There are band names that you hear of and think to yourself “ wow that’s kind of a cool name.” Such is the case of the band Quicksand and they are a band that I’ve heard of, but am not really familiar with. Let’s take a look….
Slip- if you ask me, this album kind of reminds me of bands like Helmet or Fugazi. In fact, I’d say it’s sort of a less heavy version of Helmet but it’s a great record. It’s definitely got some post hardcore but at the same time has things you’d hear in bands like Jane’s Addiction or even Velvet Underground. However you want to look at it, this is a killer record and I’m giving it 9.5/10
Standouts: Freezing Process, Dine Alone, Can Opener
Manic Compression- whereas the last record was more in the alternative realm almost experimental side of things, this one goes for more of an alternative metal/punk type sound. I can see how this album would be an influence for all of those early to mid 2000’s bands. Now the album definitely lives up to its name. The sound is a bit more raw and compressed. Singer Walter Schreifel has a sort of frustration in his voice along with the guitars which make for a really cool record. This album came out in 1993 and it would be their last until 2017. I’ll be giving this record 9/10
Standouts: Blister, Divorce, Thorn In My Side
Interiors- as I said, the last album came out in 1993 and this in 2017 however, that doesn’t mean that the band didn’t tour or write material. They did do some touring in 1997 and 1998 but the internal problems kept arising thus preventing a new album from seeing the light of day. So in 2017, we finally got the album Interiors and I have to say, it’s underwhelming. It just feels disjointed and at least half of the album is kind of boring. The songs just kind of drag on and it was one of those albums I kept on asking if it was over yet. I’ll give it 6/10
Standouts: Illuminant, Fire This Time, Warm And Low
Distant Populations- if you ask me, THIS should have been the reunion record. It’s as if you took the first two records and mixed them together. Whereas Interiors was sort of spacey and atmospheric, this one has a more back to basics approach. The crunchy guitars and hooks are back and this very much feels more like a modern rock record. I definitely enjoyed this one a lot more than I would’ve thought and I’ll give it 8/10
Standouts: Colossus, Inversion, Missile Command
Bring On The Physics- well on this day, July 17, 2026, we have a new album from Quicksand. Now I’ll admit this one did get away from me but then again I am late to the game with this band. This record has a good amount of kind of slower mid paced songs as well as a good amount of faster more hardcore type songs. Now for being such a short record (it clocks in at just a little under 30 minutes) there’s a lot going on and according to the band, they wanted it to “serve as the sonic bridge between [Quicksand’s] heavy and influential Nineties sound and the ambitious, experimental output contained within its more recent era.” And yes you definitely get that here. I’ll give this 9/10
Standouts: Get To It, Regenerate, Crystallize
This is definitely one of those bands that gets overlooked and you definitely hear their influence in so many other bands. Now while they may not have very many records, the ones they do have are all great and I highly recommend giving them a listen. As of writing this, I have yet to see them live but I have no doubt that they put on a great show.
Final Grade: A
Album Rankings:
- Manic Compression
- Slip
- Bring On The Physics
- Distant Populations
- Interiors
