January 2023 "The Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1yFgscg5HWKGoIy2s0xRfG
Tracklisting:
1. Phinehas - "Eternally Apart" (from The Fire Itself, 2021) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
2. Converge - "Conduit" (from When Forever Comes Crashing, 1998)
3. Starkweather - "Lazarus Runs" (from Crossbearer, 1992)
4. Misery Signals - "Coma" (from Controller, 2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
5. Zao - "Times of Separation" (from The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation, 1997)
6. Vision of Disorder - "Element" (from Vision of Disorder, 1996)
7. Strife - "Am I the Only One" (from One Truth, 1994)
8. Earth Crisis - "Forced March" (from Destroy the Machines, 1995)
9. Born of Osiris - "Singularity" (from The Discovery, 2011) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
10. Iwrestledabearonce - "Erase It All" (from Hail Mary, 2015)
11. Winds of Plague - "Decimate the Weak" (from Decimate the Weak, 2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
12. Upon a Burning Body - "Predators" (from Red. White. Green., 2012)
13. Abnegation - "Blanket of Black" (from Abnegation / Chapter split, 1996)
14. Lorna Shore - "Of the Abyss" (from ...And I Return to Nothingness, 2021)
15. DAGames - "One by One (Doom Song)" (from One by One (Doom Song), 2016)
16. Annisokay - "I Saw What You Did" (from Aurora, 2021)
17. Wage War - "Alive" (from Blueprints, 2015)
18. Northlane - "Vultures" (from Alien, 2019) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
19. After the Burial - "44891" (from Evergreen, 2019)
20. Car Bomb - "The Oppressor" (from Meta, 2016)
21. Frontierer - "This Magnetic Drift" (from Oxidized, 2021)
22. The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Dead as History" (from Ire Works, 2007)
23. Bleeding Through - "Damage Done" (from Rage, 2022)
24. The Browning - "Skybreaker" (from Geist, 2018)
25. Amaranthe - "Act of Desperation" (from Amaranthe, 2011) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
26. All That Remains - "Hold On" (from For We Are Many, 2010)
27. Cookiebreed & Boyinaband - "The Vox" (from The Vox, 2013)
28. Trivium - "Incineration: The Broken World" (from Vengeance Falls, 2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
29. From Autumn to Ashes - "Abandon Your Friends" (from Abandon Your Friends, 2005)
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Phinehas - "Eternally Apart" (from The Fire Itself, 2021)
5/5. I'm proud of this band for showing great evolution with perhaps their best song since "Crowns" to open their first album since 2017's Dark Flag. Nicely done! One of the masters of Christian metalcore shall continue their reign.
Converge - "Conduit" (from When Forever Comes Crashing, 1998)
4.5/5. This is a crushing metalcore tune that starts with fast chaos, and I swear, the brief riff fiddling that appears a few times sounds exactly like that of the last part of My Dying Bride's "Vast Choirs". I think I'm the only one who has noticed that because of my interest in both metalcore and formerly death-doom. Anyway, that song has slow breakdowns as well, due to the band's mind-blowing ability to change the tempo and time signature.
Starkweather - "Lazarus Runs" (from Crossbearer, 1992)
4/5. This one runs at a slow sludgy pace before leveling it up towards the end.
Misery Signals - "Coma" (from Controller, 2008)
4.5/5. I need to continue revisiting this album along with their other ones like Ultraviolet. The music and even the growled vocals are all beautiful! I kinda like the dark vibe the album has. The lyric "Reach into her guts, take back what's tangled up, I wasted it on you" sounds morbid, but it's a metaphor for the regret of conceiving a child when your wife doesn't want it. Also I hear what might later influence ERRA.
Zao - "Times of Separation" (from The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation, 1997)
5/5. Considering how similar the intro is to that of Every Time I Die's Radical, you might think the latter made a tribute. Anyway, Shawn's long screaming is often what levels up the quality.
Vision of Disorder - "Element" (from Vision of Disorder, 1996)
5/5. This highlight has lots of angry heaviness. Enough said!
Strife - "Am I the Only One" (from One Truth, 1994)
4.5/5. This one is more hardcore, but it's an awesome anthemic standout!
Earth Crisis - "Forced March" (from Destroy the Machines, 1995)
5/5. This brilliant metalcore track shows you what the album is gonna be about. It was later covered by Between the Buried and Me in their own cover album.
Born of Osiris - "Singularity" (from The Discovery, 2011)
4.5/5. This is one of the best songs of the album and a killer album opening with strong soaring melodies through busy original compositions.
Iwrestledabearonce - "Erase It All" (from Hail Mary, 2015)
4/5. It's too bad this band ended right when they were skyrocketing in fame, with vocalist Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Mike Stringer moving on to Spiritbox. Mike adds in a bit of a Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza-like vibe to the guitar. All Shall Perish/Suicide Silence vocalist Eddie Hermida delivers a fantastic brutal guest appearance.
Winds of Plague - "Decimate the Weak" (from Decimate the Weak, 2008)
4.5/5. The album cover has already shown promise to the music's brutality. The band has that epic deathcore sound that would later be developed in all its glory by other bands like Lorna Shore. The weak, beware...
Upon a Burning Body - "Predators" (from Red. White. Green., 2012)
4/5. Then we have more of Winds of Plague vocalist Johnny Plague's beastly vocals in a guest appearance for one of Upon a Burning Body's song of eternal lyrical power.
Abnegation - "Blanket of Black" (from Abnegation / Chapter split, 1996)
4.5/5. Abnegation began their transition from hardcore to metal around that time, and what helped out is this highlight showing more of a speedy deathly metalcore sound. This was considered the most metallic/Slayer-sounding any hardcore band has gone before. It was thanks to this band and that song that every metalcore band would start emphasizing the metal part of their template.
Lorna Shore - "Of the Abyss" (from ...And I Return to Nothingness, 2021)
5/5. This is a 6-minute epic that can really pack some punches right through. Will Ramos warms up his vocals while the band rises from the cinematic orchestral inferno while still attacking from the deepest pits of Hell. This is symphonic black/technical deathcore we're talking about at its most epic, and it might be a new style to add to my metal arsenal. There are new standards in the drumming that just never stop, maintaining its power in every beat. They shoot like a machine-gun above the guitars, bass, and orchestration. In the middle is a spectacular breakdown with perfect vocal precision from Ramos. Super wonderful production once again ensures that the album is one of the best releases of deathcore and perhaps all of metal.
DAGames - "One by One (Doom Song)" (from One by One (Doom Song), 2016)
4.5/5. I love this song, and so does my brother. This is amazing thrashy metalcore suitable for the new DOOM games!
Annisokay - "I Saw What You Did" (from Aurora, 2021)
4/5. Another metalcore song my brother likes, though he was initially confused by the djenty opening that also has a Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza-like vibe.
Wage War - "Alive" (from Blueprints, 2015)
4.5/5. This band is capable of writing killer hits like this one, although metal purists might not see them that way.
Northlane - "Vultures" (from Alien, 2019)
5/5. Marcus Bridge is really having more influence from the band whom Northlane named one of their songs after, Architects, including adding melody to his screaming. So insanely epic, continuing the writing of Mesmer while restoring their earlier riff-wrath.
After the Burial - "44891" (from Evergreen, 2019)
4.5/5. The song title is actually "11/26". I'm not quite sure what was up with Spotify over there. Remove the "2" and it would be 11/6, the date a couple months ago when an outside-world friend of mine passed away. He was good at singing and inspired me to continue singing practice at home. Although this song contains only growls/screams which I practice as well. I've managed to hold back my tears as I'm writing this. I just wish I could listen to this band more instead of abandoning this amazing music from them. RIP my outside-world friend. And RIP their former guitarist Justin Lowe.
Car Bomb - "The Oppressor" (from Meta, 2016)
5/5. This one maintains the mathcore feel while heading back and forth to a ballad-like song. Joe Duplantier of Gojira makes another guest appearance, albeit with just clean vocals in those softer sections to set an excellent mood. Near the end there's brutal immense sludge for a riff-powered climax. One of the most experimental tracks here!
Frontierer - "This Magnetic Drift" (from Oxidized, 2021)
4.5/5. F***ing brutal mathcore! I think the guest appearance from Will Haven is what gave me the incentive to listen to and review one of that band's albums.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Dead as History" (from Ire Works, 2007)
5/5. This highlight starts with some static noises before beginning some cool riffing and chord progressions that almost come out as a Coheed and Cambria song. Perhaps it's a nice tribute to Chris Pennie leaving Dillinger for Coheed and Cambria, though some of the heavier listeners might hate it.
Bleeding Through - "Damage Done" (from Rage, 2022)
4.5/5. This one reminds me of 2000s-era Dark Tranquillity with more of Peterson's enchanting keyboards, melodeath-ish riffing/soloing, and melancholic atmosphere. The chorus is definitely worth singing along to and makes a modern classic moment, alongside lyrics of love and hate. The final hardcore breakdown crashes through to instantly start a moshpit.
The Browning - "Skybreaker" (from Geist, 2018)
5/5. Wow... WOW!!! When I first listened to this song when my brother played it, it sounded to me like an Emigrate-ish electro-industrial rock/metal ballad. Then sometime later, my brother played another Browning song "Standing on the Edge" that sounds closer to what I'm familiar with in The Revolution. After enjoying that song and finding out that "Skybreaker" is made by the same band, I knew I had to find more of this band, and that I shall do. Thanks bro! The lyrics are the best.
Amaranthe - "Act of Desperation" (from Amaranthe, 2011)
4.5/5. Another great song I love! I still think this band was metalcore back then.
All That Remains - "Hold On" (from For We Are Many, 2010)
4/5. Thundering drumming and merciless pounding rolls in on and once again balances heaviness with melody.
Cookiebreed & Boyinaband - "The Vox" (from The Vox, 2013)
4.5/5. Parodies are often better than originals, and this fun one is no exception, parodying Ylvis' "The Fox" with a lesson about metalcore vocals. Although Cookiebreed makes the vocal noises quite impressively, it's Boyinaband who really takes the spotlight, both in the song and in general fame. He has performed songs with different YouTubers like PewDiePie, TheOdd1sOut, and Jaiden Animations. Having watched videos from the latter two when I was still watching YouTube animator videos, discovering Boyinaband's metal material is an epic double treat! "WHAT DO YOU SAY?!?"
Trivium - "Incineration: The Broken World" (from Vengeance Falls, 2013)
5/5. This track is part of what I consider the epic trilogy of Vengeance Falls. They are longer than the previous songs in the album with the latter two each reaching nearly 6 minutes. They break out of the Disturbed formula. The clean vocals and screams are back to their equal balance. The key signature varies with more than just D-flat minor. And they maintain their signature thrash-metalcore sound. Those 3 songs really bring this album to a pleasantly heavy end.
From Autumn to Ashes - "Abandon Your Friends" (from Abandon Your Friends, 2005)
4.5/5. It really is around this year 2005 when the older metalcore followers start listening to From Autumn to Ashes, despite the softness of songs like this one and "Short Stories with Tragic Endings". The somber atmosphere of this song is what really makes it amazing, suitable for Winter, even though my country doesn't have snow. The band has already gotten back together, I wonder if they'll make more material. This is actually suitable for a situation last week when I left a Discord server that I was in for almost a year due to a big argument, so the song is kind of my therapy for a toxic end of an era. The piano melody might work for the soundtrack of computer games like Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Honestly, emo/post-hardcore does not deserve to be stoned (the stone-throwing kind) just because they think it's more flash than substance. Amazing works of art like this (before low-tuned breakdowns took the reign) shouldn't be taken for granted. These guys are real music geniuses. To h*ll with Rebecca Black!
HOLY SH*T, this is probably one of the best metalcore playlists I've ever done, with all tracks ranging from 4 to 5 stars. 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 your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!