August 2026 "Metalcore Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

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

Tracklisting:

1. Born of Osiris - "Machine" from Tomorrow We Die Alive (2013)

2. Hope for the Dying - "Vacillation" from Dissimulation (2011)

3. Silent Civilian - "The Song Remains Un-Named" from Rebirth of the Temple (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Adept - "Heaven" from Blood Covenant (2025)

5. ten56. - "Pig" from Pig (2025)

6. Unearth - "My Will Be Done" from The March (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

7. 7 Angels 7 Plagues - "A Farewell to a Perfect Score" from Jhazmyne's Lullaby (2001)

8. Shadows Fall - "To Ashes" from Somber Eyes to the Sky (1997)

9. Fear of Domination - "Last Words" from Katharsis (2026) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

10. Bleed from Within - "Flesh and Stone" from Shrine (2022) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

11. Motionless in White - "To Keep From Getting Burned" from When Love Met Destruction (2009)

12. Impending Doom - "Towards the Light" from Towards the Light (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

13. Humanity's Last Breath - "Earthless" from Valde (2021)

14. Mental Cruelty - "Eternal Eclipse" from Eternal Eclipse (2021)

15. Worm Shepherd - "The Dying Heavens" from The Sleeping Sun (2023)

16. Hollow Front - "LOST BOY" from Homewrecker (2017)

17. Bad Omens - "The Worst in Me" from Bad Omens (2016)

18. ERRA - "Prometheus" from Augment (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

19. Northlane - "Dispossession" from Discoveries (2011)

20. Dark Divine - "Permanent" from Permanent (2026)

21. Imminence - "False Light" from False Light (2026)

22. Resistor - "DEAD SOUL" from DEAD SOUL (2026)

23. Thrown - "Split" from Split (2026)

24. Ion Dissonance - "Failure in the Process of Identifying a Dream" from Breathing is Irrelevant (2003)

25. Knut - "Torvalds" from Terraformer (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

26. August Burns Red - "Sonic Salvation" from Season of Surrender (2026)

27. The Plot in You - "Carved" from The Plot in You (2026)

28. Emmure - "Drug Dealer Friend" from Speaker of the Dead (2011)

29. The Acacia Strain - "Cthulhu" from Continent (2008)

30. Whitechapel - "Articulo Mortis" from The Somatic Defilement (2007)

Here are my thoughts on all selected tracks:

Born of Osiris - "Machine" from Tomorrow We Die Alive (2013)

4/5. Although I haven't listened to much Born of Osiris lately, this is still a solid track from the band. A true example of technical metal/deathcore with shredtastic soloing!

Hope for the Dying - "Vacillation" from Dissimulation (2011)

4.5/5. It makes the perfect transition to this track with all its extreme technical speed. The screams and cleans are all in brilliant balance, already giving you all of this album's greatness to come. Then it all fades to orchestra and piano to get you ready for a heavy transition into the next track.

Silent Civilian - "The Song Remains Un-Named" from Rebirth of the Temple (2006)

5/5. The song remains one of the best of 2000s melodic metalcore, showing the genre in its true form.

Adept - "Heaven" from Blood Covenant (2025)

4.5/5. Melodic metalcore can never be the same as it was in the 2000s, yet it can spawn some heavenly tracks like this one.

ten56. - "Pig" from Pig (2025)

4/5. Some of the darkest lyrics and most aggressive I've heard in modern metalcore, targeted towards abusive b****rds that deserve to be hated.

Unearth - "My Will Be Done" from The March (2008)

4.5/5. This one really shows the melody right way. The whammy bar used in the solo must be inspired by Dimebag Darrell, and I think the band toured with Damageplan when that band was still active and Dimebag was still alive. Great tribute! RIP Dimebag.

7 Angels 7 Plagues - "A Farewell to a Perfect Score" from Jhazmyne's Lullaby (2001)

5/5. The drums and riffing start off simple before going reckless. The melodies really bring together beauty and brutality. The heaviness doesn't stop until at the end with a soft clean break from the intensity.

Shadows Fall - "To Ashes" from Somber Eyes to the Sky (1997)

4.5/5. Then there's probably the best song of this Shadows Fall album. The guitars and vocals both alternate between clean and distorted. For any All That Remains fans wondering, that's rhythm guitarist Matt Bachand doing the clean vocals, not Labonte who doesn't start doing clean vocals until the switch to metalcore for All That Remains. The guitar work on this song is great too.

Fear of Domination - "Last Words" from Katharsis (2026)

4/5. This groovy track is heavy in both the metal and the electronics. I can predict that song being a live staple!

Bleed from Within - "Flesh and Stone" from Shrine (2022)

4.5/5. "Why mourn the past when it’s the future that’s dead?" This is one of the best singles from the album Shrine, and I enjoy the death/black metal-ish experimentation.

Motionless in White - "To Keep From Getting Burned" from When Love Met Destruction (2009)

4/5. Motionless in White started off with some emo vibes in the clean singing alongside some colorful electronic keys, close to electronicore.

Impending Doom - "Towards the Light" from Towards the Light (2025)

4.5/5. Impending Doom has made some of the most brutal bangers in Christian deathcore, and there may be more of them in their upcoming album. The lyrics are quite heavy too, unleashing a(n un)holy battle cry.

Humanity's Last Breath - "Earthless" from Valde (2021)

5/5. This highlight shall make the most emotionless listener become emotional from this brutality.

Mental Cruelty - "Eternal Eclipse" from A Hill to Die Upon (2021)

4.5/5. Same thing with this one, going savage with their symphonic deathcore.

Worm Shepherd - "The Dying Heavens" from The Sleeping Sun (2023)

5/5. The best place for atmosphere and melody is this epic standout, all the while having blackened brutality. Purdue's guitar talents reach high levels of strength there.

Hollow Front - "LOST BOY" from Homewrecker (2017)

4.5/5. Modern metalcore insanity, the way it's meant to be done. I feel the urge to scream along to those vocals, and "I'VE LOST MY MIND!!!" almost made me lose my sh*t. Lots of talent here to blow me away, especially in the breakdown at over the one-minute mark. Some f***ing killer stuff, man. Thumbs up!

Bad Omens - "The Worst in Me" from Bad Omens (2016)

4/5. Even when I'm far off from listening to this band anymore, this song can still be a blessing.

ERRA - "Prometheus" from Augment (2013)

4.5/5. One of ERRA's best songs, an amazing track!

Northlane - "Dispossession" from Discoveries (2011)

5/5. The brief technical bass intro might catch some people off-guard, but the drums, guitars, and vocals make a perfect entrance! They kick things up to high gear without slowing down much. The band can really balance riff melody and killer breakdowns without ever wimping out.

Dark Divine - "Permanent" from Permanent (2026)

4.5/5. Seems like the "horror metalcore" scene is in full motion with the 3 leading bands of the pack; Dark Divine, Motionless in White, and Ice Nine Kills. The screams are so chilling, while the cleans are so calming, with the latter having wider range. A relationship may not be permanent, but the scars from it might be. I can hear some vibes from Dead by April and Beartooth. My only complaint is here is about the slight repetition.

Imminence - "False Light" from False Light (2026)

5/5. Total heavy darkness! This new Imminence album is gonna be a riot.

Resistor - "DEAD SOUL" from DEAD SOUL (2026)

4.5/5. The powerful weight of this aggressive track is so crushing.

Thrown - "Split" from Split (2026)

4/5. Thrown can also unleash ravaging aggression in just a brief length of two minutes.

Ion Dissonance - "Failure in the Process of Identifying a Dream" from Breathing is Irrelevant (2003)

4.5/5. It's never too late for mathcore chaos! Amazing lyrics and riffing, the latter especially at the f***ing killer ending.

Knut - "Torvalds" from Terraformer (2005)

5/5. And more of that mathcore chaos in this band. RIP Didier Séverin...

August Burns Red - "Sonic Salvation" from Season of Surrender (2026)

5/5. This shredtastic highlight has some oriental vibes. Polaris vocalist Jamie Hails unleashes his screams, even duetting with Jake Luhrs. The lyric "I NEED AN OUTLET FOR MY ANGER!!!" couldn't have been any more fitting for both vocalists' raging output. When Hails does his cleans, they're some of the only parts of the new ABR album having clean singing. Despite ending so quickly after all that blasting, it's perhaps one of the best metalcore tracks of the year!

The Plot in You - "Carved" from The Plot in You (2026)

4.5/5. What's one more beautiful banger before the brutal last leg of this playlist? There are some similar vibes to Volumes' more alt-ish tracks.

Emmure - "Drug Dealer Friend" from Speaker of the Dead (2011)

4/5. This is around the time when Emmure was still just sitting on the heavy side of the metalcore/deathcore fence, kinda like August Burns Red and Parkway Drive but with much less melody. Controversial lyrics aside, this one slays.

The Acacia Strain - "Cthulhu" from Continent (2008)

4.5/5. Another f***ing beast of a song, though we still have one more track to top off to brutality...

Whitechapel - "Articulo Mortis" from The Somatic Defilement (2007)

5/5. The vocal layers work the best here, especially at the end when vocalist Phil Bozeman says "And then you rot" in both his high screams and low growls before fading into feedback. Ain't that a spine-chilling way to end!

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!