Hello, everyone! Welcome to the hub for my Deep Dive project Establishing Screamo Canon: From Chaos to Catharsis! 2025 was the Year of Screamo and, while I didn’t quite get to my goal of covering Screamo from the 90s through 2015, getting through the 90s wound up being a Herculean feat in and of itself. I’m quite proud of this accomplishment! The series will continue indefinitely as I have time for it, but getting it up onto the website was very important. Please refer to the Overview post for more information about the series and the various sub-series within.
Below you can sort by subseries or via a tag cloud, weighing the most commonly-used tags such as artists, release years, record labels, locations, genres and even descriptors! Please keep an eye on this as the series continues! Alternatively, you may use the below search function to find anything you might be interested in reading about within the series. Please note that when you click one of the following links, you will have to scroll past the welcome and navigation sections to access the content.
- Emoviolence
- Dynamic
- Dissonant
- Chaotic
- Frantic
- Melodic
- 1999
- Post-Hardcore
- Raw
- 1997
- Hardcore Punk
- 1998
- Noisy
- 1996
- Emocore
- Florida
- SoCal
- Lofi
- Noise Rock
- Atmospheric
- Metalcore
- Post-Rock
- Midwest Emo
- Energetic
- Grindcore
- Canada
- Complex
- Massachusetts
- Reversal of Man
- Independent
- NorCal
- 1994
- Ebullition Records
- Orchid
- Manic
- France
- New York
- New Jersey
- Aggressive
- Gravity Records
- Sass
- Mountain Records
- Pennsylvania
- Dark
- Combatwoundedveteran
- Intense
- Witching Hour Records
- The Great American Steak Religion
- Dense
- Cold
- Metallic
- Technical
- Virginia
- Eclectic
- South Carolina
- 1993
- 1992
- Saetia
- Playful
- Three One G Records
- Frenetic
- Math Rock
- Powerviolence
- Indiana
- Driving
- You and I
- Puritan
In/Humanity - The History Behind the Mystory: Music to Kill Yourself By | SCreamo Hall of Fame Class of 1997 Nominee
Release Information:
1997
Mountain Records
Columbia, SC (Southeast)
Runtime: 38:45
Tracks: 13
Band Members:
Chris Bickel (Vocals)
Paul Swanson (Guitar)
Will Zaledeski (Bass)
Ben Roth (Drums)
Genres, Influences and Characteristics:
Emoviolence, Chaotic, Atmospheric, Frantic, Abstract, Dissonant
Musical Analysis:
In/Humanity once again innovatively iterate on the Emoviolence formula, doubling down on the musical chaos, freneticism and experimentation. The album begins with longer-than-average songs for this band, some of which are over three minutes in length. They showcase the dichotomous quiet-loud dynamics In/Humanity helped establish in years prior but with a certain atmosphere and formlessness not found anywhere else in their discography. Almost half of the album is part of a 15-minute song slapped right in the middle, muddying the shapeliness of this album with the band more-or-less fooling around.
Historical Analysis
With their second and final LP, In/Humanity firmly establishes themselves as one of the most prolific early Emoviolence outfits out there. Each LP and EP shapes the blooming genre in its own way. The History Behind the Mystery approaches the genre with an experimental eye, using abstract song structures, atmosphere and even more carelessness than ever before. Although this was an important album in the formation of Emoviolence, the statement made is more relevant to In/Humanity as a band than to the genre as a whole, hence its nominee status.
Lyrical Analysis:
*Please note that due to the obscurity of some of these tracks, I wasn’t able to find lyrics for 3-4 songs. Regardless, because there’s so much other lyrical material to analyze, I’ll be focusing on those. If I can dig up more lyrics, I’ll consider giving this a quick redo.*
Reaching absurd levels of satire, crudeness and general carelessness, In/Humanity’s lyrics are nonetheless biting and aimed at society’s many, MANY problems. From questioning the glorification of authority, the blindness of justice and the performative rebellion of Punk culture to hurting the ones you love, dehumanization and the futility of artistic expression. In true late 90s Screamo fashion, In/Humanity’s lyrics express both personal anguish and dissatisfaction with the world around them.