End Transmission
Few bands build on the smart and socially conscious punk-rock template sketched out byBad Religionmore profoundly than Buffalo's Snapcase. This is a good thing, especially since they throw in nods toRage Against the MachineandJane's Addiction, too. And Snapcase go one better by being one louder than their forebears, worrying less about semantics and more about sheer force.End Transmissionis a furious, screaming menagerie of shouted vocals, punishing guitar, and throbbing drums. But it's also hardcore for the emotionally in-touch--you'd be hard pressed to find many Snapcase contemporaries who can spin a lyric as artful as "I remember the feeling / A vision of light and water combined." Granted, much of the nuance is lost in the howling delivery, but it's nice to know that those fists are pumping along to something meaningful. If there's a complaint to be had with the relentlessly heavyEnd Transmission--and it's a small one--it's that there's a certain sameness to songs that are all turned up to 11, or at least end up there at some point. Still, since it's safe to assume fewSarah McLachlantypes attend Snapcase shows, it's probably a moot point after all.--Kim Hughes