anddance-punk. It has also been noted that since some post-hardcore bands included members that were rooted in the beginnings of hardcore punk, some of them were able to expand their sound as they became more skilled musicians.[6] During the early 2000s it became common for mainstream "melodic" post-hardcore bands to crossover into other related genres likemelodic hardcore,metalcore,beatdown hardcore,indie rock,screamo, andemo, straddling experimentation and accessibility.[10][11]
Groups such asMinutemen,[12]Naked Raygun,[13][14][15] andThe Effigies,[15] which were active around the early 1980s, are considered to be forerunners to the post-hardcore genre. Naked Raygun'sJeff Pezzati and Effigies frontman John Kezdy have disputed this classification, however, insisting that neither band was drawing from hardcore, and were instead influenced by Britishpunk acts likeBuzzcocks,Sex Pistols, andThe Stranglers.[16][17] Los Angeles'Saccharine Trust mixed Minutemen's sound with that ofpost-punk actsThe Fall andGang of Four on early releases like their EPPaganicons, helping to further the burgeoning genre.[18][19]
During the early- to mid-1980s, the desire to experiment with hardcore's basic template expanded to many musicians that had been associated with the genre or had strong roots in it.[6] Many of these groups also took inspiration from the 1980snoise rock scene pioneered bySonic Youth.[8][failed verification] Some bands signed to the independent labelHomestead Records, includingSquirrel Bait,[20]David Grubbs-related bandsBastro andBitch Magnet,[21] andSteve Albini'sBig Black,Rapeman,[14] andShellac[14][22] are also associated with post-hardcore.[8][15] Big Black, which also featured former Naked Raygun guitaristSantiago Durango,[23] made themselves known for their strictDIY ethic,[8] related to practices such as paying for their own recordings, booking their own shows, handling their own management and publicity, and remaining "stubbornly independent at a time when many independent bands were eagerly reaching out for the major-label brass ring".[23] The band's music, punctuated by the use of adrum machine, has also been seen as influential toindustrial rock,[23] while Blush has also described the Albini-fronted project as "an angst-ridden response to the rigid English post-punk of Gang of Four".[24] After the issuing of the "Il Duce" single and between the release of their only two full-length studio albums, Big Black left Homestead forTouch and Go Records,[23] which would later reissue not only their entire discography, but would also be responsible for the release of the complete works ofScratch Acid, an act fromAustin, Texas described as post-hardcore,[25] that, according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "laid the groundwork for much of the distorted, grinding alternative punk rockers of the '90s".[25]
According to Ryan Cooper ofAbout.com and author Doyle Greene, 1980s hardcore punk bandBlack Flag is one of the pioneers ofpost-hardcore for theexperimental style the band started playing later on in the 1980s.[26][27] In 1984,Minneapolis punk bandHüsker Dü released their second studio album,Zen Arcade, considered a key post-hardcore record.[27] Upon its release, the album received positive critical reception fromThe New York Times[28] andRolling Stone.[29] Outside the United States, post-hardcore would take shape in the works of the Canadian groupNomeansno,[30] related withJello Biafra and his independently run labelAlternative Tentacles, and that had been active since 1979. The magazineDusted noted that the group's 1989's releaseWrong was "one of the most aggressive and powerful opuses in post-hardcore ever made".[31]
During the years 1984 and 1985 in the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene,[32] a new movement had "swept over".[33] This movement was led by bands associated with the D.C. independent record labelDischord Records, home in the early 1980s to seminal hardcore bands such as Minor Threat,State of Alert,Void, andGovernment Issue.[34][35] According to the Dischord website: "The violence and nihilism that had become identified with punk rock, largely by the media, had begun to take hold in DC and many of the older punks suddenly found themselves repelled and discouraged by their hometown scene",[33] leading to "a time of redefinition".[33] WhenThe Faith put out the EPSubject to Change in 1983, it marked a critical evolution in the sound of D.C. hardcore and punk music in general.[36] During these years, a new wave of bands started to form, these includedRites of Spring (which featured The Faith former guitarist Eddie Janney), Lunchmeat (later to becomeSoulside),Gray Matter,Mission Impossible,Dag Nasty andEmbrace,[36][37][38] the latter featuring former Minor Threat singer and Dischord co-founderIan MacKaye and former members of The Faith. This movement has been since widely known as the "Revolution Summer".[33][39] Rites of Spring has been described as the band that "more than led the change",[33] challenging the "macho posturing that had become so prevalent within the punk scene at that point", and "more importantly", defying "musical and stylistic rule".[33] Journalist Steve Huey writes that while the band "strayed from hardcore's typically external concerns of the time – namely, social and political dissent – their musical attack was no less blistering, and in fact a good deal more challenging and nuanced than the average three-chord speed-blur",[40] a sound that, according to Huey, mapped out "a new direction for hardcore that built on the innovations" brought byHüsker Dü'sZen Arcade.[40] Other bands have been perceived as taking inspiration from genres such asfunk (as in the case of Beefeater)[41] and 1960s pop (such as the example of Gray Matter).[42]
According to Eric Grubbs, a nickname was developed for the new sound, with some considering it "post-harDCore". Another name used for the scene was "emo-core".[43] The latter, mentioned in skateboarding magazineThrasher, would come up in discussions around the D.C. area.[43] While some of these bands have been considered contributors to the birth of emo,[26][44][45] with Rites of Spring sometimes being named as the first or one of the earliest emo acts,[8][40] musicians such as the band's former frontmanGuy Picciotto and MacKaye himself have voiced their opposition against the term.[46][47][48] In the nearby state ofMaryland, similar bands that are categorized now as post-hardcore would also emerge, these includeMoss Icon andthe Hated.[45][49] The former's music contained, according to Steve Huey, "shifting dynamics, chiming guitar arpeggios, and screaming, crying vocal climaxes",[50] which would prove to be influential to later musicians in spite of the band's unstable existence.[50] This group has also been considered one of the earliest emo acts.[50]
The second half of the 1980s saw the formation of several bands in D.C., which includedShudder to Think,Jawbox,the Nation of Ulysses, andFugazi, as well asBaltimore'sLungfish.[37] MacKaye described this period as the busiest that the Dischord Records label had ever seen.[37] Most of these acts, along with earlier ones, would contribute to the 1989 compilationState of the Union,[52] a release that documented the new sound of the late 1980s D.C. punk scene.[53] Fugazi gained "an extremely loyal and numerous global following",[51] with reviewer Andy Kellman summarizing the band's influence with the statement: "To many, Fugazi meant as much to them asBob Dylan did to their parents."[51] It has also been noted that the group's "ever-evolving" sound would signal a more experimental turn in hardcore that paved the way for later Dischord releases.[35] The band, which included MacKaye, Picciotto, and former Rites of Spring drummerBrendan Canty along with bassistJoe Lally, issued in 198913 Songs, a compilation of their earlierself-titled andMargin Walker EPs, which is now considered a landmark album.[54] Similarly, the band's debut studio album, 1990'sRepeater, has also been "generally" regarded as a classic.[51] The group also garnered recognition for their activism, cheaply priced shows and CDs, and their resistance to mainstream outlets.[51] On the other hand, Jawbox had been influenced by "the tradition of Chicago's thriving early-'80s scene",[55] while the Nation of Ulysses are "best remembered for lifting the motor-mouthed revolutionary rhetoric of theMC5" with the incorporation of "elements ofR&B (as filtered through the MC5) andavant jazz" combined with "exciting, volatile live gigs", and being the inspiration for "a new crop of bands both locally and abroad".[56]
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the formation and rise to prominence of several bands associated with earlier acts that not only included the examples of Fugazi and Shellac, but alsoGirls Against Boys[57] (originally a side-project of Brendan Canty andEli Janney, which would later incorporate members of Soulside),The Jesus Lizard[8][58][59] (formed by ex-members ofScratch Acid),Quicksand[60] (fronted by formerYouth of Today andGorilla Biscuits memberWalter Schreifels),Rollins Band[61] (led by former Black Flag singerHenry Rollins),Tar (which raised from the ashes of a hardcore outfit named Blatant Dissent),[59][62] andSlint[63][64] (containing members of Squirrel Bait). Acts such as Shellac andLouisville's Slint have been considered influential to the development of the genre ofmath rock,[65] with the former featuring "awkward time signatures and trademark aggression" that has come to characterize "a certain slant" on math rock,[65] while the latter presented "instrumental music seeped in dramatic tension but set to rigid systems of solid-structured guitar patterns and percussive repetition".[65] According to reviewer Jason Arkeny, Slint's "deft, extremist manipulations of volume, tempo, and structure cast them as clear progenitors of thepost-rock movement".[66]
AllMusic has noted that younger bands "flowered into post-hardcore after cutting their teeth in high school punk bands".[6] In Washington D.C., new bands such asHoover (as well as the relatedThe Crownhate Ruin),Circus Lupus,Bluetip, andSmart Went Crazy were added to the Dischord roster.[67] Hoover has been cited by journalist Charles Spano as a band that had "a tremendous impact on post-hardcore music".[68] In New York City, in addition to Quicksand, post-hardcore bands such asHelmet,[14]Unsane,[14][59]Chavez[8] andTexas Is the Reason[69] emerged. Chicago, which alongside theMidwestern United States has been important to the progression of math rock,[65] also saw the birth of post-hardcore acts such as the examples of Shellac, Tar,Trenchmouth,[14] and theJade Tree-released groupCap'n Jazz[70] (as well as the subsequent related projectJoan of Arc,[71] which also released their work through Jade Tree). Steve Huey argues that the release of Cap'n Jazz's retrospective compilation albumAnalphabetapolothology helped spread the band's influence "far beyond their original audience", while also considering the group as influential for the development of emo in the independent music scene.[72]Champaign, also inIllinois, was known for an independent scene that would give way to groups likeHum,Braid andPoster Children.[8] TheAmerican Northwest saw the creation of acts such asKarp,[59]Lync[73] andUnwound,[14][59] all hailing from theOlympia, Washington area. The latter's music has been considered by critic John Bush to be a combination of "the noise of Sonic Youth's more raucous passages" with a "rare energetic flair which rivals even that of Fugazi".[74]Texas saw the formation of groups such as The Jesus Lizard (later to be based in Chicago) and...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead[75] inAustin, andAt the Drive-In fromEl Paso.[8] This last band was known for their energy in both performances and music, and for their "driving melodic punk riffs, meshed together with quieter interlocking note-picking".[76] Kansas City, Missouri bands of the early 90s also contributed significantly to the genre includingSeason to Risk.[77]
The genre also saw representation outside the United States inRefused[78] who emerged from theUmeå, Sweden music scene. The band, which made itself known earlier in their career for its "massive hardcore sound",[79] released in 1998The Shape of Punk to Come, an album that saw the group take inspiration from the Nation of Ulysses[80][81] while incorporating elements such as "ambient textures, jazz breakdowns",[81] metal andelectronica[80] to their hardcore sound.
The early-to-mid 1990s would see the birth of several bands in the San Diego, California music scene, some of which would lead a post-hardcore movement associated with the independent labelGravity Records.[45] This movement would eventually become known as the "San Diego sound".[82] Gravity was founded in 1991 by Matt Anderson, member of the bandHeroin, as a means to release the music of his band and of other related San Diego groups,[83] which also includedAntioch Arrow and Clikatat Ikatowi.[45] The label's earlier releases are known for the definition of "a new sound in hardcore rooted in tradition but boasting a chaotic sound that showcased a new approach" to the genre.[83] Heroin were known for being innovators of early 1990s hardcore and for making dynamic landscapes "out of one minute blasts of noisy vitriol".[84] These bands were influenced by acts like Fugazi and The Nation of Ulysses, while also helping propagate an offshoot of hardcore that "grafted spastic intensity to willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".[85] This movement has been associated to the development of the subgenre ofscreamo, while it also should be noticed that this term has been, as with the case of emo, the subject of controversy.[85] The label also featured releases by non-San Diego bands that includedMohinder[82] (fromCupertino, California), Angel Hair and its subsequent related projectThe VSS[82] (fromBoulder, Colorado), groups that have also been associated with this sound.[85] The VSS was known for their use of synthesizers "vying with post-hardcore's rabid atonality".[85]
Outside the Gravity roster, another band that played an important role in the development of the "San Diego sound" wasDrive Like Jehu.[82] This group, founded by former members ofPitchfork, was known, according to Steve Huey, for their lengthy and multisectioned compositions based on the innovations brought by the releases on Dischord, incorporating elements such as "odd time signatures played an important role on its development in spite of the band's music not resembling the sound such term would later signify.[86] In a similar manner,Swing Kids, composed of former members of hardcore bands from the San Diego scene such asUnbroken, Struggle and Spanakorzo, have been described by journalist Zach Baron as the moment in which the "hardcore" sound of bands like Unbroken effectively became "post-hardcore", known for "coveringJoy Division songs" and for its sonic "jazz-quoting" and "guitar feedback" experimentation features.[87] They were also one of the first bands released under the independent labelThree One G, founded by the band's vocalistJustin Pearson[87] and later known for releasing the works of several other post-hardcore, noise rock,mathcore andgrindcore groups.
Bands likeAt the Drive-In have acknowledged the influence of the post-hardcore sound coming from the San Diego scene, with vocalistCedric Bixler-Zavala citing elements such as "screaming vocals with over-the-top emotions, calculated, heavy riffs, [...] offbeat rhythms" and an "incredible amount of energy, chaos and melody" put by these groups as crucial in the development of his band's sound.[88]
According to Ian MacKaye, the sudden interest in underground and independent music brought by the success ofNirvana'sNevermind attracted the attention of major labels towards the Dischord imprint and many of its bands.[67] While the label rejected these offers, two Dischord acts, Jawbox and Shudder to Think, would sign deals with major labels.[67] The former's signing toAtlantic Records would alienate some of the band's long-term fanbase,[55] but it would also help with the development and recording of the 1994 releaseFor Your Own Special Sweetheart, considered by Andy Kellman to be "one of the best releases to come out of the fertile D.C. scene of the '80s and '90s".[55] The subsequent tour for the album and theMTV rotation of some videos would introduce the band to a handful of new crowds, but ultimately the album would remain "unnoticed outside of the usual indie community".[55]
Likewise, out of the Dischord label, Quicksand became the first post-hardcore act to sign amajor label record deal (withPolydor Records) in 1992.[89][90]Interscope Records would sign Helmet after a reportedly "ferocious" bidding war between several major record companies,[91] and while MTV would air some videos by the group, which by the time of the release of their major-label debutMeantime, was considered then "the only band close to the Seattlegrunge sound" on the American East Coast[92] and would be hailed as "the next big thing", these expectations would "never be fully realized" in spite of the record's later influence.[91] In another notable case, Hum was signed toRCA in 1994, selling approximately 250,000 copies of their albumYou'd Prefer an Astronaut fueled by the success of the album's lead single "Stars",[93] and while the band had established by this point a strong underground fanbase, this would prove to be "the pinnacle of Hum's media attention", as its follow-up, 1998'sDownward Is Heavenward would sell poorly, resulting in the decision of RCA to drop the band from their roster.[93]
Record producerRoss Robinson, who was credited for popularizingnu metal with bands likeKorn,Slipknot,Soulfly andLimp Bizkit in the 1990s, helped post-hardcore achieve popularity during the 2000s.[94][95] Mehan Jayasuriya ofPopMatters suggested that Robinson's sudden focus on post-hardcore was his "pet project" designed to redeem himself of "the 'Nu-Metal' scourge of the late '90s".[96] Robinson recordedAt the Drive-In'sRelationship of Command (2000),Glassjaw'sEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence (2000) andWorship and Tribute (2002), andthe Blood Brothers'...Burn, Piano Island, Burn (2003); four albums that are said to "stand as some of the best post-hardcore records produced" during the 2000s.[96] In John Franck's review ofEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence for Allmusic, he stated: "Featuring extraordinary ambidextrous drummerSammy Siegler (ofGorilla Biscuits/CIV fame), Glassjaw has paired up with producer/entrepreneur Ross Robinson (a key catalyst in the reinvention of the aggro rock sound) to take you on a pummeling ride that would makeBad Brains and Quicksand proud."[97]
These bands allowed the genre to grow and become much more varied with At the Drive-In taking influence fromart rock androck and roll, and Glassjaw using elements of both pop music andheavy metal; furthermore, bands such asHell Is for Heroes,Hundred Reasons,Hondo Maclean andFuneral for a Friend took significant influence from heavy metal bands likePantera as well as hardcore bands likethe Hope Conspiracy. Post-hardcore achieved mainstream success with the success ofemo post-hardcore bands such asMy Chemical Romance,Senses Fail,Alexisonfire,Taking Back Sunday,Brand New,Thrice,AFI,the Used,Silverstein,From First To Last,Thursday andHawthorne Heights. Some bands also began to incorporateprogressive elements; with bands such asChiodos,Scary Kids Scaring Kids,Circa Survive,the Fall of Troy andDance Gavin Dance gaining significant success, and bands such asDamiera,the Sound of Animals Fighting,The Bled,Norma Jean andthe Chariot being left under the wood works; as well as bands taking influence frommetalcore likeIce Nine Kills,Blessthefall andPierce the Veil, inspired by acts such asKillswitch Engage,Avenged Sevenfold andAtreyu.[98] Johnny Loftus ofAllMusic wrote in 2004 that "what's now known as post-hardcore has been consistently codified into something eminently marketable. Screaming bloody murder over churning angular guitars has suddenly salable qualities, as long as the rage is offset by whimpering pianos and heart-flailingharmonies."[99]
Beginning to form in the late 2000s, thefourth wave of emo came into full fruition in the early 2010s. Moment defining bands likeModern Baseball,the Hotelier andJoyce Manor all gained significant success in the underground, a new takes on post-hardcore became prominent with the sonic experimentation ofDrug Church,Title Fight,The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die andCitizen.[100] At the same time "the Wave", or "new wave of post-hardcore", was a movement of bands reviving 1990s emo, screamo and post-hardcore sounds.[101][102] The name was originally coined to refer to onlyTouché Amoré,La Dispute,Defeater,Pianos Become the Teeth andMake Do and Mend, however by 2014 had expanded to also include groups Balance and Composure, Into It. Over It. andTitle Fight.[103] In 2011Alternative Press noted thatLa Dispute is "at the forefront of a traditional-screamo revival" for their critically acclaimed releaseWildlife,[104] while a 2014 article byTreble called Touché Amoré "the one band carrying the sound forward in the most interesting ways".[105] By 2015, many of the original acts in the movement had either gone on hiatus or entered periods of inactivity.[103]
Later forms of post-hardcore have garnered more mainstream attention with bands such asSleeping with Sirens, whose third albumFeel (2013) debuted at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 chart, making it one of the highest charting post-hardcore albums by any band to date.[106][107][108]Pierce the Veil's third album,Collide with the Sky (2012), has also received much attention. WhileMadness (2015) andMisadventures (2016)—by Sleeping with Sirens and Pierce the Veil respectively—incorporate more elements of pop rock and pop punk, entering territory that many find to be loosely defined as post-hardcore. Seen also is the emergence of independent post-hardcore bands likethe Men,Cloud Nothings andMETZ, who are moved closer to the dynamics and aesthetics of earlier acts, whilst diverging deeper into external influences.[109][110][111][112] Reviewers have also noted the incorporation of a diversity of elements likekrautrock,post-rock,sludge metal,shoegaze,[109]power pop[111] andno wave[113] in addition to previoushardcore,noise rock andpost-punk sensibilities.
Enter "blackgaze", the buzz term for a new school of bands taking black metal out of the shadows and melding its blast beats, dungeon wailing and razorwire guitars with the more reflective melodies of post-rock, shoegaze and post-hardcore.
There was no hardcore [influence]. It was just that these bands sounded different.Siouxsie & The Banshees didn't sound like the Sex Pistols, and they didn't sound like theBuzzcocks,the Jam orthe Clash. But you knew they were all of the same school. So we wanted to be influenced by those bands and sound unique but not emulate those bands, so no one could really say we were doing what those guys were doing. So we dicked around, and had rockabilly influences, and a lot of influences from English punk, and as a result, we searched for our sound for a number of years until we came up with a couple of styles that we kind of settled in on.
When our last album,Reside came out in 2007 we saw all of these hardcore blogs out there that hated it, and that's as it should be because we're not a hardcore band. I don't mind if people call us a punk band because that's what we've always been. I don't mean to be presumptuous, but the lineage of the Effigies has always been more along the lines ofthe Sex Pistols,the Stranglers,the Ruts and that kind of stuff...
Too early to be post-hardcore but too uncommon for any simple classification, this Southern California quartet doesn't try to create a blizzard of noise — they go at it more artfully, but with equally ear-wrenching results. [...]
The objective was to try to experiment with a different kind of rock music, influenced by the Minutemen but trying it our way. We were also into some of the same groups they were, British groups like the Fall and Gang of Four.
Drawing from funk as much as punk, Beefeater cooks up a groovy combination on their debut album.
The recordings, which revealed the influence of early-D.C. punk ('Gray Matter', 'Caffeine Blues'), also warned about the dangers of punk nostalgia ('Retrospect') and featured a surprising cover ofthe Beatles' 'I Am the Walrus' was the first hint of the band's strong pop streak.
Well, first of all, I don't recognize that attribution. I've never recognized 'emo' as a genre of music. I always thought it was the most retarded term ever. I know there is this generic commonplace that every band that gets labeled with that term hates it. They feel scandalized by it. But honestly, I just thought that all the bands I played in were punk rock bands. The reason I think it's so stupid is that – what, like theBad Brains weren't emotional? What – they were robots or something? It just doesn't make any sense to me.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)[...] Where most punks from the '80s hardcore scene made the transition into hard rock or post hardcore outfits like Rollins Band and Fugazi, it still seems natural that he would make the jump into the acoustic side of things. [...]
[...] But, the second album by the post-hardcore Kentuckians sure didn't 'kick' anything; its influence rather devoid of immediacy. [...]
The Trail of Dead has been known as something of a sprawling band ever since the band's first release in 1998. They've always been able to incorporate elements of noise rock and art rock into a post-hardcore foundation that allows for them to wander sonically not only from song to song but within each song itself and never losing the listener's interest in the song.
