Unsane albums

Unsane is one of the more intense bands that have ever existed, albeit one with songs and albums worth listening to. Vocalist/ guitarist Chris Spencer is a genius songwriter- focusing on a very small portion of rock music, the one where anger and rage rule and not allowing for much more than ‘frustration’ in their version of noise-rock. Unsane are not concerned with hits, though some songs follow traditional structures while some just wonder about. However the songs sound, agony of the human condition is the point. Many of their songs truly stand out and belong on any serious rock musicians’ journey of discovery.

Look….I get if a band pummeling you and screaming at you is not initially ‘your thing’ reader. But I promise you, when the music has meaning behind it any genre is worth your time. Even if Unsane sounds overwhelming at first, let it all wash over you and you will realize their debut album is as important as the Ramones, and single songs can truly change your life- “White Hand” especially is one of the great hard rock songs ever made.

Band Members:

Chris Spencer (guitar, vocals), Pete Shore (bass, 1988-94), Charlie Ondras (drums, 1988-92), Vincent Signorelli (drums, 1992-2019), Dave Curran (bass, vocals, 1994-2019), Jon Syverson (drums, 2021-present), Eric Cooper (bass, 2021-present)

Best Album:

Unsane

Biggest Influences:

Sonic Youth, Black Flag, Swans, Foetus, Black Sabbath, Melvins, Cream, Minor Threat, Flipper 

 Albums Chronologically:

1991 – 94% - Unsane

1993 – 85%   - Total Destruction

1995 – 64%     - Scattered, Smothered and Covered

1998 – 73%    - Occupational Hazard

2017 – 78%   - Sterilize

1991

Unsane -  94%

Unsane’s debut drops in on the listener like music from another world or dimension. The dark depths it goes to seems unending, the holes that are dug are suffocating, and the dirt piles on top of you as you keep listening. “Slag” is a prime example, a pummeling song with layers of noisy and distorted guitar- but not flashy like say the metal of the 1980’s; Unsane’s music is more about emotional down-heaval (as opposed to upheaval). Songwriter/ guitarist Chris Spencer understands what has been done before in rock music, and he has a very specific song writing style. “Bath”, “Vandal X”, “Cracked Up” are songs of a man stuck in a tarpit he cannot escape from, and the wails of him trying to escape. Lyric sample- “I’m just a piece of $hit like you” sang with such relatability, really pulls you in to the addicting behemoth of sound. You might say: what kind of music is this? It’s too slow to be hardcore punk rock, to distorted and angry to be heavy metal (see the track “Cut”), there are some other kind of sonic depths the band reaches on their debut. If the railroad track cover doesn’t scare you off, blistering rock numbers like “HLL” just might.

Some songs play with the formula successfully- “Maggot” takes a minute to get going, but once it does it’s as strong as the rest; “”Aza2000” has a real groove to it like a funk song albeit with more vocal wailing; “Action Man” almost pokes fun at punk rock bands of the era, with insane memorable screaming. Perhaps the jam at the end of “Exterminator” is a bit too long, but it’s still a powerful journey full of great guitar and bass interplay. The whole depth of the record either sucks you in or it doesn’t, but whatever you might be used to there is a universal truth- this is amazing songwriting. Best of all there is the closer “White Hand”, one of the great album closers of all time regardless of genre. While the lyrics remain a bit obtuse, the emotional energy is palpable and the catharsis is the definition of ‘sustained reality’ in rock music. Drummer Charlie Ondras is worth listening all by himself on this song, and he really gives the band its diversity within a confined sort of genre. A menacing, hard rock debut that makes its presence known and standout as an instant classic and artistic masterwork.

Best Songs: White Hand, Slag, Bath, Action Man

1993/ 1994

Total Destruction - 85%

The band’s second album, which was recorded in January of 1993 but not released until January of 1994, is more of the same through with a bit a twist. The sound is not quite a deafening as the debut, as the album has definitely has more of a Sonic youth noise rock vibe, but more the 80’s version of that band on songs such as “Thrown It Away” sounds like a sailor lost at sea. The opening triad- “Body Bomb” which doesn’t waste a second in bringing you into a screwed up world of noise guitar power; “Straight” which is anything but a straightforward rocker, and especially “Black Book” one of the Spencer’s most amazing guitar riffs. There are songs that treasure the lyrics more than before as the main focus: “Trench” pleads the community to keep it underground, while “Road Trip” paints a vivid story of just that. There are some more upbeat, playful tunes with “Broke” and especially the cry for help within “S.O.S.” that finds Spencer actually trying to sing a melodic line.

What remains true about Unsane is the consistency in songwriting, just about every song here shows them growing and expanding and entertaining us in their own sort of fucked up way. New drummer Vincent Signorelli was needed due to Charlie’s untimely death, and he brings with him experience from other hard hitting rock combos of underground fame like Swans and Lubricated Goat. A couple of tunes don’t work as well this time out, with “Dispatched” and the industrial rock fusion-closer “455” being a bit forgettable, while “Wayne” and “Get Away” (with a savvy instrumental intro) are perhaps good but not great. In all though, fans of the emotional heavy version of hardcore punk like Henry Rollins, Steve Albini, and Unwound will find similar fans here. It is a completely overwhelming form of rock music, if that is your language.

Best Songs: Black Book, Body Bomb, S.O.S., Throw It Away

1995

Scattered Smothered and Covered - 64%

Unfortunately, the band seems to have exhausted themselves on this third record. They had a minor hit in MTV music video land with “Scrape”, though this is hardly any kind of major sell out or anything. The sound is still ugly and screamy, and the compromise is really not there even if some songs are slightly more streamlined. It’s a brutal experience as always, but it doesn’t pull you into this world like the noisier albums that proceeded. That also means there is not much to write about and that is a shame since this is probably the album most people know by Unsane.

The songwriting is not quite as strong, but there are some exceptions: “No Loss” has one of the more accessible drum parts by V Signorelli, “Get Off My Back” is very slow and dark and heavy, revealing the connection to metal that was always on the verge of becoming a thing; “ruin” has some nice guitar squeals; and “Blame Me is a decent rev up of a track. Nothing here compares with the first two albums at all, so I can’t recommend much on it- much of it even after many listens is a blur. Twelve songs seems far too long and feels a bit monotonous, punishing but in the wrong way. Go back to the 1st two amazing albums or skip this one.

Best Songs: Get Off my Back, Blew

Sidenote: hilariously, Hootey and the Blowfish used this same name for an album of covers in the 2000’s

1998

Occupational Hazard – 73%

The 4th Unsane album brings back some of the blur and noise from the early records and tries to regain some of the street cred it lost on the better produced 3rd album. As long as the songwriting is as strong as the debut, who cares what it sounds like! There are some highlights here- “This Plan” gets in some of the steps toward the relentless 1st record while “Over Me” for sure adds some guitar soloing clearer to the forefront making this group as a transition to a more metallic sound. “Humidifier” is one of the spritelier songs they ever made and the drumming is very special. “Stop” shows Spencer screaming beyond control so its impossible to understand what he is saying, adding some expert guitar work. When he screams “I am sick/ in my head” on “Sick”, or “Tastes like lead!” on “Lead”, we believe him.

The lesser songs on here though, with again a more expert production than the first two albums had share something with post-grunge bands a bit and become a bit generic. “Wait to Lose”, “Take In the Stray”, and “Hazmat” share too much with that sort of crowd despite the expert instrumental playing and distinctive vocals of demonic wailing my Spencer. “Smells Like Rain” seems like a bid for a radio hit, which would be fine if it was a better song. Also, the second half of the record is far inferior to the first, though not devoid of quality songs- 13 songs is again a bit too long, it would have been much tighter at 10 songs. I enjoy this album more than the 3rd, just because the songs are more distinct from one another, which is a quality Unsane can fall prey to sometimes. Once you get and absorb the first 2 records, give this one a try. After this album, the band would break up for quite a while.

Best Songs: This Plan, Humidifier, Over Me, Sick

2017

Sterilize – 78%

Of all the post 1990’s Unsane reunion releases, this one is my favorite. It’s nice and concise at ten songs, and each one brings a new level of powerful rock music with galvanizing screams and hard rock trio power. The opening trio of songs is their best since at least Total Destruction (1993): “Aberration” is a mutating mess of metallic grinding; “the Grind” comes off as sort of playful in a way only Unsane can be; “Factory” whishes us a welcome back to their world of distorted confusion.

If nothing quite matches that opening triad of songs, “No Reprieve” sums up their vision of music pretty well, “Lung” and “Available" match up the any of their late 90’s albums, and “Inclusion” has some radical drumming that propels it along. “Distance” tries its hand at background harmonies in the chorus and it totally works. The final three songs might be the most forgettable (save for “Available” which is like their version of Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks”, a dark and stormy metal), but it’s ok because what came before was so powerful that it shows Unsane still has a place in the 2010’s, while hardly refining their sonic template at all.

Best Songs: The Grind, Aberration, The Distance, Factory