February 2024 "The Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

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

Tracklisting:

1. Brojob - "Into the Hellfire (Kris Kringle Special)" from A Very Deathcore Christmas With Brojob 2 (2023)

2. Imminence - "Heaven Shall Burn" from Heaven Shall Burn (2023)

3. After the Burial - "Behold the Crown" from Evergreen (2019)

4. The Amity Affliction - "It's Hell Down Here" from Not Without My Ghosts (2023)

5. Like Moths to Flames - "Fluorescent White" from No Eternity in Gold (2020)

6. Resolve - "Death Awaits" from Human (2023)

7. Underoath - "In Division" from Ø (Disambiguation) (2010)

8. The Devil Wears Prada - "First Sight" from 8:18 (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

9. Emmure - "Gypsy Disco" from Hindsight (2020) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

10. Any Given Day, Annisokay - "H.A.T.E." from H.A.T.E. (2023)

11. Zao – "To Think of You Is to Treasure an Absent Memory" from Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest (1998) [submitted by Daniel]

12. Cave In - "The End of Our Rope is a Noose" from Until Your Heart Stops (1999) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

13. Norma Jean - "Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste" from Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child (2002) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

14. Fit for a King - "Keeping Secrets" Keeping Secrets (2024)

15. Veil of Maya - "Red Fur" from [m]other (2023)

16. Of Mice & Men - "My Understandings" from The Flood (2011)

17. We Came as Romans - "Never Let Me Go" from Tracing Back Roots (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

18. Killswitch Engage - "The Crownless King" from Atonement (2019) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

19. xNOMADx - "Acéphale" from Of Skylines and Embers (2023)

20. Sonic Syndicate - "Jack of Diamonds" from Love and Other Disasters (2008)

21. As I Lay Dying - "My Own Grave" from Shaped by Fire (2019)

22. Abigail Williams - "Procession of the Aeons" from Legend (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

23. Carnifex - "Infinite Night Terror" from Necromanteum (2023)

24. Slaughter to Prevail - "1984" from 1984 (2022)

25. Whitechapel - "Without Us" from Kin (2021)

26. Converge - "Grim Heart/Black Rose" from No Heroes (2006)

27. Rolo Tomassi - "Illuminare" from Astraea (2012)

28. I, Valiance - "Pure Misanthrope" from The Reject of Humanity (2015)

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Brojob - "Into the Hellfire (Kris Kringle Special)" from A Very Deathcore Christmas With Brojob 2 (2023)

4.5/5. Beginning this playlist is Brojob's brutal humorous Christmas parody of Lorna Shore's breakthrough hit "To the Hellfire". And HOLY SH*T, it hits f***ing hard! Will Ramos should definitely react to this, especially during the final demonic shrieking. I still prefer the original through.

Imminence - "Heaven Shall Burn" from Heaven Shall Burn (2023)

5/5. Honestly another godly piece of metalcore to enjoy! I need more of this band.

After the Burial - "Behold the Crown" from Evergreen (2019)

4.5/5. After the Hellfire has burnt Heaven, the Lord's crown still stands. When that awesome djenty harmonic riff strikes after, you know some brutal sh*t is going down on you. This even has some recent Trivium vibes. F***ing killer!

The Amity Affliction - "It's Hell Down Here" from Not Without My Ghosts (2023)

5/5. The chaos of Hell spreads into Earth, especially during the pandemic, and you wonder if there will ever be Heaven on Earth. F***ing thumbs up for this song!

Like Moths to Flames - "Fluorescent White" from No Eternity in Gold (2020)

5/5. This band and Fit for a King know how to write lyrics about personal struggles, with this song being about vocalist Chris Roetter's wife battling an auto-immune disease, and the "fluorescent white" referencing the lights in the hospital she is in. This fantastic original song is one of my favorites from this band. They sure know how to please their fans with their groove-ish metalcore sound that's almost as progressive as ERRA and Invent Animate. Absolutely wonderful! From the first 30 seconds, you know how technical the guitars and drums can get. They can really rock this sh*t f***ing hard with killer djent vibes.

Resolve - "Death Awaits" from Human (2023)

4.5/5. Another great banger to love. Enough said!

Underoath - "In Division" from Ø (Disambiguation) (2010)

5/5. Now this is superb! Aaron Gillespie was absent for this album in both the drums and clean vocals, but Spencer's cleans that he uses with his usual screams keep the manliness factor going. No lie, I watched the music video for this song on TV long ago (at around the same time as "Writing on the Walls") during my earlier epic metal taste, but it was until in the center between then and now when I became fully interested in this band during my current modern heavier era. While I enjoy this exciting sound, I love the band in the albums where Aaron is around, though their older stuff. This album is brilliant killer face-blasting metalcore, though it hasn't reached the epic height of Lost in the Sound of Separation but it's very close. They should definitely have more success than Tool. Christian metalcore for the win!

The Devil Wears Prada - "First Sight" from 8:18 (2013)

5/5. Another perfect metalcore song that I've seen the music video for many years ago. Mike Hranica can perform insane screams that would repel my mother who doesn't care for this extreme kind of music. Although I'm not Christian, the music and lyrics are easy to love and believe. The emotion really matches those lyrics. Truly there's nothing highly disappointing this band has done.

Emmure - "Gypsy Disco" from Hindsight (2020)

4.5/5. Frankie Palmeri knows how to let out his unsteady emotions in the anger of his music. I'm sure anyone who has been around in COVID times felt the same thing. Just don't give up on life, people. Stay alive!

Any Given Day, Annisokay - "H.A.T.E." from H.A.T.E. (2023)

4.5/5. Talk about an insane collaboration by two of my brother's current favorite metalcore bands! With that and their collaboration with Within Temptation in "Shed My Skin", Annisokay should team up with Imminence next.

Zao – "To Think of You Is to Treasure an Absent Memory" from Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest (1998)

5/5. This one has vicious drumming. That song was written in memory of a friend of the band who committed suicide. Those lyrics pay great tribute to the fallen, "When you shut your eyes and fell asleep, Dark clouds descended on the souls of the ones who held you close to their hearts."

Cave In - "The End of Our Rope is a Noose" from Until Your Heart Stops (1999)

5/5. In this 8-minute epic, there's an ambient soundscape Isis would have later, before a mid-paced blend of progressive metal and metalcore, sounding slow before a ricochet into chaos. Then we have a psychedelic stoner bridge before the nastily great heaviness rises once more.

Norma Jean - "Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste" from Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child (2002)

4.5/5. This is from Norma Jean's first album since changing out of their original name Luti-Kriss. Legendary breakdown there!

Fit for a King - "Keeping Secrets" Keeping Secrets (2024)

5/5. I'm glad to have discovered this band recently. Their Christian modern metalcore sound never disappoints!

Veil of Maya - "Red Fur" from [m]other (2023)

4.5/5. Another great sick track, especially the killer djentstep breakdown at the 2-minute mark.

Of Mice & Men - "My Understandings" from The Flood (2011)

4/5. A beautiful mellow song that can work as this playlist's intermission.

We Came as Romans - "Never Let Me Go" from Tracing Back Roots (2013)

4.5/5. RIP Kyle Pavone, a tragically fallen vocalist/keyboardist. This song is so wonderful, from the f***ing amazing intro. I'll never let go of this band's music. Those lyrics shall be fun more to sing and scream along to.

Killswitch Engage - "The Crownless King" from Atonement (2019)

5/5. Ever since Howard Jones left the band and Jesse Leach rejoined, Killswitch Engage has been bringing back some of the earlier heaviness. Chuck Billy of Testament has brought forward enough fury for this song to have potential in the DOOM soundtrack.

xNOMADx - "Acéphale" from Of Skylines and Embers (2023)

4.5/5. A sick track with otherworldly riffing and that clean/scream duet at the end, both marking this song an amazing gem.

Sonic Syndicate - "Jack of Diamonds" from Love and Other Disasters (2008)

5/5. One of the most bada** songs from this band, blending metalcore with the pure melodeath In Flames steered away from since Clayman. There are also some cool subtle keyboards, that are done a little better than Asking Alexandria at that time. The cleans and screams rule!

As I Lay Dying - "My Own Grave" from Shaped by Fire (2019)

4.5/5. Nice song from As I Lay Dying's comeback offering.

Abigail Williams - "Procession of the Aeons" from Legend (2006)

4.5/5. This one has intense speed, as guitar melodies shine over blast beat insanity. Everything's well-placed there!

Carnifex - "Infinite Night Terror" from Necromanteum (2023)

5/5. I think I just have a newfound favorite of deathcore. Carnifex is a brutal beast, especially in the drumming. The breakdown midway through is a total ripper. Man I just love this sh*t to bits!

Slaughter to Prevail - "1984" from 1984 (2022)

4.5/5. Did deathcore or even music this angry or violent even exist in the year 1984? Definitely not for the former. This song is actually about stopping violence and war, which is ironic for a band called Slaughter to Prevail. Still this is quite insane!

Whitechapel - "Without Us" from Kin (2021)

4.5/5. This one mixes clean atmosphere with stomping djenty deathcore aggression.

Converge - "Grim Heart/Black Rose" from No Heroes (2006)

5/5. If you're up for some sludgy mathcore, listen to this two-part almost 10-minute centerpiece! This epic once again proves the band's distinct brilliance in expanding their territory into epic horizons as they did with the title track of Jane Doe, while maintaining their identity to not sound like a Neurosis clone. The first part, "Grim Heart" is a song of evocative mourning performed by guest vocalist Jonah Jenkins (Only Living Witness and other bands) whose emotive vocals fit perfectly with the slow bleak march to give it a Mastodon vibe. Then at around the 6-minute mark begins the second part "Black Rose" which after calming down for a bit blasts off into rhythmic frenzy, ethereal guitar notes, and the torturous howls of Jacob Bannon. One of the most impressive Converge moments, though it can't beat the superior "Jane Doe" epic. And there's one more slow mathcore epic to come...

Rolo Tomassi - "Illuminare" from Astraea (2012)

5/5. An uplifting heart-stunning mathcore epic. The only other band that can blend screamed vocals with atmospheric melody is Architects. I'm starting to love this song and band! A unique journey through the astral plane...

I, Valiance - "Pure Misanthrope" from The Reject of Humanity (2015)

4.5/5. ...Until the Hellfire burns it down and starts to destroy everything in nothing but a f***ing heavy breakdown. Now that's the sickest way to end this playlist. A heavy banger of pure f***ing hate!

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 one 4-star track in the middle. 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!