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{ True Madness Magazine }
Music Reviews
Snapcase, Bright Flashes
Victory Records, 2003
By James Eddy
Few hardcore bands can really even hope for the sort of lifespan that Snapcase have. Even those who have been blessed with that longevity often find themselves ending up in a rut after a few albums, finding the formula that works for them and sticking with it. With their newest release, Buffalo’s finest make clear that they aren’t planning on becoming pegged just yet. Ironically, the material is a general mismatch of pieces that were recorded for and around the sessions for the group’s last album, the stellar End Transmission. However, in some aspects you might consider Bright Flashes a more exciting album than the aforementioned release, one that made a minor dent in the mainstream crowd for the first time.
The real surprise for this go around is how daring the band really presents itself. The band rethinks three of the more pounding songs on End Transmission. The most exciting is the envisioning of how the anthem Believe/Revolt would be different if the beat was replaced by a driving dance track. Both Ten AM and Exile Etiquette return also, both sounding little to nothing like their older siblings. This sort of attitude (essentially an underground version of a Linkin Park remix record) is nothing unique but very refreshing from a band as intelligent and compelling as Snapcase. Then, when displayed against new songs like New Academy and Makeshift Tourniquet which bear a much more standard Snapcase feel (loud guitars, half-spoken screaming, and complex song structure,) one comes to realize with a wry smile exactly how far these boys are willing to push themselves in any direction.
But the real meat of Bright Flashes is in the covers. Along with the discarded tracks and remixes, the album is filled out by four covers. While the faithful tribute to Helmet’s Blacktop and Jane’s Addiction’s Mountain Song are somewhat endearing, it’s when Snapcase tackles possibly the most unlikely source material that they totally dominate their element. Not one, but two Devo covers appear on this album. While the abrasive version of Freedom of Choice feels strange for the band’s dynamic, as if a band that was trying to be pop and couldn’t quite get over that hill, Gate of Steel stands as one of the few moments when the second coming excels over the original material. Lyrically it even reflects Snapcase’s constantly aware and active vision of hardcore.
All in all, this album might be too unfocused for those who try to think of it as an album on its own. However, once put up against the companion End Transmission, it all seems to make much more sense. Indeed, Bright Flashes seems to be the younger sibling that would make big bro Transmission proud.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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