March 2026 "Metalcore Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

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

Tracklisting:

1. Nails - "Imposing Will" from Every Bridge Burning (2024)

2. Fear of Domination - "Alone" from Katharsis (2026) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. In This Moment - "Beautiful Tragedy" from Beautiful Tragedy (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Lamb of God - "The Faded Line" from Ashes of the Wake (2004)

5. Phinehas - "White Livered" from Till the End (2015) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

6. Threat Signal - "Non-Essential" from Non-Essential (2026)

7. Left to Suffer - "Artificial Anatomy" from Feral (2023)

8. Blind Witness - "Since the Beginning" from Nightmare on Providence St. (2010)

9. BOI WHAT - "Carry Me Away" from Carry Me Away (2026)

10. Annisokay - "Get Your Shit Together" from Abyss - The Final Chapter (2025)

11. What Lies Below - "Void Alone" from Void Alone (2025)

12. Living Sacrifice - "Ghost Thief" from Ghost Thief (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

13. Trivium - "Struck Dead" from Struck Dead (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

14. Sylosis - "Erased" from Erased (2026)

15. Burnt by the Sun - "Goliath" from Heart of Darkness (2009) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. Jacob Lizotte - "Leech" from Leech (2025)

17. Black My Heart - "Thick as Blood" from Before the Devil (2005)

18. Shadow of Intent - "Where Millions Have Come to Die" from Elegy (2022)

19. A Wake in Providence - "Oblivion (feat. Mark Poida)" from The Blvck Sun || The Blood Moon (2019)

20. Make Them Suffer - "Maelstrom" from Neverbloom (2012) [submitted by Vinny]

21. Vision of Disorder - "Beneath the Green" from For the Bleeders (1999)

22. Vana - "Pray" from Pray (2025)

23. Converge - "We Were Never the Same" from Love is Not Enough (2026)

24. Avenged Sevenfold - "I Won't See You Tonight Part 2" from Waking the Fallen (2003)

25. Imminence - "Come What May (feat. Tim Charles)" from The Return of the Black (2025)

26. Ion Dissonance - "A Prelude of Things Worse to Come" from Solace (2005)

27. The Breathing Process - "Todeskrone" from Todeskrone (2023) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Nails - "Imposing Will" from Every Bridge Burning (2024)

5/5. Starting this playlist is my first time hearing Nails. I was a little nervous since they started off as a grindcore band, but now I can recognize the PURE F***ING VIOLENCE. And I'm saying that in a good way because it has absolutely floored me with brutal metalcore satisfaction. They nailed it!

Fear of Domination - "Alone" from Katharsis (2026)

4.5/5. Another h*ll of a strong energetic start. The verses screamed by both vocalists are in a great contrast with the catchy sung choruses for a well-balanced composition.

In This Moment - "Beautiful Tragedy" from Beautiful Tragedy (2007) 

4/5. Maria Brink can singing beautifully while also unleashing sharp screaming intensity. She both looks and sounds gorgeous! With all that said, I'm getting a little burned out from the alt-metal hinted at in this song and spreading into subsequent albums.

Lamb of God - "The Faded Line" from Ashes of the Wake (2004)

4.5/5. Some of Lamb of God's earlier songs actually sound closer to metalcore while maintaining their usual groove metal. "Silence, the only promise ever kept!"

Phinehas - "White Livered" from Till the End (2015)

5/5. Totally phenomenal and kick-A, from the intro to the ending breakdown, reminding some of My Heart to Fear.

Threat Signal - "Non-Essential" from Non-Essential (2026)

4.5/5. F*** yeah, they're back! This one throws back to their earlier days of Under Reprisal and might remind some of Silent Civilian.

Left to Suffer - "Artificial Anatomy" from Feral (2023)

5/5. If you're waiting for something brutal, you'll get it in this highlight. Soon the heaviness speeds up and then you hear the fast growling rage of guest vocalist Kim Dracula. Taylor Barber ends the track with a shrieking breakdown that practically makes that song their own "To the Hellfire"!

Blind Witness - "Since the Beginning" from Nightmare on Providence St. (2010)

5/5. I can still enjoy the sh*t out of this despite being over 15 years late. It's a f***ing beast! I can definitely hear some Neaera vibes here. It just sounds so cool. It would be great to hear more of this band, and I wish they didn't split up. The breakdown that appears twice in the song before replaying the main riff is crushing as f***.

BOI WHAT - "Carry Me Away" from Carry Me Away (2026)

4.5/5. The AI Plankton Metal reign is still standing in this beautiful song that includes female singing. Is that a guest vocalist or another AI voice filter? Hmm...

Annisokay - "Get Your Shit Together" from Abyss - The Final Chapter (2025)

4/5. Great song, but I think a collab between this band, Imminence, and Rammstein is in order.

What Lies Below - "Void Alone" from Void Alone (2025)

4.5/5. Sounds quite unique with only a slight touch of Architects.

Living Sacrifice - "Ghost Thief" from Ghost Thief (2013)

5/5. Living Sacrifice can very well be the kings of Christian metalcore, opening the gates for other bands of the scene like Demon Hunter and (formerly) As I Lay Dying. They're one of the most brutal Christian metal bands out there, using a stylistic format once thought impossible in Christian music. Demon Hunter is a more melodic band though they have their moments like featuring Living Sacrifice vocalist Bruce Fitzhugh. There should really be more soloing in some of Living Sacrifice's songs though.

Trivium - "Struck Dead" from Struck Dead (2025)

4.5/5. The title track of Trivium's new EP has mid-paced groove with Heafy bellowing the track's title, "STRUCK. F***ING. DEAD!!!". And when it switches to the big melodic chorus, it already seems like a remake of their ultimate best track that is the In Waves title track. That is, until it speeds up for a long brutal thrash/groove bridge. It's just pure rage throughout, with the most of that in the breakdown. Enjoyable, but can't beat the other two tracks in the EP and especially not "In Waves".

Sylosis - "Erased" from Erased (2026)

5/5. Sylosis is mostly known for their thrashy melodeath sound, but their new album The New Flesh adds greater amounts of groove metal and their earlier sound of melodic metalcore in songs like this. D*mn, those guys hit hard with all their strong talent.

Burnt by the Sun - "Goliath" from Heart of Darkness (2009)

4.5/5. It's sad that Burnt by the Sun are no longer active. Their songs are underrated heavy gems of metal/mathcore, hinting at both hardcore and deathgrind. That long growl by vocalist Mike Olender at the end is just EPIC.

Jacob Lizotte - "Leech" from Leech (2025)

4/5. Jacob Lizotte can master any modern metal genre in his songs, this one being heavy all-out nu metalcore. It's just so brutal, especially Jacob's vocals. Those screams RULE. It's almost like one of Motionless in White's heavier tracks.

Black My Heart - "Thick as Blood" from Before the Devil (2005)

4.5/5. If you think some of those other bands have the most pummeling breakdowns, Black My Heart be like "Hold our beers." This can practically be good for metalcore partying! I also love the different buildups to the faster sections.

Shadow of Intent - "Where Millions Have Come to Die" from Elegy (2022)

5/5. This standout has more dynamic brutality. The variation makes sure there isn't any unneeded repetition, along with vocals by Phil Bozeman of Whitechapel.

A Wake in Providence - "Oblivion (feat. Mark Poida)" from The Blvck Sun || The Blood Moon (2019)

4.5/5. This one is a sludgy anthem that includes blazing drumming. What makes it more of a highlight is the occasional clean singing by guitarist D'Andre Tyre as well as guest vocals by Mark Poida (ex-Aversions Crown).

Make Them Suffer - "Maelstrom" from Neverbloom (2012)

5/5. This is an absolute f***ing storm of epic and extreme, and I'm not saying it like a brown-nosing fanboy. This is more true epic deathcore power! A breakdown here might seem simple but it's another one of the most powerful in the album. It is the second of the three 6 and a half minute epics. Once again, the lyrics are so poetic that they can be published as poetry without the music. Those beautiful poetic lyrics are brutalized by the powerful screams of lead vocalist Sean Harmanis with a mighty voice ranging from black metal shrieks to death metal growls. The guitar work here is incredible too. The drumming is great, but it drowns out the bass.

Vision of Disorder - "Beneath the Green" from For the Bleeders (1999)

4.5/5. The best song of this Vision of Disorder album. My mind can embrace it as much as it embraces me.

Vana - "Pray" from Pray (2025)

4/5. Quite a f***ing hard-hitter, despite falling into the more Poppy-core side of things.

Converge - "We Were Never the Same" from Love is Not Enough (2026)

4.5/5. The closing track of the new Converge album maintains the band's metalcore roots while restoring some of the post-sludge from Bloodmoon. The best way to end this half-hour journey that is the original album!

Avenged Sevenfold - "I Won't See You Tonight Part 2" from Waking the Fallen (2003)

4/5. The second part of a two-part suite, the f***ing kick-A rage practically decimates the despair of the first part. Even the guitar from the first part is sped up! The lyrics have more suicidal tendencies (and I don't mean the band). Vocalist M. Shadows wouldn't be doing anymore of his brutal screaming after this, and it's not because of throat damage contrary to popular belief.

Imminence - "Come What May (feat. Tim Charles)" from The Return of the Black (2025)

4.5/5. The verses here are filled with heavy aggression, which is great for the band's longest song to date. I enjoy this guest vocalist edition more, in which Tim Charles of Ne Obliviscaris contributes his own singing and violin alongside Eddie Berg in both positions.

Ion Dissonance - "A Prelude of Things Worse to Come" from Solace (2005)

5/5. One of the darkest, heaviest, most brutal epics I've heard in the Revolution clan, long before The Acacia Strain started making those kinds of epics. I'm talking absolutely heavy sludginess that is THE SH*T. Quite a fitting swansong for their original vocalist Gabriel McCaughry. Indeed a prelude of heavier things to come in the next playlist...

The Breathing Process - "Todeskrone" from Todeskrone (2023)

5/5. But not before an epic throwback to the blackened side of this band's past, packed with sounds of deathly destruction.

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 to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!