November 2022 "The Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1yFgscg5HWKGoIy2s0xRfG

Tracklisting:

1. Underoath - "Heart of Stone" (from Act of Depression, 1999)

2. Code Orange - "Forever" (from Forever, 2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Silent Planet - "The New Eternity" (from When the End Began, 2018) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. After the Burial - "In Flux" (from Evergreen, 2019)

5. Clear - "Falling Into Ashes" (from Deeper Than Blood, 1999) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

6. One Second Thought - "Step Back" (from Self Inflicted, 1999)

7. Lorna Shore - "Death Portrait" (from Immortal, 2020)

8. Caliban - "Partisan" (from The Split Program, 2000)

9. The Human Abstract - "Crossing the Rubicon" (from Nocturne, 2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

10. From Autumn to Ashes - "Short for Show" (from Abandon Your Friends, 2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

11. Trivium - "The Defiant" (from What the Dead Men Say, 2020) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

12. Coalesce - "Have Patience" (from Give Them Rope, 1997)

13. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "The Electric Boogaloo" (from Danza II: Electric Boogaloo, 2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

14. Candiria - "Year One" (from Beyond Reasonable Doubt, 1997)

15. The Showdown - "Dagon Undone (The Reckoning)" (from A Chorus of Obliteration, 2004)

16. Demon Hunter - "Sixteen" (from Storm the Gates of Hell, 2007)

17. Integrity - "Evacuate" (from Den of Iniquity, 1994)

18. Strife - "Calm the Fire" (from One Truth, 1994)

19. All That Remains - "What If I Was Nothing" (from A War You Cannot Win, 2012)

20. Starkweather - "Tumult" (from Crossbearer, 1992)

21. Deformity - "Misanthrope" (from Murder Within Sin, 1999)

22. Scarlet - "The Joy Decoys are Coming" (from Cult Classic, 2004)

23. Uni/Vs - "Ghost of Me" (from Ghost of Me, 2022)

24. Architects - "A New Moral Low Ground" (from A New Moral Low Ground, 2022)

25. Wage War - "Youngblood" (from Blueprints, 2015)

26. Asking Alexandria - "The Lost Souls" (from The Black, 2016)

27. Issues - "Someone Who Does" (from Headspace, 2016)

28. The Word Alive - "Dark Matter" (from Dark Matter, 2016)

29. Botch - "Hives" (from American Nervoso, 1998)

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Underoath - "Heart of Stone" (from Act of Depression, 1999)

4.5/5. After some strange witch-cackling, the opener for this playlist and Underoath's most deathly album, Act of Depression, starts off the extreme metalcore action greatly. That's what I expect for this album!

Code Orange - "Forever" (from Forever, 2017)

5/5. This one starts a spectacular gauntlet, opening with a furious fistful of riffing. You can't ignore all that confidence, especially with the declaration of "CODE ORANGE IS FOREVER!!!" and the brutal breakdown that follows.

Silent Planet - "The New Eternity" (from When the End Began, 2018)

4.5/5. Insane drumming and an insane amount of lyrical references in this song. This band rules!

After the Burial - "In Flux" (from Evergreen, 2019)

4/5. I really need to return to listening to this band someday. This is a purely insane banger with good vocals.

Clear - "Falling Into Ashes" (from Deeper Than Blood, 1999)

3.5/5. The only good track in a sh*tty album that I wonder why I even reviewed it.

One Second Thought - "Step Back" (from Self Inflicted, 1999)

3/5. Same with this one.

Lorna Shore - "Death Portrait" (from Immortal, 2020)

5/5. Now this is the epicness I prefer rather than the symphonic power metal I've brushed aside! This is a brutal work of splendor to fit well with a dangerous battle against demons on top of a snow mountain under a solar eclipse. Probably the most impressive deathcore band for me by many miles! The vocals sound filthy and disgusting. However, what's really filthy and disgusting is what this album's vocalist has done that got him fired. Nonetheless, this song shows deathcore's transcendence to fame.

Caliban - "Partisan" (from The Split Program, 2000)

3.5/5. This cover of a Heaven Shall Burn's song is very good, though not as much as most of those bands' split EP.

The Human Abstract - "Crossing the Rubicon" (from Nocturne, 2006)

4/5. This one continues the complex time changes while getting caught in guitar tornadoes. An 8-bit version was used as the theme song for Youtuber AngryJoeShow.

From Autumn to Ashes - "Short for Show" (from Abandon Your Friends, 2005)

4.5/5. Starting off with an early Avenged Sevenfold-like metalcore riff, and...well, the rest of this song is metalcore too in an excellent heavy example.

Trivium - "The Defiant" (from What the Dead Men Say, 2020)

5/5. I absolute love this one. It is my second-favorite track in its original album (behind the title track), recalling the older days of Ascendancy, blending with the modern songwriting and fantastic lyrics found in this album. Even the unclean vocals are beautiful. With all that and the perfect instrumentation overall, that would make older fans ecstatic and newer fans in love.

Coalesce - "Have Patience" (from Give Them Rope, 1997)

4.5/5. This impressive assault blasts off and has made quite an impact for my first time with this album, delivering heaviness beyond 11. If anyone thought Spinal Tap made heavy history, that track would prove them wrong.

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "The Electric Boogaloo" (from Danza II: Electric Boogaloo, 2007)

4/5. I miss this song, and while this isn't their absolute best song, what levels this track up is the vocals by Bruce Fitzhugh of Living Sacrifice, a band I gotta hear more of because I f***ing enjoy his vocals.

Candiria - "Year One" (from Beyond Reasonable Doubt, 1997)

4.5/5. An irresistible blend of metal and jazz continues to form with incisive riffs and rhythms as changes surround the sound.

The Showdown - "Dagon Undone (The Reckoning)" (from A Chorus of Obliteration, 2004)

5/5. Hear what I mean about Bruce Fitzhugh's guest vocals?! This is one of the best Christian metalcore songs I've discovered, and I'm up for much more...

Demon Hunter - "Sixteen" (from Storm the Gates of Hell, 2007)

4.5/5. This one sounds more original, starting with a long experimental chamber cello/guitar one and a half minute intro before vocals come in, including those awesome edgy guest vocals by Bruce Fitzhugh of Living Sacrifice in the pre-chorus, in contrast to the clean chorus. The breakdown has interesting lyrics.

Integrity - "Evacuate" (from Den of Iniquity, 1994)

4/5. This Negative Approach cover closes the band's 1994 compilation smoothly, but there's more in this playlist to come...

Strife - "Calm the Fire" (from One Truth, 1994)

3.5/5. This one is not so calm for the most part, but there's heavier fire here to end this close-to-mediocre hardcore offering. Again, there's more left in this playlist...

All That Remains - "What If I Was Nothing" (from A War You Cannot Win, 2012)

4/5. Let's break things up a bit with this ballad that has a similar vibe to Five Finger Death Punch ballads.

Starkweather - "Tumult" (from Crossbearer, 1992)

4.5/5. You'll definitely hear p*ssed-off metalcore starting shortly after the intro verse of the opener of the first album to mix metalcore with alt-metal.

Deformity - "Misanthrope" (from Murder Within Sin, 1999)

4/5. Taking its name from an earlier EP, this is an athletic hooker where brutal breakdowns are in great balance with the other aspects.

Scarlet - "The Joy Decoys are Coming" (from Cult Classic, 2004)

4.5/5. I f***ing love this kind of metallic mathcore, and this is almost guaranteed to make a cult classic.

Uni/Vs - "Ghost of Me" (from Ghost of Me, 2022)

4/5. The YouTube algorithm has once again worked the great rare way and given me a song close to what I like via an ad! Great guitar and drums, with both the unclean and clean vocals filled with clear emotion. It's not everyday that someone from a slightly remote country like Malaysia (that someone being me) can find great metalcore from different parts of the globe. Heavy fast verses and soft slow sections all around in a f***ing cool balance. This should be worth giving to my brother for another one of our city drives, and he might enjoy it slightly more. You can definitely hear some vibes from August Burns Red, Fit for a King, and definitely Architects here.

Architects - "A New Moral Low Ground" (from A New Moral Low Ground, 2022)

3.5/5. Speaking of Architects, this is a good metalcore anthem from their new alt-/industrial metal album, though not as glorious as songs from their metalcore releases.

Wage War - "Youngblood" (from Blueprints, 2015)

4/5. It's a little weird that I, a metalcore fan, started listening to this band thanks to my alt-metal-loving brother, though of course, it's a different song, not this one. There's nothing bad about this song at all, and it makes sure the band will never be forgotten.

Asking Alexandria - "The Lost Souls" (from The Black, 2016)

4.5/5. This symphonic anthem has perfectly delicate reflections of the band's past.

Issues - "Someone Who Does" (from Headspace, 2016)

5/5. Now here's some poppy alt-metalcore magic right here! This, along with "Coma", are my two favorite songs in that album.

The Word Alive - "Dark Matter" (from Dark Matter, 2016)

5/5. Continuing that poppy metalcore vibe with a darker audio aesthetic. I love it!

Botch - "Hives" (from American Nervoso, 1998)

4.5/5. This is a killer closer to this playlist and a good album of mathcore madness, but I wish it would have a more interesting ending like a piano melody or something after the rest of the instrumentation fades, but that didn't happen. Oh well...

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!