June 2024 "The Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

(This graphic is from before we decided on the new playlist name, Metalcore Revolution, which will be used in subsequent playlist threads)

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

Tracklisting:

1. Make Them Suffer - "Epitaph" from Epitaph (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. Carnifex - "Torn in Two" from Necromanteum (2023) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. The Convalescence - "Anthem" from The Process (2014)

4. Within the Ruins - "Death of the Rockstar" from Halfway Human (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

5. Varials - "Empire of Dirt" from Pain Again (2017)

6. Thrown - "Parasite" from EXTENDED PAIN (2022)

7. Until I Wake - "Hope Ur Happy" from Inside My Head (2022)

8. The Autumn Offering - "Revelation" from Revelations of the Unsung (2004) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

9. Zao - "A Well-Intentioned Virus" from The Well-Intentioned Virus (2016)

10. Bring Me the Horizon - "Shadow Moses" from Sempiternal (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

11. Lorna Shore - "Sun//Eater" from Pain Remains (2022)

12. Darko US - "FUTURE DOOM" from Dethmask, Pt. 2 (2022)

13. All That Remains - "Divine" from Divine (2024)

14. Killswitch Engage - "Breathe Life" from The End of Heartache (2004)

15. Sonic Syndicate - "Damage Control" from Love and Other Disasters (2008)

16. Prompts - "Of Nothing" from Fracture (2022)

17. Seeing Things - "Consume" from Paranoia (2022)

18. Falling in Reverse - "Ronald" from Ronald (2024)

19. Invent Animate - "Shade Astray" from Heavener (2023)

20. After the Burial - "A Pulse Exchanged" from Evergreen (2019)

21. PhaseOne, Polaris - "Icarus" from PhaseOne x UNFD (2023)

22. Trivium - "Fall Into Your Hands" from In the Court of the Dragon (2021) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

23. Imminence - "The Black" from The Black (2024)

24. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Don't Get Blood on My Prada Shoes" from Put on Your Rosy Red Glasses (2003)

25. Daughters - "Fur Beach" from Canada Songs (2003)

26. Converge - "Phoenix in Flames" from Jane Doe (2001)

27. Circuit Circuit - "Blood in My Eye (Holy Human)" from Body Songs (2023) [submitted by Daniel]

28. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Hold the Line" from Danza 4: The Alpha - the Omega (2012)

29. Iwrestledabearonce - "Break It Down Camacho" from Ruining It for Everybody (2011)

30. The Acacia Strain - "Cold Gloom" from Gravebloom (2017)

31. Rorschach - "Ornaments" from Protestant (1993)

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Make Them Suffer - "Epitaph" from Epitaph (2024)

5/5. H*ll yeah! Make Them Suffer have another new single, and this one starts this playlist off hard.

Carnifex - "Torn in Two" from Necromanteum (2023)

4.5/5. Carnifex have their kick-A deathcore sound going on. And holy sh*t, you can hear some eerie orchestration in the background! That's how influential Lorna Shore is.

The Convalescence - "Anthem" from The Process (2014)

4/5. Now that I think about it, this track would be better off as the playlist's intro. Still it's another killer deathcore track.

Within the Ruins - "Death of the Rockstar" from Halfway Human (2017)

4.5/5. More like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar" in the chorus! We also have the astonishing shredding soloing followed by bad-a** riffing with thick guitar.

Varials - "Empire of Dirt" from Pain Again (2017)

5/5. Holy f***, this is so brutally awesome! From the first 40 seconds to the guest appearance by Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose, this is the kind of metalcore heaviness I'm always in search of. And those f***ing breakdowns are worth moshing to in the pit. The music and lyrics are all d*mn heavy. It's the perfect way to take your rage out on the state of the world. The final drum hits occur after 3 minutes than the song fades in an ambient outro. The song is a true example of what makes this genre revolutionary!

Thrown - "Parasite" from EXTENDED PAIN (2022)

4.5/5. The Knocked Loose-like brutal metalcore continues here with lower vocals. A killer track for a workout!

Until I Wake - "Hope Ur Happy" from Inside My Head (2022)

4.5/5. Another solid track you just gotta love and share.

The Autumn Offering - "Revelation" from Revelations of the Unsung (2004)

5/5. Now this is epic melodic metalcore ahead of its time! That's the kind of sound fans have heard as early as their teens. I was more into power metal when I was a teen, and didn't start my metalcore exploration until I became a young adult. The soft break at the 3-minute mark followed by the powerful bridge and dramatic outro is all glorious!

Zao - "A Well-Intentioned Virus" from The Well-Intentioned Virus (2016)

4.5/5. The lyrics are some of the best from this band, filled with anger and doubt. An excellent throwback to the band's perfect glory before their 2001 Self-Titled album.

Bring Me the Horizon - "Shadow Moses" from Sempiternal (2013)

5/5. This epic track is a great choice for its original album's first single and a true highlight. The verses are aggressive as always, but the infectious chorus would kick you hard in the face, leaving a big footprint. ("Can you see by the look in our eyes? We're going nowhere! We live our lives like we're ready to die. We're going nowhere!")

Lorna Shore - "Sun//Eater" from Pain Remains (2022)

4.5/5. The first single released for this victorious Lorna Shore album, having psyched fans up with its furious fret force and mythological lyric themes. A young choir of angels appear, chanting "Kyrie Eleison" ("Lord Have Mercy") in the beginning.

Darko US - "FUTURE DOOM" from Dethmask, Pt. 2 (2022)

4.5/5. Some nice brutal punches packed in this song. The verse at the two and a half minute mark is just b*lls-on hard.

All That Remains - "Divine" from Divine (2024)

5/5. F*** yeah, All That Remains are back! This perfect comeback single is basically This Darkened Heart (especially with that album's bassist Matt Deis rejoining) gone Killswitch Engage. This surely does justice to the legacy of their fallen guitarist Oli Herbert. RIP

Killswitch Engage - "Breathe Life" from The End of Heartache (2004)

4.5/5. And how about some more Killswitch Engage?! I love how the solo can sound beautiful without fast technicality!

Sonic Syndicate - "Damage Control" from Love and Other Disasters (2008)

5/5. Another epic piece of melodic metalcore. What else can I say?

Prompts - "Of Nothing" from Fracture (2022)

4.5/5. Now this one is a progressive nu metalcore beast! The cleans add a more melodic side to this hard banger. I'll be waiting for more of this to come...

Seeing Things - "Consume" from Paranoia (2022)

4.5/5. Here's another top-notch metalcore banger, from Seeing Things and Abbie Falls! This can certainly have people listening to this playlist on the edge of their seats. I love the fantastic breakdown in this one. So f***ing good!

Falling in Reverse - "Ronald" from Ronald (2024)

5/5. If you thought those previous two tracks were some of the heaviest in this playlist, this one is a massive explosion of death/metalcore with a rapping verse by Tech N9ne. But the epic climax comes in beyond the two and a half minute mark leading into a brutal breakdown more powerful than anything Lorna Shore has done, for real! Everything is so deathly and melodic all at once! Plus bit of an Underoath vibe in the first half. This killer track shall definitely see its upcoming album appear in this site.

Invent Animate - "Shade Astray" from Heavener (2023)

4.5/5. What's not to love about this amazing heavenly song?

After the Burial - "A Pulse Exchanged" from Evergreen (2019)

4/5. RIP Justin Lowe. The band really throw back to his stellar guitar work in the chaotic ending. Dan Carle has limbs of steel to be able to pull off those blasts well.

PhaseOne, Polaris - "Icarus" from PhaseOne x UNFD (2023)

4.5/5. PhaseOne is an electronic artist known for some collaborations with metal bands. This one with Polaris is f***ing heavy!

Trivium - "Fall Into Your Hands" from In the Court of the Dragon (2021)

5/5. While it's tough to pick highlights for perfect albums because of how strong the songs are that make the album as cohesive as true heavy metal classics from the 80s, this song comes close, a headbanging epic that is the longest song by the band to not be an album's title track or a cover song. It has vocally the best chorus of the album with all 3 vocalists (one lead + two background) uniting. You get to hear killer thrashy riffing along with lots of soloing and instrumentation good for air-guitar. Besides the album's intro, Ihsahn has performed strings that are buried in the background, but this song is where those strings really shine, especially in their own glorious outro.

Imminence - "The Black" from The Black (2024)

5/5. And here's some more majestic symphonic metalcore!

The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Don't Get Blood on My Prada Shoes" from Put on Your Rosy Red Glasses (2003)

4.5/5. Beginning the mathcore section of the playlist is this track of mind-blowing rage with awesome guitar. The band know how to tear down the walls of mathcore.

Daughters - "Fur Beach" from Canada Songs (2003)

4/5. A h*lla fast and short track. Enough said!

Converge - "Phoenix in Flames" from Jane Doe (2001)

4.5/5. This one is just drums and vocals, allowing Bannon's awesomely demented vocals to really shine.

Circuit Circuit - "Blood in My Eye (Holy Human)" from Body Songs (2023)

4/5. This one starts with a guitar riff loop that then squeals its way into speed. The vocalist's impressive range blasts in before another killer breakdown and some more riff crunch. Disorienting, but a better track for the band's nu metal-ish side.

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Hold the Line" from Danza 4: The Alpha - the Omega (2012)

4.5/5. A song about the people you care about going to war, dedicated to America's Armed Forces, it starts off brutal with heavy moments like around 40 seconds in. And while this band may be gone, at least we have Born of Osiris as a go-to band for metalcore technicality. Absolutely underrated! Throughout the second half is a long sad beautiful outro with samples of war. You can't end a mathcore song better than that!

Iwrestledabearonce - "Break It Down Camacho" from Ruining It for Everybody (2011)

4/5. These masters of female-fronted mathcore sure know how to break things down.

The Acacia Strain - "Cold Gloom" from Gravebloom (2017)

4.5/5. Another downtempo deathcore song from this band. It can't beat the monolithic "Observer", but it still has that epic's anger and depression, with some d*mn feeling-hitting lyrics, "There’s nobody out there, and no one can help. I am blistered from the frozen sun, find your own way home." The ambient break around the 3 and a half minute break is quite golden. It's so f***ing doomy, giving more character to the downtempo deathcore subgenre. I wouldn't change anything about this track, not even the drumming which takes its time without any forced speed. It also hints at the sludge doom direction the band would take in Failure Will Follow. An absolute blessing! Gravebloom is perhaps the point where their quest to become heavier, more brutal, and doomier, since The Dead Walk, has reached full circle. And it all wasn't just a dream...

Rorschach - "Ornaments" from Protestant (1993)

5/5. Triggering dissonant atmosphere in the best light is the most atmospheric swansong to end this band's short career and this playlist.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some slight drops in quality throughout. 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!