Rorschach is an American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States, that existed from 1989 to 1993 and again from 2009 to 2012. Their typical blend of hardcore with

dissonant In music, consonance and dissonance are categorizations of simultaneous or successive Sound, sounds. Within the Western tradition, some listeners associate consonance with sweetness, pleasantness, and acceptability, and dissonance with harshness ...

heavy metal elements provided an inspiration to many later hardcore and

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

bands. The first release by the band, ''Remain Sedate'', shows the band's sound at a stage when they played fast, heavy hardcore with a metal slant and raspy hardcore vocals. At this time they also drew heavy comparisons to

Die Kreuzen Die Kreuzen (/ˈdiːˈkɹɔɪtsn̩/) is an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin formed in 1981. The name, which was taken from a German Bible, is grammatically incorrect German for "the crosses."Larkin, Colin (1995) "Die Kreuzen", in ''T ...

for their bizarre chord progressions and

Charles Maggio Rorschach is an American hardcore punk band from New Jersey, United States, that existed from 1989 to 1993 and again from 2009 to 2012. Their typical blend of hardcore with dissonant heavy metal elements provided an inspiration to many later h ...

's unearthly howl."Powerviolence: The Dysfunctional Family of Bllleeeeaaauuurrrgghhh!!". ''Terrorizer'' no. 172. July 2008. pp. 36–37. However, as the band progressed, they developed a slower, more sinister, sludge sound that was influenced by New York band

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...

. Additionally, the vocals developed into high-pitched, tortured screaming rather than shouting, due in part to voice problems Maggio was experiencing at the time. This change in sound can be heard primarily on their second full-length release, ''

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

''. Shortly after issuing this album, the group disbanded, some members eventually joining

Deadguy Deadguy is an American metalcore band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. The band formed in 1994 and disbanded in 1997. Deadguy is considered to have played an important role in the development of the mathcore genre, their sole studio album '' Fixati ...

and Kiss It Goodbye. Rorschach has performed occasional reunion shows from 2009 through 2012. ''Decibel'' magazine inducted ''Protestant'' into their Hall of Fame. In the 2012 film ''

Zero Dark Thirty ''Zero Dark Thirty'' is a 2012 American thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. The film dramatizes the nearly decade-long international manhunt for Osama bin Laden, leader of terrorist network Al-Qaeda, after the S ...

,'' the Rorschach song "Pavlov's Dogs" is used to torture suspected terrorists.

Members

;Final line-up *Charles Maggio – vocals (1989–1993, 2009–2012) *Keith Huckins – guitar (1989–1993, 2009–2012) *Nick Forté – guitar (1989–1993, 2009–2012) * Andrew Gormley – drums (1989–1993, 2009–2012) *Tom Rusnak – bass (1991–1993, 2009–2012) ;Previous members *Chris Laucella – bass (1989–1991)

Discography

Compilation appearances

*''God's Chosen People'' (1993, Old Glory) *''Fear of Smell'' 12" (1993, Vermiform) *''Look At All The Children Now'' (1990, Evacuate) *''Forever'' 7" (1990)

Related bands

* Computer Cougar - Charles Maggio, Nick Forte *

- Keith Huckins * Die 116 - Andrew Gormley * Kiss It Goodbye - Andrew Gormley, Keith Huckins, Thom Rusnak * Playing Enemy - Andrew Gormley, Thom Rusnak *

Shai Hulud Shai Hulud is an American metalcore band formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1995, and later based in Poughkeepsie, New York. The band is named after the giant sandworms in Frank Herbert's novel ''Dune''. The two mainstay members of Shai Hul ...

- Andrew Gormley * Radio To Saturn - Nick Forte * Bone of Contention - Keith Huckins, Charles Maggio

References

External links

Gern Blandsten Records
- Charles Maggio's record label, including a short biography of Rorschach
Another site on RorschachRorschach - BandToBand.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rorschach (band) Hardcore punk groups from New Jersey Metalcore musical groups from New Jersey Powerviolence groups Heavy metal musical groups from New Jersey Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 1993