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.
The lead single off the album, "Fazer", became a college radio hit. The album was reissued on vinyl in 2012, through Dine Alone Records and Shop Radio Cast. The reissue featured a cover of The Smiths song "How Soon Is Now?".
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.
Never heard of these guys before. Wicked Deftones vibes. I can see how these guys are (my words) godfathers of post hardcore. Pretty neat. Ran me down a rabbit hole of other similars as well.
I must have encountered this in my college radio days in the early 90s - it seemed to have hit pretty well in that market, and we had a hardcore-loving contingent among those running things. The album cover does seem familiar. Nothing jumping out as familiar in the music though, aside from it being very typical 90s hardcore. This is very well done in its genre but I can't get away from the feeling that it is a limited sound. It’s not just a Fugazi clone or whatever though, they do have a distinct sound and style, and this probably merits a place among the top tier product of that genre and era.
So glad this was on here. It’s one I listened to back when it came out when I was a teenager. Somehow it had faded from my memory and as a result probably haven’t listened to it since the 90s. I’ve been thinking recently I should give it another go. So I was very happy to see this on here.
Great post-punk record.
October 17, 2025
HL: "Lie and Wait", "Can Opener", "Transparent"
Seconding Apple Music's comparison to At the Drive In, but Slip is muddier and more morose. Can't speak for the comparison to Deftones, as I STILL haven't given them a proper listen. Honestly, I expect them to show up on this list one day, based on how much I've heard about them recently.
The singer is a bit one-note, but the half-sung, half-shouted vocals are powerful, so I chalk it up to a genre rather than personal limitation.
I could bitch about this genre known as "post-hardcore", and how dreary and beige a lot of it sounds to me, but doing so would ignore the fact that a lot of these songs had my head bobbing against its will. So it can't be that bad...
***
Drops right into the pocket with Fazer, which sounds great. Solid down-the-middle muddy grungy dissonant post-hardcore with undeniable hooks. However, to me it sounds like so many other bands, yes executed brilliantly, but nothing caught my ear particularly past the first track. Maybe that's not quite fair but that's how it hit me today.
This was a pretty solid hardcore album. Never heard of quicksand before and thoroughly enjoyed this. The album was very cohesive and the guitar and drum work kept the energy high. It wasn’t too aggressive as most hardcore music has progressed over time. This was something I’d revisit and checkout their other albums as well. 7.5/10
A decent, hard-hitting post-hardcore LP with some serious grit to it. Doesn’t reinvent the wheel and was a bit in one ear out the other, but it was a ripping listen for sure.
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