January 2021 "The Revolution" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/47AxsBZO5fsAmYWSz5x1rk?si=WiwC8rinRpm-fvXZyxrh1A

Tracklisting:

01. Chamber – “Numb (Transfuse)” (from “Cost Of Sacrifice”, 2020)

02. Bleed From Within – “Alive” (from “Era”, 2018)

03. The Dillinger Escape Plan – “Prancer” (from “One Of Us Is The Killer”, 2013) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

04. HORSE The Band – “Lord Gold Throneroom” (from “The Mechanical Hand”, 2005) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

05. Amaranthe – “The Nexus” (from “The Nexus”, 2013) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

06. Mikau – “Rodeo Kojima” (from “Phantoma”, 2020)

07. Bury Tomorrow – “Better Below” (from “Cannibal”, 2020)

08. Killswitch Engage – “My Last Serenade” (from “Alive Or Just Breathing”, 2002)

09. Thornhill – “Lily & The Moon” (from “The Dark Pool”, 2019)

10. Incendiary – “Zeitgeist” (from “Cost Of Living” E.P., 2013)

11. Beecher – “Let Them Drown” (from “Breaking The Fourth Wall”, 2003)

12. Shai Hulud – “For The World” (from “A Profound Hatred of Man” E.P., 1997)

13. Cursed – “The Void” (from “Two”, 2005)

14. Yakuza – “20 Bucks” (from “Samsara”, 2006)

15. Vision Of Disorder – “Imprint” (from “Imprint”, 1998)

16. Merauder – “Master Killer” (from “Master Killer”, 1995)

17. Integrity – “Systems Overload” (from “Systems Overload”, 1995)

18. Converge – “Last Light” (from “You Fail Me”, 2004)

19. Architects – “Gravedigger” (from “Lost Forever // Lost Together”, 2014)

20. Botch – “Transitions From Persona To Object” (from “We Are The Romans”, 1999)

21. Gulch – “Self-Inflicted Mental Terror” (from “Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress”, 2020)

22. August Burns Red – “Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins” (from “Thrill Seeker”, 2005) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

23. The Contortionist – “Flourish” (from “Exoplanet”, 2010)

24. Trivium – “Pillars Of Serpents” (from “Ember To Inferno”, 2003) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

25. Hatebreed – “Instinctive (Slaughterlust)” (from “Weight Of The False Self”, 2020)

26. Emmure – “Uncontrollable Descent” (from “Hindsight”, 2020)

27. Born Of Osiris – “Follow The Signs” (from “The Discovery”, 2011) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

28. All Shall Perish – “Awaken The Dreamers” (from “Awaken The Dreamers”, 2008)

29. Veil Of Maya – “Crawl Back” (from “The Common Man’s Collapse”, 2008)

30. Venom Prison – “Slayer Of Holofernes” (from “Primeval”, 2020)

31. Bleeding Through – “Set Me Free” (from “Love Will Kill All”, 2018) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

32. Fawn Limbs – “Corruption Aperture” (from “Sleeper Vessels”, 2020)

For my track thoughts here, I originally commented on a massive 20 of the 32 tracks here because there are so many bands I like and songs from bands that I might like. However, I realized that I tried so hard to enjoy the some of the songs from bands I haven't listened to before when really I didn't like them, and my comments on some of the songs from bands that I do listen to were outdated, most of which were copied from my own reviews and my opinions on those songs have changed since then. I might even give them up and sacrifice their discographies to make room for newer bands eventually if I feel like it, God forbid (NOT one of those bands). So I cut my amount of reviewed tracks to just 14 and rearranged the order of songs here to sound more complete. Here they are:

Hatebreed – “Instinctive (Slaughterlust)” (from “Weight Of The False Self”, 2020)

8/10. If Trivium could rip the heart from your hate, Hatebreed does just that then keeps stomping the heart hard while your hate bleeds to death. This is f***ing brutal old-school-inspired metalcore that would keep your wild bullhorns up. Though I still don't feel up to metalcore that brutal...

Gulch – “Self-Inflicted Mental Terror” (from “Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress”, 2020)

7/10. After the November playlist had the demo version, this newer version appears in their album Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress. It does fit well with the title, sounding too much like it was written by a mentally ill terrorist. I still can't handle this brutal grind-metalcore...

Chamber – “Numb (Transfuse)” (from “Cost Of Sacrifice”, 2020)

9/10. A heavy start to this playlist, one of the hardest metalcore songs I've heard so far, more than the heaviest hamburger! The drumming is so g****mn insane, pushing the boundaries of metalcore drumming and reminding me of Gojira's Mario Duplantier. Some listeners might pick up Code Orange and Norma Jean vibes from the chaotic mathy metalcore inspired from the late 90s. Then there's a 30-second unexpected beautiful ending. The two-minute breakdown has excellent hellfire. However, the chaos might be a little too spicy for me to handle as much as Zao. If the new Predator film could feature a Suicide Silence song, then the next one should have this song. Some listeners might also be reminds of a less technical Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. Chamber has made a metal hardcore extravaganza that's a little out of my bounds!

Bleed From Within – “Alive” (from “Era”, 2018)

8/10. Another killer song, but not enough to get more of this band. Enough said!

The Dillinger Escape Plan – “Prancer” (from “One Of Us Is The Killer”, 2013)

9/10. This smashing hit continues The Dillinger Escape Plan's tradition of swinging straight into action. Off beat melodies shine in a considerate pace. This band sure knows how to prance around with more chaos than grace!

Trivium – “Pillars Of Serpents” (from “Ember To Inferno”, 2003)

10/10. Ah yeah, "Pillars of Serpents", the first full song I talked about in my first Metal Academy album review, Trivium's Ember to Inferno! Not just that, I also suggested this song in the playlist in memory of former bassist Brent Young (RIP). The song itself is a chugging churning example of heavy metalcore, still audible enough for the ears. In fact you can hear a bit of the bass clearly in the mix. I personally like the original (the version used in this playlist) better than the 2017/2019 re-recorded version, not sure why, maybe I just wasn't into the scream and the F-word at the end of the re-recording.

Amaranthe – “The Nexus” (from “The Nexus”, 2013)

9/10. Some of the most crushing music helped out by a diverse vocal trio. It really sets apart from any music you hear nowadays. The top-notch lyrics have a positive tone of never giving up. An energetic song of metal heaven on pop earth!

Converge – “Last Light” (from “You Fail Me”, 2004)

10/10. 3 and a half minutes of mayhem are the result from probably the most impressively unique song in the album. The screaming vocal attack of Jacob Bannon ranges from manic to emotional through the lyrics. The song is indeed emotional and you already know what's going on just by listening to it.

Botch – “Transitions From Persona To Object” (from “We Are The Romans”, 1999)

9/10. This song greatly represents the organic nature of the album We are the Romans. Every riff is played naturally, never forced, as if the riffs are inventing themselves. After an eerie intro melody, the song continues into its awesomeness, riff after riff, all in a perfect groove mood. The heavy riffs lead to high dissonance in a passage that brings back the lower riffs and vocals. The song ends with frantic discord fading out to a drumbeat.

HORSE The Band – “Lord Gold Throneroom” (from “The Mechanical Hand”, 2005)

10/10. One of the most amazing songs from Nintendocore masters Horse the Band! I can definitely say that this song could be used in a Nintendo video game battle. Other than that, I got no other words to do this killer piece justice!

August Burns Red – “Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins” (from “Thrill Seeker”, 2005)

9/10. A blazing brutal song from August Burns Red BEFORE Jake Luhrs! The opening has a catchy riff and fast drums, leading into an earth-shattering breakdown. That's a fast song with interesting riffs that are never cliché.

The Contortionist – “Flourish” (from “Exoplanet”, 2010)

8/10. This song is a good heavier one, sounding closer to progressive deathcore/djent, with beautiful moments like the instrumental breakdown and that shoegaze-like solo. After that, close to the 5-minute point, they turn back to the sharper djent sound. Its album Exoplanet was remastered in 2015, and even though the remaster caused some mixed reactions, I still think this song has cool djent on both versions.

Veil Of Maya – “Crawl Back” (from “The Common Man’s Collapse”, 2008)

9/10. And here's another deathcore band that I enjoy, Veil of Maya. This song immediately introduces the band's second vocalist Brandon Butler with some semi-memorable lyrics. That's the deathcore I can tolerate!

Venom Prison – “Slayer Of Holofernes” (from “Primeval”, 2020)

8/10. And the third's time not the charm for deathcore... Vocalist Larissa Stupar does her attempt to do Cattle Decapitation-like vocals along with background cleans, but that's just too much and too spine-chilling. Still this song is somewhat amazing. I mean a female death-screamer must be quite a phenomenon, isn't it? Those are some sick killer screams that stay consistent and drag you through f***ing extreme Hell, if you're up for that challenge. D*mn, it's brutal! Larissa is one of the brightest shining stars of harsh vocals nowadays, in a pulverizing range from death to hardcore. So insanely killer! Her beautiful yet beastly vocals can pound f***ing harder than a gorilla's fists. Yep, those vocals are awesome, but it's just too chaotic, along with the rest of the song. I've reached my deathcore limit!

Despite the massive cutdown, that's quite a lot for me to review in this playlist! It hasn't beaten the original high score of December's playlist, but it came close. Thanks again Daniel for including my suggestions and many more songs for me to enjoy!