January 2024 "The Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1yFgscg5HWKGoIy2s0xRfG
Tracklisting:
1. Polaris - "Harbinger" from Fatalism (2023)
2. Born of Osiris - "Torchbearer" from Torchbearer (2023)
3. Upon a Burning Body - "King of Diamonds" from Southern Hostility (2019)
4. Imminence - "Temptation" from Heaven in Hiding (2021)
5. Norma Jean - "If You Got It at Five, You Got It at Fifty" from Wrongdoers (2013)
6. Half Me - "Concrete Ceiling" from Concrete Ceiling (2023)
7. Alt. - "Apep" from Abeyance (2023)
8. Currents - "A Flag to Wave" from The Way It Ends (2020)
9. Annisokay - "Human" from Abyss Pt. 1 (2023)
10. Our Promise - "Panic Waves" from Panic Waves (2023)
11. Emmure - "I Should Have Called Ms. Glen" from The Complete Guide to Needlework (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
12. BOI WHAT - "PLAN Z" from PLAN Z (2023)
13. Bullet for My Valentine - "Hand of Blood" from Hand of Blood (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
14. Abigail Williams - "The Conqueror Wyrm" from Legend (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
15. Zao - "Fifteen Rhema" from Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest (1998)
16. Killswitch Engage - "My Curse" from As Daylight Dies (2006)
17. As I Lay Dying - "Through Struggle" from Shadows are Security (2005)
18. Parkway Drive - "Flesh, Bone and Weakness" from Don't Close Your Eyes (2004) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
19. Trivium - "At the End of the War" from Vengeance Falls (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
20. God Forbid - "Soul Engraved" from Gone Forever (2004) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
21. Killwhitneydead - "Starring Robert Downey Jr. as "The Addict"" from Inhaling the Breath of a Bullet (2002)
22. PROJECT: VENGEANCE, Traitors, Nik Nocturnal - "Vessel" from Vessel (2023)
23. Carnifex - "Death's Forgotten Children" from Necromanteum (2023)
24. Monasteries - "Spiralled Icon" from Ominous (2023)
25. Darko US - "Come Home" from Oni (2022)
26. Hopesfall - "Escape Pod for Intangibles" from The Satellite Years (2002) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
27. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Glory Kingdom" from Glory Kingdom (2009)
28. Iwrestledabearonce - "Tastes Like Kevin Bacon" from It's All Happening (2009)
29. Rolo Tomassi - "Ex Luna Scientia" from Astraea (2012)
30. Converge - "Black Cloud" from You Fail Me (2004)
31. August Burns Red - "The Seventh Trumpet" from Thrill Seeker (2005)
32. The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Parasitic Twins" from Option Paralysis (2010)
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Polaris - "Harbinger" from Fatalism (2023)
4.5/5. Starting this playlist is this track with an atmospheric intro as bassist Jake Steinhauser sings his clean vocals over building synths. Soon the drums and guitars come in, and finally the moshing riffs and vocalist Jamie Hails' screams. The perfect opening storm that should work well live!
Born of Osiris - "Torchbearer" from Torchbearer (2023)
5/5. I'd like to thank Born of Osiris for continuing their djenty metalcore journey, and I hope there will be more of their music to come. They never cease to amaze me, and I might try exercising with this song in their playlist.
Upon a Burning Body - "King of Diamonds" from Southern Hostility (2019)
4.5/5. Here's some more of this Texas band's killer groove metalcore!
Imminence - "Temptation" from Heaven in Hiding (2021)
5/5. Once again, Imminence f***ing rules with their music! My favorite part is the heavy riff at the one and a half minute mark.
Norma Jean - "If You Got It at Five, You Got It at Fifty" from Wrongdoers (2013)
4.5/5. I can't get enough of this band's f***ing moshpit-worthy music. The buildup at over the one-minute mark leading up to a breakdown gets me every time.
Half Me - "Concrete Ceiling" from Concrete Ceiling (2023)
4/5. Back again for some more noise is this band Half Me. This almost makes me think of late Betraying the Martyrs but more brutal and less symphonic, with the vocalist sounding a bit like Ben English (ex-Invent Animate), sound the most brutal with his growling in the final breakdown throughout the last 30 seconds. One h*ll of a headbanger, right from the first verse, "THE FIRST SHOT CAST WAS A F***ING DISGRACE".
Alt. - "Apep" from Abeyance (2023)
4.5/5. You can very well recognize the searing screamed vocals by Jack Bergin from Void of Vision. His guest appearance along with the glowing melody are what make this song amazing. I also love the verses in this banger. This would be another intense addition to my possible exercising playlist. And although this band is from Australia, you might end up in thinking about this sound from bands from other places like America and Europe if not for that fact. Though I prefer a bit of the earlier metalcore of bands like Underoath, and we'll get to more of that sometime later. Still these guys know how let themselves be set apart from the league.
Currents - "A Flag to Wave" from The Way It Ends (2020)
4/5. Some more sick modern metalcore. Enough said!
Annisokay - "Human" from Abyss Pt. 1 (2023)
3.5/5. This song seems to bit of a miss for me, but I love the lyrics that are nothing more than poetic.
Our Promise - "Panic Waves" from Panic Waves (2023)
4/5. Some absolute power in this one! Like d*mn, you might pray for more of this killer insanity. A bit of a similar vibe to the heavier Linkin Park there.
Emmure - "I Should Have Called Ms. Glen" from The Complete Guide to Needlework (2006)
4.5/5. Emmure's earlier material from the second half of the 2000s shows them at their best. Throughout the second minute is one of the greatest moments ever for the band. Holy sh*t, the vocal brutality is insane, in a similar vein to Carley Coma from Candiria. Emmure still have great potential in their early 2010s albums, but not the same as before then. "Won't you go for a ride? Let's drink a cerveza!!! And shed our ways..." Good stuff!
BOI WHAT - "PLAN Z" from PLAN Z (2023)
4/5. So... Plankton has his own modern metal band now. Absolutely chilling, including a powerful breakdown! Now all we need is Plankton and Karen performing a cover of Motionless in White's "Cyberhex".
Bullet for My Valentine - "Hand of Blood" from Hand of Blood (2005)
4.5/5. This one has the usual hardcore guitar riffing that stands out in the metal instrumentation. It's so great hearing the cleans and screams alternating between each other in the verses.
Abigail Williams - "The Conqueror Wyrm" from Legend (2006)
5/5. This may be the slowest track in its original EP, but it's my favorite here, having heavier bridges and a beautiful chorus. This is true emotional modern symphonic black metalcore. Nothing wrong with adding hardcore heaviness for the sake of trying something new, right?
Zao - "Fifteen Rhema" from Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest (1998)
5/5. Where would bands be like Eighteen Visions, Bleeding Through, and Bring Me the Horizon without a song like this!?
Killswitch Engage - "My Curse" from As Daylight Dies (2006)
5/5. Although I didn't become fully interested in this band until last year, this song I've actually known since 10 years prior, and I still love it! There's an alternate version for radios that have all the screams replaced by cleans, but of course, you know I would choose the original version for this playlist. F***ing awesome melodic metalcore!
As I Lay Dying - "Through Struggle" from Shadows are Security (2005)
4.5/5. Unlike other metalcore bands that I've heard of from over 10 years ago that would plant the seed for my metalcore interest that began in 2018 (Bullet for My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, Trivium), I didn't hear anything from As I Lay Dying until within a few years before today. It's just as well since if I started hearing about this band at the time of Tim Lambesis' arrest, I would've severed my ties with their music before even starting. But I'm glad to not miss out on this band's blend of beauty and brutality.
Parkway Drive - "Flesh, Bone and Weakness" from Don't Close Your Eyes (2004)
5/5. This can very be my favorite song in its original EP. Haunting bass kicks in followed by the drums. The growls and harmonic singing (the latter by then-bassist Brett "Lagg" Versteeg) work well for a melodic spice-up that might remind some of Evergreen Terrace. Awesomeness continues to be found in the catchy yet heavy breakdown, along with more of the audible bass riffing.
Trivium - "At the End of the War" from Vengeance Falls (2013)
4.5/5. This one contains worthwhile clean vocals while still keeping some screaming, with Matt Heafy's voice growing and becoming more powerful.
God Forbid - "Soul Engraved" from Gone Forever (2004)
5/5. A killer song with catchy riffs. What really helps it stand out is the clean chorus by guest member Thomas Cummings, later known as Bad Wolves vocalist Tommy Vext, and Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis performing an awesome shredding solo which unfortunately fades out when it's still great.
Killwhitneydead - "Starring Robert Downey Jr. as "The Addict"" from Inhaling the Breath of a Bullet (2002)
4.5/5. The dark disturbing atmosphere works well for the riffs and samples in this two and a half minute highlight.
PROJECT: VENGEANCE, Traitors, Nik Nocturnal - "Vessel" from Vessel (2023)
4.5/5. The vocalists of deathcore bands Spite, Infant Annihilator, Left to Suffer, Lorna Shore, and Traitors have gathered together to form an insane brutal quintet. Also stepping in is I, the Breather guitarist and YouTuber Nik Nocturnal, adding in the instrumentation. HOLY SH*T, what a f***ing powerhouse this project is!
Carnifex - "Death's Forgotten Children" from Necromanteum (2023)
5/5. However, this is much more worth checking out! Carnifex have made such an evil heavy deathcore song featuring Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin, ex-Lorna Shore). This is solid perfection that has granted me the leeway to check out more of this band.
Monasteries - "Spiralled Icon" from Ominous (2023)
4.5/5. Some more underrated deathcore heaviness, featuring the insane screaming of Ingested vocalist Jason Evans. An absolutely brutal banger like a motherf***er! It's a shame that the band split up after releasing this album Ominous, so there's no more of this devastating dissonance. Maybe one day I might be up to getting that album, if my tolerance for the more brutal side of deathcore builds up more. There's even a bit of the mathcore of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Iwrestledabearonce.
Darko US - "Come Home" from Oni (2022)
4/5. Interesting how this band added in a soft ballad-ish song to a deathcore album, but it's a beautiful way to unwind. You can think of all the pleasant past memories you have that you can never bring back, as the vocals of Dayseeker vocalist Rory Rodriguez guide you through. Beautiful!
Hopesfall - "Escape Pod for Intangibles" from The Satellite Years (2002)
4.5/5. The soft break continues with one of my favorite tracks from this album. Here they transcend through the spacey alt-rock of HUM, even featuring their vocalist Matt Talbott, and while it sounds beautiful as a one-off thing, this would sadly affect their newer stuff that's almost entirely like that. The Satellite Years and their EP No Wings to Speak of are the two releases to have their earlier spacey metalcore sound that is sadly gone from them. F***, those 4 lines are so meaningful, "I left the horizon, curled up and frozen still, the tilting of the hourglass, with all this time to kill". And while this song should've been longer, that would cause those lyrics to be a little too repetitive.
The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Glory Kingdom" from Glory Kingdom (2009)
4/5. There's been talk about this song being Charlie Sheen, which is an interesting way to think about it.
Iwrestledabearonce - "Tastes Like Kevin Bacon" from It's All Happening (2009)
4.5/5. And this song directly references another actor in the song title! This is the kind of music that is enjoyable but hard to explain to your future kids. The final minute is one of the most impressive moments in all of metal. Some soft harp strums are heard before a sudden honking jingle from a jalopy to start a killer breakdown.
Rolo Tomassi - "Ex Luna Scientia" from Astraea (2012)
5/5. A fantastic song to love that has given me more hope in checking out this band! The members have insanely brilliant skills, almost in the same height as fellow British hardcore band Enter Shikari. The awesome spacey sound made me think about that Hopesfall song again. That soft spacey section occurs through the second third, between the heavier first third, and the final third that brings back the earlier screaming reminding me of that of Oli Sykes from Bring Me the Horizon.
Converge - "Black Cloud" from You Fail Me (2004)
5/5. A standout with the band's earlier aggression. The drumming by Ben Koller ranges from brutal to technical. The heavy guitars are incredible while Bannon continues his hard intense vocals shrieking incomprehensible lyrics. The lyrics are clearer during the structurally messy chorus ("Black cloud til' the end!!").
August Burns Red - "The Seventh Trumpet" from Thrill Seeker (2005)
5/5. I'm guessing they were influenced by old-school Avenged Sevenfold because of that song title. At 8 minutes, it is the longest track of this playlist, its' original album, and the band. The lyrics show the band's Christianity, written about the rapture, with metaphors about the blood moon, stars falling, and the incoming end of the world, a prime example being this lyric, "I take one last look at the moon and the stars begin to fall..." There's 5 minutes of brutal guitars and finally a melodic yet heavy passage that goes on until the end. That song is a total standout and my favorite song of its original album, an epic progressive song that sounds like something Meshuggah could've done. A perfect dramatic album ending!
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Parasitic Twins" from Option Paralysis (2010)
4.5/5. The playlist isn't actually over until this sinister closer that mixes eerie experimental soundtrack with doo-wop harmonic vocals. It may sound unsettling to some listeners, but a satisfying ending nonetheless.
Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in a couple places. Anyway, I recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but is up to getting into a great start for 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!