December 2023 "The Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1yFgscg5HWKGoIy2s0xRfG
Tracklisting:
1. HEAVENSGATE - "VIOLENT JOY" from VIOLENT JOY (2023)
2. Kingdom of Giants - "Wasted Space" from Wasted Space (2023)
3. Architects - "Naysayer" from Lost Forever // Lost Together (2014) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
4. All That Remains - "Divide" from The Order of Things (2015)
5. Apparitions - "Coda" from Coda (2023)
6. Imminence - "Lost and Left Behind" from Heaven in Hiding (2021)
7. Polaris - "Consume" from The Mortal Coil (2017)
8. From Autumn to Ashes - "Lilacs & Lolita" from The Fiction We Live (2003) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
9. Bullet for My Valentine - "Waking the Demon" from Scream Aim Fire (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
10. Winds of Plague - "Anthems of Apocalypse" from Decimate the Weak (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
11. Dragoncorpse - "Blood and Stones" from The Drakketh Saga (2023)
12. Brojob - "Teenie Weenie" from Talk Shit Get Kissed (2018)
13. Chelsea Grin - "See You Soon" from Eternal Nightmare (2018) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
14. Emmure - "You Got a Henna Tattoo That Said Forever" from Goodbye to the Gallows (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
15. Upon a Burning Body - "Thunderheart" from Fury (2022) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
16. Celldweller, The Browning - "Switchback" from Switchback (2023)
17. Parkway Drive - "Alone" from Deep Blue (2010)
18. Prospective - "Visions" from Beyond (2016)
19. We Blame the Empire - "As I Fall" from Inferno (2023)
20. The Devil Wears Prada - "Reaching" from Color Decay (deluxe edition) (2023)
21. Amaranthe - "Iconic" from HELIX (2018)
22. Any Given Day - "Whatever It Takes" from Overpower (2019)
23. Withdrawn - "Striation" from Seeds of Inhumanity (1999)
24. Currents - "Remember Me" from The Death We Seek (2023)
25. August Burns Red - "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" from August Burns Red Presents: Sleddin' Hill (2012)
26. Norma Jean - "Pretty Soon, I Don't Know What, But Something Is Going to Happen" from Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child (2002)
27. Trivium - "Thrown Into the Fire" from The Sin and the Sentence (2017)
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
HEAVENSGATE - "VIOLENT JOY" from VIOLENT JOY (2023)
4.5/5. Now here's a playlist opener not to be missed. There's something so special about this band like, HOLY SH*T, some f***ing emotional fire! Such an excellent beast they unleash in absolutely brutal momentum. This hard banger can really shine on the top of this year as you storm the gates of Hell. This will get you hooked to the Make Them Suffer-like heaviness all the way up to the final violent 15-second breakdown.
Kingdom of Giants - "Wasted Space" from Wasted Space (2023)
4/5. Great song, good vocals, far better than Slipknot, enough said.
Architects - "Naysayer" from Lost Forever // Lost Together (2014)
4.5/5. We blast through the drumming and riffing of one of Architects' heaviest songs yet, but the atmospheric chorus and clean vocals also sink in and never lose their grip.
All That Remains - "Divide" from The Order of Things (2015)
4/5. This is more of a Skillet-like rock/metal song with a catchy melody. That's probably one of the first songs where bassist Jeanne Sagan's backing vocals are prominent, singing together with vocalist Phil Labonte in the chorus.
Apparitions - "Coda" from Coda (2023)
4.5/5. First song I've heard from this band and it's already quite addictive. From the intro riff, you're already heading into amazing catchy metalcore. Music touches your soul and gives you a better future. The instrumentation sits nicely alongside the cleans and screams letting out killer lyrics, "DESTINED TO TAKE THE FINAL FALL!!!" This cool sh*t is what you wish Bring Me the Horizon would bring back.
Imminence - "Lost and Left Behind" from Heaven in Hiding (2021)
5/5. I absolutely love this one! This is symphonic metalcore that I need more of.
Polaris - "Consume" from The Mortal Coil (2017)
5/5. This brilliant standout is pure technical metalcore. It's an incredible highlight with the best of the late Ryan Siew's guitar leads. He and rhythm guitarist Rick Schneider put their work out in sharp delivery that barely any other band could.
From Autumn to Ashes - "Lilacs & Lolita" from The Fiction We Live (2003)
4.5/5. I love this band, along with this song! The only problem is the soothing singing during the last chorus that's a bit unclear. Still this band knows what they're doing and how to do it. This is the kind of metalcore I can truly accept.
Bullet for My Valentine - "Waking the Demon" from Scream Aim Fire (2008)
5/5. The ultimate extreme metalcore track of its original album is its heaviest song with a monstrous riff and a crazy shredding solo. Matt Tuck and Jason James have a total scream-off in the verses.
Winds of Plague - "Anthems of Apocalypse" from Decimate the Weak (2008)
5/5. Decimate the Weak is an awesome symphonic deathcore album, from the music to its album cover. The band reach their height of brutality in the breakdown at the 3 and a half minute mark. Think of this band like As Blood Runs Black with background symphonics.
Dragoncorpse - "Blood and Stones" from The Drakketh Saga (2023)
4.5/5. The fast relentless symphonic deathcore sound continues, in a once-thought-impossible blend with power metal, complete with a brutal chant of "Blood in, blood out".
Brojob - "Teenie Weenie" from Talk Shit Get Kissed (2018)
4/5. "THIS IS THE SOUND OF A THOUSAND CLAPPING A**ES!!!!" The more brutal side of metal has taken on a more perverted theme than satanic, and it shows that you can add humor to such an extreme genre.
Chelsea Grin - "See You Soon" from Eternal Nightmare (2018)
4.5/5. It's currently nighttime as of writing this comment, and it adds to the song's f***ing haunting relevance. I enjoy the vocals by Tom Barber who was the former vocalist of Lorna Shore before joining this band.
Emmure - "You Got a Henna Tattoo That Said Forever" from Goodbye to the Gallows (2007)
4/5. This is some great metalcore/deathcore before taking on a more Limp Bizkit like nu-ish direction in later albums, bringing back some good memories for those who have listened to this genre earlier than I ever had. Deathcore has cool mesmerizing wonders. F*** the sh*t haters say! The brutality reaches its highlight throughout the last minute, "MY EYES STILL SCREAM... CHILDHOOD!!!" There are definitely some vibes from For the Fallen Dreams at that time, and I love both bands. Some lyrics do make historical quotes, "WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO ME? WHAT WAS THE POINT?!" "MOVIE QUOTES AND LYRICS STILL CONNECTING US LIKE CONSTELLATIONS!"
Upon a Burning Body - "Thunderheart" from Fury (2022)
4.5/5. Another amazing heavy banger, filled with hardcore chaos for your manly lifestyle, "THUNDERHEART!!!!!!" And HOLY SH*T, the chorus that first appears one minute in rules, along with the breakdown that starts the last minute.
Celldweller, The Browning - "Switchback" from Switchback (2023)
5/5. Celldweller and The Browning once again proves themselves to be a fantastic remix collaboration duo, with the latter adding a furious breakdown to enhance this Celldweller classic. This is truly powerful industrial metalcore/deathcore! I'll be headbanging a lot to this while crying tears of joy.
Parkway Drive - "Alone" from Deep Blue (2010)
5/5. This one has similar elements than that other "Alone" song from the Bullet for My Valentine album Fever; they're both the 6th and longest track in their 2010 third album considered metalcore. Coincidence?? Probably... Anyway, it blends riffing and vocals worth singing along to with a meaningful yet strange slow chorus.
Prospective - "Visions" from Beyond (2016)
4.5/5. Some more f***ing great metalcore with good screams. The bass tones make a djenty beast, straight from the first verse onwards.
We Blame the Empire - "As I Fall" from Inferno (2023)
4.5/5. I love the beautiful melancholy from the guitar melodies in this one.
The Devil Wears Prada - "Reaching" from Color Decay (deluxe edition) (2023)
5/5. I promised to listen to this band full-time, and thanks to this awesome song, that promise is finally fulfilled!
Amaranthe - "Iconic" from HELIX (2018)
4.5/5. A pleasant surprise for heavier metalheads, running wild through hyperspeed melodic thrash and powerful choruses.
Any Given Day - "Whatever It Takes" from Overpower (2019)
4/5. Another pleasant metalcore trip, with a nice soft break at the two and a half minute mark. Solid fire right here, with the growls having a bit of an Emmure vibe. I'll do whatever it takes to unearth more music like this.
Withdrawn - "Striation" from Seeds of Inhumanity (1999)
4.5/5. My favorite highlight of this early deathcore album. They lose some speed but in a controlled pace, leading to a mighty breakdown, before getting moody in the end. Perhaps one of the greatest early deathcore songs besides some of the ones from Embodyment's Embrace the Eternal!
Currents - "Remember Me" from The Death We Seek (2023)
4/5. I love the haunting heaviness in this song, along with lyrics and vocals to touch my soul. Thank you, Currents!
August Burns Red - "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" from August Burns Red Presents: Sleddin' Hill (2012)
4.5/5. Merry Christmas, metalcore fans! Enjoy this Christmas metalcore song to prepare you for a holiday battle.
Norma Jean - "Pretty Soon, I Don't Know What, But Something Is Going to Happen" from Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child (2002)
5/5. I often listen to one of my playlists half a dozen times between when I create it and when it gets published at the start of a month. A unique thing for a metalcore band like Norma Jean is how they can easily make a 15-minute sludgy metal/mathcore epic. I have been quite familiar with epics that long since when I was listening to power metal and progressive metal in 2014. This epic is so heavy and beautiful all the way! Light and darkness blended together, if you will. It's hard to find bands of this style that can pull off a spectacular stunt like that, except maybe August Burns Red's epic from their debut album. At the 4-minute mark, the riffs become more interesting to keep you hooked. Then it all quiets down at the 10-minute mark before rising up again into a climax hitting its peak at nearly 13 minutes in. A true metalcore/mathcore epic!
Trivium - "Thrown Into the Fire" from The Sin and the Sentence (2017)
5/5. After that glorious epic, there's still one more song left for this playlist, and it's this chaotic closer. Heafy showcases a lot of his screaming potential with not as many clean vocals as the previous songs. The song has an epic aggressive chorus and some flaming high-pitched progressive guitar solos which, to be honest, sound almost like part of the chorus from "The Root of All Evil" by Dream Theater.
HOLY SH*T, this is probably close to the best metalcore playlist I've ever done, with every track ranging from 4.5 to 5 stars, except for a few tracks throughout the playlist. 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!