January 2025 "Metalcore Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

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

Tracklisting:

1. Hollow Front - "Afflicted" from Loose Threads (2020)

2. The Browning - "MISERY.exe" from OMNI (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Shadow of Intent - "Flying the Black Flag" from Flying the Black Flag (2024)

4. Carnifex - "Dragged into the Grave" from Die Without Hope (2014) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

5. Aviana - "Ominous" from Polarize (2017)

6. Alleviate - "DMNS" from DMNS (2024)

7. Haste the Day - "For a Lifetime" from When Everything Falls (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

8. Thrown - "Dislike" from EXCESSIVE GUILT (2024)

9. Malevolence - "Eternal Torment" from Reign of Suffering (2013)

10. Signs of the Swarm - "Bleak Cycle" from Senseless Order (2016)

11. Oceano - "Plague Campaign" from Depths (2009)

12. Elwood Stray - "Reset" from Burn the Bridge (2017)

13. Kingdom of Giants - "Hope" from Every Wave of Sound (2013)

14. Black Veil Brides - "Knives and Pens" from Re-Stitch These Wounds (2020) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

15. Enter Shikari - "Sorry, You're Not a Winner" from Take to the Skies (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. Dal Av, Jackson Rose - "Insanely Illegal Cage Fight" from Insanely Illegal Cage Fight (2023)

17. All That Remains - "Forever Cold" from Forever Cold (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

18. Trivium - "Forsake Not the Dream" from In Waves (2011) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

19. Vicious Rain, Half Me - "Hysteria" from There is Beauty in Letting Go (2024)

20. Vianova - "Wheel of Fortune" from Wheel of Fortune (2024)

21. Imminence - "Lighthouse" from Turn the Light On (2019)

22. Shadows Fall - "In the Grey" from In the Grey (2024)

23. Ankor - "Shoganai" from Shoganai (2024)

24. Architects - "Whiplash" from Whiplash (2024)

25. Earth Crisis – "Eden's Demise" from Firestorm E.P. (1993) [submitted by Daniel]

26. Void of Vision - "As Above So Below" from Children of Chrome (2016)

27. Converge - "Locust Reign" from The Poacher Diaries (1999)

28. Psyopus - "Medusa" from Odd Senses (2009)

29. Ion Dissonance - "Play Dead... And I'll Play Along" from Solace (2005)

30. Car Bomb - "Spirit of Poison" from 'w^w^^w^w' (2012)

31. Underoath - "To Whom It May Concern" from Define the Great Line (2006)

32. Make Them Suffer - "Small Town Syndrome" from Make Them Suffer (2024)

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Hollow Front - "Afflicted" from Loose Threads (2020)

4/5. Let me start by saying how overlooked some bands can be, including Hollow Front. There's great intensity from both the clean and unclean vocals.

The Browning - "MISERY.exe" from OMNI (2024)

4.5/5. H*ll of a fun electronic metal/deathcore banger featuring the downtuned guitar talents of Nik Nocturnal.

Shadow of Intent - "Flying the Black Flag" from Flying the Black Flag (2024)

5/5. Apparently, fellow deathcore band Disembodied Tyrant co-wrote this f***ing bada** song.

Carnifex - "Dragged into the Grave" from Die Without Hope (2014) 

5/5. Another awesome deathcore track! "Remember when I said I wanna watch myself choke."

Aviana - "Ominous" from Polarize (2017)

4.5/5. The vocals here are so beastly, reminding me of Invent Animate.

Alleviate - "DMNS" from DMNS (2024)

4.5/5. The metalcore journey continues with this amazing rifftastic banger.

Haste the Day - "For a Lifetime" from When Everything Falls (2005)

5/5. "We will forever stay united, we won't back down, and we will not stop fighting!" This is one of my favorite Haste the Day songs. I like when they sound like Parkway Drive with higher screamo vocals.

Thrown - "Dislike" from EXCESSIVE GUILT (2024)

4.5/5. Nothing to dislike about this brutal banger!

Malevolence - "Eternal Torment" from Reign of Suffering (2013)

4/5. My dad's been making me to do the dishes lately. Metalcore hard-hitters like this should help motivate me. The blend of Hatebreed's hardcore and Lamb of God's deathly groove sounds so kick-A, maybe even the melody of August Burns Red and Bleed from Within. And there are two more albums from this band besides Reign of Suffering.

Signs of the Swarm - "Bleak Cycle" from Senseless Order (2016)

4.5/5. Amazing song, but it's a bit problematic with the guest vocals by Chris Gonzalez, whichever band he's from.

Oceano - "Plague Campaign" from Depths (2009)

5/5. This awesome deathcore banger is so beautiful and brutal. The final third of this track should definitely work as a boss battle theme, alongside some f***ing sick lyrics, "Mankind's demise is reoccurring". Lots of ultra-heavy destruction!

Elwood Stray - "Reset" from Burn the Bridge (2017)

4.5/5. I love this one, despite a bit of strain in trying to sound like the late Chester Bennington, RIP.

Kingdom of Giants - "Hope" from Every Wave of Sound (2013)

4.5/5. Same with this one, but this time adding in spoken samples.

Black Veil Brides - "Knives and Pens" from Re-Stitch These Wounds (2020)

5/5. Just like the original, the re-recording has similar riffing to that Avenged Sevenfold song "Unholy Confessions", and that actually beats that one! This is what got me interested in this band, despite dumping those metalcore roots in subsequent albums. SO AWESOME!!!

Enter Shikari - "Sorry, You're Not a Winner" from Take to the Skies (2007)

5/5. Myspace trance-metalcore can be a winner with this beautiful banger. Enter Shikari have really kickstarted the electronicore scene in the UK, the way Attack Attack! kickstarted it in the US.

Dal Av, Jackson Rose - "Insanely Illegal Cage Fight" from Insanely Illegal Cage Fight (2023)

4.5/5. If Dal Av and Jackson Rose team up to make their own full album, it would be quite brutal.

All That Remains - "Forever Cold" from Forever Cold (2024)

5/5. I absolutely look forward to the new All That Remains album Antifragile, and this is the song that has gotten me the most pumped up. Jason Richardson has done well in maintaining the legacy of the late Oli Herbert, RIP.

Trivium - "Forsake Not the Dream" from In Waves (2011)

4.5/5. This one once again unleashes the heavy drums and powerful guitars. It's a little inconsistent and repetitive, but still a better song nonetheless.

Vicious Rain, Half Me - "Hysteria" from There is Beauty in Letting Go (2024)

4/5. Anyone who enjoys Vicious Rain and Half Me will get a sweet kick out of this one.

Vianova - "Wheel of Fortune" from Wheel of Fortune (2024)

4.5/5. First time hearing this band, and this song is so wild and weird, leveling up the progressive metalcore of Protest the Hero and Sikth.

Imminence - "Lighthouse" from Turn the Light On (2019)

5/5. This one is the heaviest track on its original album. It makes all the soft tracks in that album cower in fear. Holy sh*t, the chorus is so massive! Pretty much everything is so great, with my favorite part being when the violin leads into a huge orchestrated section. That's the epitome of epic ambient metalcore!

Shadows Fall - "In the Grey" from In the Grey (2024)

5/5. Shadows Fall is back with a vengeance! And now we need to God Forbid to return for real.

Ankor - "Shoganai" from Shoganai (2024)

4.5/5. Ankor can make an epic talented mini-journey within a song. Just from the one-minute mark, it's insane! I also like the brief throwback to "Oblivion" in over the 3-minute point. Then less than a minute later, bassist Julio Lopez sings part of the chorus, right before it starts hitting the climax. I almost cried in joy.

Architects - "Whiplash" from Whiplash (2024)

5/5. This ground-breaking banger had made sure the band isn't dead. F*** yeah!

Earth Crisis – "Eden's Demise" from Firestorm E.P. (1993)

4.5/5. This one tries to teach us that veganism might be the way to save the environment. Is that Straight Edge or what!?

Void of Vision - "As Above So Below" from Children of Chrome (2016)

4/5. Light up the f***ing heavy fire, all the way up to the outro! Too bad this band will soon disappear from activity.

Converge - "Locust Reign" from The Poacher Diaries (1999)

4/5. Sweet screaming power! Plus an audio sample from Sixteen Candles at the end.

Psyopus - "Medusa" from Odd Senses (2009)

4.5/5. F***ing insane intro! Odd Senses is another killer mathcore album.

Ion Dissonance - "Play Dead... And I'll Play Along" from Solace (2005)

5/5. Another awesome band that I wish I could've found earlier. Wild mathcore with bits of tech-death!

Car Bomb - "Spirit of Poison" from 'w^w^^w^w' (2012)

4.5/5. This one also briefly used clean vocals without reducing the usual monstrosity.

Underoath - "To Whom It May Concern" from Define the Great Line (2006)

4.5/5. This 7-minute epic is where atmosphere twists from heavy to smooth for an emotional atmosphere to enjoy, summing up the lyrical themes greatly for a new hope.

Make Them Suffer - "Small Town Syndrome" from Make Them Suffer (2024)

5/5. Finally, we end the playlist and the song's original album with the best Make Them Suffer has to offer. Not just from the two vocalists, but also the impressive instrumentalists that help run the machine.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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!