Slip is the debut studio album by American post-hardcore band Quicksand, released on February 9, 1993, through Polydor Records. "Omission" and "Unfulfilled" first appeared on their 1990 self-titled EP. Slip was well received by music critics and is now considered a classic in the post-hardcore and alternative metal genres, influencing many acts including Torche and Deftones.[1][2][3]
On February 3, 2023, Quicksand announced a 30th Anniversary Edition of their debut LP "Slip" being re-issued on vinyl by the Boston based record label Iodine Recordings. The 30th Anniversary Edition of "Slip" also included a 64-page hardcover book with band photographs, rare concert posters, and a foreword by Walter Schreifels. The book also contains commentary from notable musicians from the punk scene, including: Scott Ian of Anthrax, Geoff Rickly of Thursday, Stephen Brodsky of Cave In, Dennis Lyxzén of Refused, Tim McIlrath of Rise Against, and many more. The record was also remastered for vinyl using the original 1993 master tapes.[6]
Background and recording
The members of Quicksand each had prior associations with New York City hardcore bands[7] and released their self-titled debut EP on the independent Revelation Records in 1990.[8] Though released on a small label, the EP attracted attention within the underground and ultimately led to the band signing with the major label Polydor Records. The vocalist and guitarist Walter Schreifels later recalled that the opportunity came as a surprise, noting that the band had expected to remain a niche act rather than reach a mainstream audience. Coming from the hardcore punk scene, the members were initially hesitant to accept the offer, as they weighed the cultural and ethical implications of moving from the underground to a corporate label. Ultimately, the band decided to proceed, viewing it as an opportunity to focus more fully on music and improve their living situation.[8]
In 1992, Quicksand began recording their debut full-length album Slip at Long View Farm Studios in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. Signing with Polydor brought the band into circumstances that contrasted sharply with their beginnings. Schreifels noted that their debut EP had been recorded on a budget of about $1,500, while their first major label sessions involved studios where costs were significantly higher. Despite this, he recalled that they were granted considerable creative freedom during the process.[8] For the album, Quicksand chose to work with Don Fury, a producer closely associated with the New York hardcore scene, alongside the producer Steven Haigler. While acknowledging their roots in aggressive New York hardcore, Schreifels stated in 1993 that the band aimed to pursue a more cerebral approach, adding that "Aggressive music is great, but we want to make songs that have a point as well." Schreifels also said they "really wanted to capture a fucking-around-in-rehearsal type feeling — the kind of total energetic release you get when you're playing from the heart and just spilling your guts."[2]
As they worked on the record, Schreifels recalled that the band was conscious of rapid changes taking place in music at the time, an awareness he said existed even before Nirvana's rise, pointing to Sonic Youth's presence on the Billboard charts. While the band recognized potential in this climate, Schreifels stated that they were not planning a career trajectory. Instead, he said that Quicksand's aim was to make "a cool record for the people we wanted to affect", while navigating what he described as "all of these crosscurrents". He added that the idea of the album becoming "big" felt abstract, as the band did not know who a larger audience might be or what it would want from them, though he described the period as one in which "really exciting and unusual stuff" was briefly being given wider exposure and said the band was fortunate to be part of it.[2]
Against this backdrop, rather than attempting to follow or anticipate prevailing trends, Schreifels explained that Quicksand sought to develop something distinct from the surrounding alternative rock movement. Coming out of the hardcore scene, the band aimed to retain what they valued from it while also introducing a more experimental approach. Schreifels cited Fugazi, Jane's Addiction, and Helmet as key inspirations: Fugazi for their avant-garde, DIY sensibility; Jane's Addiction for their "experimental and sexy" rock music; and Helmet for their "jazzy, math thing". He noted that these bands were older than Quicksand, describing the group as "regurgitating their sound with our influences", and concluded, "If you play outside of the border, but you still remain in the castle, you can come up with really interesting stuff".[8]
Composition
Style and influences
Slip has been described as a post-hardcore,[a]alternative metal,[12] and post-metal album,[2] and has frequently been compared to the work of Quicksand's post-hardcore contemporaries, particularly Fugazi[b] and Helmet.[c] Tom Watson of The Quietus placed the record alongside those bands, though he noted that Quicksand displayed little of their subtlety.[13] J.J. Anselmi of The A.V. Club wrote that the album combines Helmet's heaviness with Fugazi's tendency "to dismantle sound in energetic ways".[3]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic similarly compared the group's "dense, metallic grind" to "a more streamlined version of Fugazi", while stressing that the album leaned more toward heavy metal than punk rock, which he argued gave the music its most effective weight.[14]
Other critics were more cautious in drawing direct parallels. Karl Stark of The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that Quicksand was "not quite Fugazi", though he suggested that Slip was among the closest approximations of that band's sound in a mainstream retail context.[18] The band itself has acknowledged Fugazi's influence: the drummer Alan Cage cited early Washington, D.C. hardcore as an inspiration, particularly its more melodic vocal approach, while also pointing to influences such as the Velvet Underground and Black Sabbath.[15] Broader comparisons have also been made, with Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan likening the album's approach to artists including Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, the Smiths, and Jane's Addiction.[10] Jon Wiederhorn of Loudwire likewise highlighted the band's "familiarity with and affection for gloomy English pop bands like The Cure and The Smiths", and heard echoes of Swans and Joy Division in its "fragmented rhythms" and "self-deprecating, navel-gazing vibe".[2]
Some writers emphasized how Slip stretched beyond strict genre definitions. Andrew Bonazeli of Decibel described the album as fusing "equal parts Helmet staccato, Soundgarden sack and My Bloody Valentine dreampop into something entirely its own", arguing that even the expansive label "post-hardcore" did not fully capture its sound.[16] Watson likewise wrote that Slip displayed an ongoing engagement with genre across its dozen tracks.[13]Stereo Review similarly noted that the record departed from punk and metal convention, observing that although those genres often "clomp along like only one rhythm is allowed", Slip was at times "downright sinuous".[19]
Music and lyrics
Critics frequently highlighted Slip for its balance of aggression and melody.[2][20][21] Slip, in Wiederhorn's words, "toed the line between fuming, raging dissonance and well-crafted melodicism".[2] Matt Ashare of The Boston Phoenix similarly observed that "melody and muscle are equal partners in this accessible punk hybrid",[20] while Stephen Hill of Metal Hammer characterized it as "the perfect blend of inward looking distain, melodic vocals, punk rock attitude and weighty (if not heavy) musicianship".[21] Alex Deller of the BBC called it "a taut mix of staccato crunches, fluttering harmonics, and chiming bass notes", with songs shifting from "hoarse melodies and jittery desperation to coruscating crashes".[1]
Slip makes use of quiet-loud dynamics and space.[22] The material is also marked by halting rhythms and varied tempos, resulting in songs that move at a more moderate pace than might be expected, with this pacing allowing room for emotional range and detailed musical development.[7] Throughout the album, tension is repeatedly tightened and released through the use of droning rhythms, extended pauses, and bass-driven passages that at times are nearly devoid of guitar. Wiederhorn commented that this indicated "the band listened to far more than New York hardcore".[2] Guitars play a central role in Slip, featuring repetitive riffs[20][23] that Rich Harry of The Morning Call described as "spin[ning] like motor blades",[7] along with swirling textures,[20] sustained feedback,[2] dissonance,[13] and dual-guitar interplay that "roars and crunches".[18][24] Bryne Yancey noted that the dual-guitar interplay on this album "remains a defining feature of their sound two decades later."[24] These elements coexist with gleaming guitar solos and prominent bass lines and supports Cage's tumbling, often syncopated beats.[2] Cage's drumming throughout the album frequently accents off-beats with nimble crashes and bell hits,[3] with snare strikes cutting through incessant hi-hat patterns.[13]
Schreifels' vocals on Slip were described in several ways by critics. Pehling referred to them as "raging, angst-ridden vocals",[22] while Deller called them "strained, strung-out vocals".[1] Ashare wrote that the album's "relentless assault coalesces around singer Walter Schreifels' angst-ridden, raw-throated, self-improvement manifestoes".[20] Beyond their emotional quality, critics also highlighted the way Schreifels' voice worked in relation to the band's sound. Erlewine noted that although Schreifels "spews out enough angst-ridden lyrics", what stood out was how his delivery fit into the band's dense sound.[14] Jeff Terich of Treble wrote that his "pitch-perfect screams" amplified the group's "melodic hardcore assault", adding greater force to the songs.[11] Other reviewers compared his style to well-known figures: Wiederhorn described his "singy-screamy vocals" as "the perfect hybrid of Henry Rollins and Fugazi's Ian MacKaye",[2] while Gina Arnold of Entertainment Weekly remarked that Schreifels had "a fetching Kurt Cobain-like catch in his bellow" that made lyrics such as "Speak your mind!" sound "desperately important".[25]
Slip presents lyrics that address a range of personal and social concerns, with Ashare writing that "Schreifels digs deeper than your average ranter".[20] Schreifels described Slip as "a really intense, from-the-heart record", contrasting it with the "more fun and optimistic" tone of Gorilla Biscuits. He characterized the album as "way more introverted and cathartic as a form of personal expression", adding that its "earnestness" came from the genuine "emotion, commitment and desperation" that went into it. Schreifels also viewed the record as reflective of the feelings of his generation, explaining that "Slip was reflective of how a lot of people my age felt at the time — and probably how people that age always feel". While Gorilla Biscuits represented what he honestly felt as a younger musician, Slip marked a shift as he got older and his outlook changed.[6]
Songs
Slip opens with "Fazer", introduced by Cage's drumming, which Anselmi described as beginning with "a Bonham triplet and flam", establishing a heavy approach that leads into "a mammoth backbeat".[3] Wiederhorn noted that the track starts with "a colossal beat and a surging riff ghosted by a moody bassline", with the band layering and removing "guitars of varying intensity" as the song progresses.[2] Terich highlighted its place within post-hardcore of the time, describing it as containing "even-tempo, syncopation-rich, mid-range-heavy, riff-centric rock action".[26] Schreifels delivers "syncopated shouts"[3] and lyrics that confront the pressure to conform,[20] while the chorus, marked by "a shrill, catchy lick", serves as a "vague declaration of discontent".[8]
"Head to Wall" begins with an uptempo rock verse driven by Sergio Vega's bass, but it soon shifts into dissonance by pausing for a full measure. Cage and Vega form an undercurrent that supports Capone and Schreifels as they add "a wave of cynical pop harmonies". The song features a straightforward breakdown in what Anselmi called "the spirit of Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today's hardcore sing-alongs".[3] Hill writing for Louder described the track as a "bizarre Fugazi and Alice in Chains mash-up", noting Schreifels' "throat shredding yet inescapable melodies" throughout.[8] Lyrically, Kevin Ruggeri of Pitchfork wrote that it "uncovers the plight of American society", captured in the line: "We all want everything but we all can't fit in the door."[27]
"Dine Alone" opens with Cage's "signature thundering drum work" alongside distortion and feedback that Terich described as "intense and subtle all at once", before resolving into what he called "the Quicksand dissonance".[26] Anselmi noted the song's movement between "palm mutes and high, discordant chords", with Cage adding "oddly placed fills" in the introduction.[3] According to Wiederhorn, the track layers "a lunging guitar line with abrasive stabs of distortion and a staggered beat", while its midsection opens up to "breathe and meander like Nothing's Shocking-era Jane's Addiction".[2] Hill described "Dine Alone" as shifting between "shimmering dream pop and grinding metal",[8] while Yancey highlighted the band's ability to "seamlessly escalate and recede tension". Yancey also pointed to details such as a "downtuned, nearly riff-less, buzzing guitar" in the second verse, Schreifels' "perfect enunciation even while screaming", and Vega's "clean-yet-threatening" bass tone.[24] The theme of isolation and disenchantment surfaces in "Dine Alone",[2] where Schreifels "ponders the existential implications of eating alone".[20]
The album's title track, "Slip", runs just over two minutes and, according to Anselmi, features Capone and Schreifels' guitars that "plow forward like an indifferent stream of rush hour traffic". He described the song as "a microcosm of Slip", noting it is "completely devoid of bullshit" in how it took "the shortest road possible to get the point across".[3] Ruggeri remarked that the track "loses itself within the odd rhythmic meters".[27] "Freezing Process" begins with Vega's gentle bass chords, which Anselmi notes are "quickly destroyed with a noisy barrage" from the rest of the band.[3] With Schreifel "rage[ing] against apathy",[20] the song unfolds as a "push and pull between elegance and brute force", as described by Hill.[8] Anselmi wrote that a dual guitar lead drives the chorus, with notes that "don't conform to any traditional scale" but "push against each other to create an underlying discord". In the bridge, Vega drops out and Cage's polyrhythmic drumming carries the guitars, "hitting upbeats on his ride while building a tom groove that emphasizes the downbeat", according to Anselmi.[3]
According to Kevin Ruggeri of Pitchfork, aggression reaches its musical peak in "Lie and Wait", which he described as "a scorching outcry against unjust wages for working women".[27] It features what Yancey called an "escalated, dirty-bass heavy breakdown" while transitioning between "bludgeoning rock and spacey shoegaze", with each section marked by "crisp transitions".[3] "Unfulfilled" is a reworked version of a song from Quicksand's self-titled EP,[27] and places Schreifels' vocals at the forefront during the verses, with Anselmi noting that the song then moves into "a subtly caustic groove" before opening up into "another tongue-in-cheek dual guitar lead". Anselmi also described the ending, where Capone performs "a spiraling solo that sounds like he's ripping the strings from his guitar, destroying this rock cliché from the inside".[3] Watson observed that while the track features "discordant scratches and cavernous bass rolls", Schreifels delivers his vocals with intense focus, reciting lines such as "To stand alone / To be without the glue, that keeps us glued together / And feeling so excrementable," which Watson compared to "a gauche Ian Mackaye operating a speeding locomotive, tearing away from the rails."[13]
In "Can Opener", a commentary on vanity, Cage guides the band through each section with extended drum fills "bookmarked by adroit doubles", according to Anselmi. Schreifels delivers his vocals in a syncopated style, shouting lines such as "The attention you're not getting, it makes you so upset" amid a breakdown that balances pop and heaviness. The track later moves into a sparse, jazzy section before concluding with a "windstorm of cacophony", following the movement of Cage's fills throughout the song.[3] "Omission" is a reworked version of a song from Quicksand's self-titled EP, with Ruggeri noting that the new rendition "actually increases the intensity and fury of the original".[27] Schreifels called the track a "mission statement", explaining that he wanted it to set the tone for the band, drawing inspiration from a part in Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er".[6] Anselmi noted Schreifels' "punchy vocals" and added that "Instead of the one-sided anger in many hardcore lyrics, however, he implicates himself in his tirade about self-delusion when he says, 'Your story is always changing / We change it to hide the pain.'" The track concludes on a ringing note that blends into the TV-static noise introducing the following song, "Baphomet".[3]
"Baphomet" is an instrumental track that explores a variety of textures and atmospheres.[2][11] Terich described it as traversing "a world of rock flavors, from Fugazi-esque noise rock to swirly, shoegazer spans, a la Swervedriver or My Bloody Valentine".[11] Wiederhorn described it as "an instrumental tidal wave of stomp boxes, distortion and feedback" that moves across the stereo field like "a hurricane whose eye passes over a town a minute or two before the destruction begins anew".[2] Anselmi observed that "airy yet abrasive guitar notes winnow through" the track as Schreifels and Capone "occupy opposing ends of the sonic spectrum", with the guitars periodically dissipating to let Cage and Vega bridge the sections. The longest on Slip, it also features another unpredictable Capone guitar solo.[2]
"Too Official" was described by Ruggeri as grabbing "the listener from its opening guitar riff".[27] Anselmi noted that the track had "a shiny quality that offsets the anxiousness of 'Baphomet'", and wrote that it "blazes an aural swath with its straight-ahead attack".[3] The album closes with "Transparent", which Wiederhorn described as combining "chiming harmonics with tight riffs and open chords to create a roiling tempest". He noted that, like much of Quicksand's best material, the song "threatens to go hurtling off the rails, but never does".[2] Ruggeri noted the track's lyrical metaphor of "treating your days like a countdown / Seconds pass by waiting just to blow up",[27] while Anselmi remarked that the song "seems to convey optimism, but, because it's Quicksand, is actually a middle finger topped with a smartass grin".[3]
Slip received generally positive reviews upon release. Writing for the Star-Gazette, Lincoln Ellis stated that "the first 10 seconds" of Slip proved Quicksand had "become masters in the art of loud, grungy, noise rock", praising the precision of their performance as a defining strength. He contrasted this with the perceived sloppiness of many noise-oriented bands, concluding that "the smells coming out of Quicksand's kitchen do more than tantalize, they satisfy."[29] Bill Pahnelas of the Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote that although Schreifels' vocals were "more emotion-wracked and frantic than decipherable", Quicksand "sound[ed] convincing" due to "the crisp interplay of a pair of guitars and a chunky rhythm section".[30]
Some critics were more divided. Simon Ashberry writing for the Telegraph& Argus described Slip as "an intriguing blend of old-style hardcore American rock and the kind of air-brushed distortion which has become the hallmark of the Nirvana generation". He wrote that Quicksand were "bursting with ideas", but that their sound "seems hampered by doubt over whether they actually want to make the all-out gritted teeth approach or add a more commercial sheen".[31] The Chicago Tribune's Brenda Herrmann wrote that Quicksand's "hard-core sound gets sunk in the same trap as Henry Rollins—their wordiness ends up bogging down the music". She noted that "when the melodies and feelings come together, it works", but added that "too many songs, especially 'Freezing Process' and 'Unfulfilled', simply become bass beats set to rhythmless ranting".[28]
Over time, Slip has been widely praised in retrospective assessments. Alex Deller of the BBC described it as "a 40-minute master class in post-hardcore perfection".[1] Writing for Punknews.org, Bryne Yancey noted that the album "still completely rips" despite its age, and called it "probably the best non-Fugazi post-hardcore record ever released".[24] Matt Terich of Treble emphasized the album's scope, stating that "every track on Slip has a host of musical surprises", and characterized it as both "a genre album and a genre-defining album". He wrote that while it delivers "early '90s post-hardcore, screamy, rock awesomeness", it does so "with devastating originality".[26] Kevin Ruggeri of Pitchfork similarly highlighted its individuality, calling Slip "a remarkable album" that demonstrated Quicksand had "a unique voice to offer to the world of music, regardless of category".[27]
The album is included in Decibel magazine's Hall of Fame.[16]
123Harry, Rich (February 27, 1993). "Quicksand: Slip". The Morning Call. p.A64. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
↑Ellis, Lincoln (March 14, 1993). "Quicksand: "Slip"". Star-Gazette. p.4. Archived from the original on October 4, 2025. Retrieved October 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
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