Rorschach was a New Jersey based hardcore band that was active in the late 80s and early 90s. Vocalist Charles Maggio ran the influential label Gern Blandsten. Let me start off this one by stating very clearly; theres two kinds of metalcore, pre-Rorschach and post-Rorschach. Every popular metalcore band you listen to; Converge, Botch and Disembodied to name a few, is at least partially indebted to Rorschach (accounting for Starkweather's equally massive influence). During a time of tumultuous change in the punk and hardcore scene in New York and New Jersey, Rorschach was a creative force to be reckoned with. Starting out as a heavily Die Kruzen influenced hardcore band, Rorschach along with their friends in Born Against, defiantly questioned and ridiculed the tough guy CBGB scene. These bands rejected the safeness, ignorance and complacency of the stagnating NY HC scene; sparking the fire of rebellion that would eventually engulf the entirety of the D.I.Y hardcore scene.
Later on, the band significantly altered their sound and released the genre-shattering album Protestant. I'd argue that Protestant is one of the most important and influential hardcore punk albums of all time, since its release in 1993 nothing has been able to even match the absolute jaw-dropping, face-melting riffs and hellish shrieks of Protestant. Rorschach managed to blend metal and hardcore in an incredibly seamless and powerful way, something rarely achieved past a few bands like Void. I'd also argue that Protestant is one of the first "screamo" albums, or at least a "proto-screamo" album, along with Industry by Honeywell and Heroin's ST 12". This band and its influence can be heard, one way or another, in pretty much every band that has elements of metalcore past Rorschach's demise. In 2009, a much needed remaster of Rorschach's two LPs was released, removing all pulled punches in the original production of the albums and solidifying Protestant as one of the heaviest metalcore albums. Ever.
As always, whenever I write a post for a band that is this incredible and influential, I find that I have a lack of things to say that haven't been said already. Just go listen to Rorschach already, you won't regret it.
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