The Revolution
The Revolution Threads
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Make Them Suffer - "Doomswitch" (from Doomswitch, 2022)
5/5. Let's start with a f***ing masterpiece of a banger! Make Them Suffer has returned with a new keyboardist/co-lead vocalist Alex Reade.
Bring Me the Horizon - "Can You Feel My Heart" (from Sempiternal, 2013)
4.5/5. This one already hints at the new plateau the band's just reached in their journey. Vocalist Oli Sykes pours his soul out as he cries out the first verse, "Can you hear the silence? Can you see the dark? Can you fix the broken? Can you feel... Can you feel my heart?!" during an explosion of sonic atmosphere.
We Came as Romans - "To Plant a Seed" (from To Plant a Seed, 2009)
4/5. RIP Kyle Pavone. It's good to look back at where this late young man's journey began, from "the first note that I ever played, the first note that was ever sang". This music deserves much more attention that it has had. It's so good, this seed the band has planted! There are better songs from their later albums like Tracing Back Roots, but let's forever breathe in the beauty of this dude's clean voice...
Caliban - "Arena of Concealment" (from A Small Boy and a Grey Heaven, 1999)
3.5/5. This one has sick screams and the Slayer riffing to creep in your skin and get you headbanging, especially in a pummeling breakdown.
Abnegation - "When the Smoke Clears" (from Verses of the Bleeding, 1998)
3/5. This one is the promising start of one of the most brutal (and weakest) deathcore/death metal albums I've heard, my favorite song of that album as well as the shortest while still having guitar aggression.
Annisokay - "Like a Parasite" (from Aurora, 2021)
3.5/5. Recently my brother has been adding a few metalcore bands/songs to his playlist, and It's good that I discovered this from him, I mean what's not to love? The mix of clean and unclean vocals duel well like a boss. The screams remind me of We Came as Romans' other vocalist Dave Stephens, though Dave does them much better.
ERRA - "Divisionary" (from ERRA, 2021)
4/5. H*ll, these lyrics add relevance to what's happening in this world, and should really blast its way through the galaxy to be heard. Those magical vocals can remind some of Saosin, especially at the one-minute ending verse.
Any Given Day - "Savior" (from Overpower, 2019)
4.5/5. Another wicked metalcore track my brother likes lately, and probably one of my favorites in that category. Everything is emotional!
August Burns Red - "What Child is This (Greensleeves)" (from Winter Wilderness, 2018)
5/5. Since we're already approach "the most wonderful time of the year", it's time for some Christmas metalcore from the style's Christian masters August Burns Red! The drumming is especially creative, adding blast beats that are very unusual to hear in Christmas music. This fresh take on "Greensleeves" is one of the best moments of this EP, nailing it well like a boss. The wacky brass instrumentation adds a bit of a folk vibe. Merry metal Christmas!
Trivium - "Betrayer" (from The Sin and the Sentence, 2017)
4.5/5. This is one of the more furiously astonishing tracks that once again bring back the aggression from their earlier material.
Embodyment - "Embrace" (from Embrace the Eternal, 1998)
5/5. The ultimate climax in this track is where, at a 3-minute mark, a mid-paced melodic yet dissonant riff plays that alone would be the big bang for bands like Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, and maybe even Knocked Loose, way better done than Abnegation.
Lorna Shore - "Cursed to Die" (from Pain Remains, 2022)
5/5. In this epic shining highlight, the speed and precision from the band's rhythm section work like a charm. The breakdown fits well right in the middle of this epic glory without being abrupt.
From Here On - "Further Away" (from Hope for a Bleeding Sky, 2000)
4/5. This one has the ultimate best breakdown I've heard in any of the Tommy Rogers/Paul Waggoner bands. Other than that, it's mostly uninspired deathly metal/hardcore.
Converge - "Dead" (from Petitioning the Empty Sky, 1996)
4.5/5. This one has bright melody before jumping slowly into another breakdown spiraling into high-pitched guitar dissonance. Then it all crashes into mind-blowing chaos to end the song.
Deadguy - "Doom Patrol" (from Fixation on a Co-Worker, 1995)
5/5. It starts with a direct punch in the face as speedy riffs sear through riff harmonic dissonance. The intense vocals by Tim Singer (who shouts, not sings) is just what metallic hardcore really needs, working especially well in the slow breakdown.
Bleeding Through - "Buried" (from Love Will Kill All, 2018)
4.5/5. This one brings back the crushing heaviness from their first 3 albums.
Parkway Drive - "The Sound of Violence" (from Ire, 2015)
4/5. Here we have some violent fury that sounds exciting for the band to play live.
Rorschach - "Drawn and Quartered" (from Protestant, 1993)
5/5. Things get weirder here when the Slayer-ish thrash chaos ends up reaching a technical style before becoming a doomy elegy.
Unbroken - "In the Name of Progression" (from Life. Love. Regret, 1994)
4.5/5. This one is slightly more speedy and progressive, and it really hints at the metallic hardcore progression the band was shooting for. There's more madness to come...
After the Burial - "Deluge" (from Dig Deep, 2016)
4/5. A catchy riff opens this song that has a good mix of raw heaviness and clean melody. I wish I could've gotten into this band's music more.
Shadows Fall - "The First Noble Truth" (from Of One Blood, 2000)
4.5/5. This one has a lot you would expect in a melodic metalcore song.
Bad Omens - "Exit Wounds" (from Bad Omens, 2016)
4/5. Another great metalcore track, and I'm sure other fans of the style would agree.
Wage War - "Circle the Drain" (from Manic, 2021)
4.5/5. I love this one! It's amazing to hear even a ballad-like song sound so bad-a**.
Coalesce - "Harvest of Maturity" (from In Tongues We Speak, 1996)
4/5. This one has more relaxed maturity with midpaced riff variation to be explored along with more of the technical drumming. That's what I prefer!
My Enemies & I - "Carbon Copy" (from Sick World, 2015)
4.5/5. The clean and unclean vocals are in a solid balance beyond words that you can never get over. I am stoked to find Disturbed and Cancer Bats influences in the same song. It's quite amazing, especially in this hard breakdown bridge before the final chorus. Somehow this reminds me of a mix of Breaking Benjamin's "The Diary of Jane" and Bring Me the Horizon's "Shadow Moses". Keep it coming, guys!
Attila - "Jumanji" (from Rage, 2010)
4/5. The chorus is too punky and relaxing even though it's not supposed to be relaxing, but the breakdowns are straight-up f***ing brutal as sh*t ("SHUT THE F*** UP!!! THIS IS NOT THE TIME OR PLACE TO START THIS WAR!"). Secrets are no fun, but this song is fun and it's no secret. Jumanji is used as a metaphor here for drugs and strip clubs.
Convictions - "The Price of Grace" (from I Won't Survive, 2021)
4.5/5. I really appreciate all this song has to offer, from the band's work and the listeners' feedback. It relates to anyone who has lost a loved one. Even the brutal breakdown is quite a tear-jerker.
Everyone Dies in Utah - "Planetary" (from Supra, 2021)
4.5/5. Another relatable song for the dark times many of us have been through. The great emotion strikes me through the heart, and that's nice to hear.
The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "I'll Make My Own Hours" (from Worse Than Alone, 2009)
5/5. This is the perfect end of this band's last album in their initial run, in a depressing yet epic message, "Ten thousand times i could tell you over!" An awesome moment is the solo surrounding the 3-minute mark. It's so fantastic I could cry! But this playlist ain't over yet...
Like Moths to Flames - "Spiritual Eclipse" (from No Eternity in Gold, 2020)
5/5. Like Moths to Flames is an underrated with heavy songs and vocal anger. This band and Polaris are parts of the reason why metalcore is still alive and timeless in the 2020s. They can pull off a sonic headbanging closer to the album and this playlist, and it shows!
Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
I struggled with this one a bit to be honest. The drumming is certainly nice & brutal but the symphonics are pulled straight out of European power metal which takes most of that edge off & everything sounds far too clinical. It's records like this one that make me question the relevance of the -core reference in the deathcore tagging too because this E.P. is about as far away from the DIY hardcore punk ethos as you're likely to find.
For fans of Worm Shepherd, Mental Cruelty & Make Them Suffer.
3/5
To be honest, I wasn't sure about giving this Strife album In This Defiance a listen and a review because their debut One Truth wasn't all that great and I even thought it was too hardcore to be metal, hence that judgement submission. But when I put this album on play, boy was I blown away! This is a higher, more metallic step from their debut, and it has just what I'm looking for from this band. Everything is at the right tone for Strife. This is a full tight metallic hardcore sound with brisk tempos. Rick Rodney has his hardcore bellowing skills that are often hard to understand, but at the same time, so compelling, all in 10 songs of metal/hardcore fury. There are a few prominent guests assisting in the action; ex-Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera, Fear Factory guitarist Igor Cavalera, and most notably, Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno. The two other tracks each from separate ends of the album are just horror movie sound effects that almost makes the album a soundtrack for such a film, though those pointless interludes don't affect the rest of this album perfection that makes In This Defiance an astonishing stunner. This is standard E-tuned thrashy metal/hardcore at its best. I'm glad to find the greatness of Strife!
5/5
And that's the last of these albums that I had planned for this metalcore rediscovery voyage. Once again, I'm gonna try discovering a few extra releases from those times to add more year variety in later Revolution playlists, and that would be a different small journey that isn't part of this thread. Anyway...that's all in this thread, folks!
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Underoath - "Heart of Stone" (from Act of Depression, 1999)
4.5/5. After some strange witch-cackling, the opener for this playlist and Underoath's most deathly album, Act of Depression, starts off the extreme metalcore action greatly. That's what I expect for this album!
Code Orange - "Forever" (from Forever, 2017)
5/5. This one starts a spectacular gauntlet, opening with a furious fistful of riffing. You can't ignore all that confidence, especially with the declaration of "CODE ORANGE IS FOREVER!!!" and the brutal breakdown that follows.
Silent Planet - "The New Eternity" (from When the End Began, 2018)
4.5/5. Insane drumming and an insane amount of lyrical references in this song. This band rules!
After the Burial - "In Flux" (from Evergreen, 2019)
4/5. I really need to return to listening to this band someday. This is a purely insane banger with good vocals.
Clear - "Falling Into Ashes" (from Deeper Than Blood, 1999)
3.5/5. The only good track in a sh*tty album that I wonder why I even reviewed it.
One Second Thought - "Step Back" (from Self Inflicted, 1999)
3/5. Same with this one.
Lorna Shore - "Death Portrait" (from Immortal, 2020)
5/5. Now this is the epicness I prefer rather than the symphonic power metal I've brushed aside! This is a brutal work of splendor to fit well with a dangerous battle against demons on top of a snow mountain under a solar eclipse. Probably the most impressive deathcore band for me by many miles! The vocals sound filthy and disgusting. However, what's really filthy and disgusting is what this album's vocalist has done that got him fired. Nonetheless, this song shows deathcore's transcendence to fame.
Caliban - "Partisan" (from The Split Program, 2000)
3.5/5. This cover of a Heaven Shall Burn's song is very good, though not as much as most of those bands' split EP.
The Human Abstract - "Crossing the Rubicon" (from Nocturne, 2006)
4/5. This one continues the complex time changes while getting caught in guitar tornadoes. An 8-bit version was used as the theme song for Youtuber AngryJoeShow.
From Autumn to Ashes - "Short for Show" (from Abandon Your Friends, 2005)
4.5/5. Starting off with an early Avenged Sevenfold-like metalcore riff, and...well, the rest of this song is metalcore too in an excellent heavy example.
Trivium - "The Defiant" (from What the Dead Men Say, 2020)
5/5. I absolute love this one. It is my second-favorite track in its original album (behind the title track), recalling the older days of Ascendancy, blending with the modern songwriting and fantastic lyrics found in this album. Even the unclean vocals are beautiful. With all that and the perfect instrumentation overall, that would make older fans ecstatic and newer fans in love.
Coalesce - "Have Patience" (from Give Them Rope, 1997)
4.5/5. This impressive assault blasts off and has made quite an impact for my first time with this album, delivering heaviness beyond 11. If anyone thought Spinal Tap made heavy history, that track would prove them wrong.
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "The Electric Boogaloo" (from Danza II: Electric Boogaloo, 2007)
4/5. I miss this song, and while this isn't their absolute best song, what levels this track up is the vocals by Bruce Fitzhugh of Living Sacrifice, a band I gotta hear more of because I f***ing enjoy his vocals.
Candiria - "Year One" (from Beyond Reasonable Doubt, 1997)
4.5/5. An irresistible blend of metal and jazz continues to form with incisive riffs and rhythms as changes surround the sound.
The Showdown - "Dagon Undone (The Reckoning)" (from A Chorus of Obliteration, 2004)
5/5. Hear what I mean about Bruce Fitzhugh's guest vocals?! This is one of the best Christian metalcore songs I've discovered, and I'm up for much more...
Demon Hunter - "Sixteen" (from Storm the Gates of Hell, 2007)
4.5/5. This one sounds more original, starting with a long experimental chamber cello/guitar one and a half minute intro before vocals come in, including those awesome edgy guest vocals by Bruce Fitzhugh of Living Sacrifice in the pre-chorus, in contrast to the clean chorus. The breakdown has interesting lyrics.
Integrity - "Evacuate" (from Den of Iniquity, 1994)
4/5. This Negative Approach cover closes the band's 1994 compilation smoothly, but there's more in this playlist to come...
Strife - "Calm the Fire" (from One Truth, 1994)
3.5/5. This one is not so calm for the most part, but there's heavier fire here to end this close-to-mediocre hardcore offering. Again, there's more left in this playlist...
All That Remains - "What If I Was Nothing" (from A War You Cannot Win, 2012)
4/5. Let's break things up a bit with this ballad that has a similar vibe to Five Finger Death Punch ballads.
Starkweather - "Tumult" (from Crossbearer, 1992)
4.5/5. You'll definitely hear p*ssed-off metalcore starting shortly after the intro verse of the opener of the first album to mix metalcore with alt-metal.
Deformity - "Misanthrope" (from Murder Within Sin, 1999)
4/5. Taking its name from an earlier EP, this is an athletic hooker where brutal breakdowns are in great balance with the other aspects.
Scarlet - "The Joy Decoys are Coming" (from Cult Classic, 2004)
4.5/5. I f***ing love this kind of metallic mathcore, and this is almost guaranteed to make a cult classic.
Uni/Vs - "Ghost of Me" (from Ghost of Me, 2022)
4/5. The YouTube algorithm has once again worked the great rare way and given me a song close to what I like via an ad! Great guitar and drums, with both the unclean and clean vocals filled with clear emotion. It's not everyday that someone from a slightly remote country like Malaysia (that someone being me) can find great metalcore from different parts of the globe. Heavy fast verses and soft slow sections all around in a f***ing cool balance. This should be worth giving to my brother for another one of our city drives, and he might enjoy it slightly more. You can definitely hear some vibes from August Burns Red, Fit for a King, and definitely Architects here.
Architects - "A New Moral Low Ground" (from A New Moral Low Ground, 2022)
3.5/5. Speaking of Architects, this is a good metalcore anthem from their new alt-/industrial metal album, though not as glorious as songs from their metalcore releases.
Wage War - "Youngblood" (from Blueprints, 2015)
4/5. It's a little weird that I, a metalcore fan, started listening to this band thanks to my alt-metal-loving brother, though of course, it's a different song, not this one. There's nothing bad about this song at all, and it makes sure the band will never be forgotten.
Asking Alexandria - "The Lost Souls" (from The Black, 2016)
4.5/5. This symphonic anthem has perfectly delicate reflections of the band's past.
Issues - "Someone Who Does" (from Headspace, 2016)
5/5. Now here's some poppy alt-metalcore magic right here! This, along with "Coma", are my two favorite songs in that album.
The Word Alive - "Dark Matter" (from Dark Matter, 2016)
5/5. Continuing that poppy metalcore vibe with a darker audio aesthetic. I love it!
Botch - "Hives" (from American Nervoso, 1998)
4.5/5. This is a killer closer to this playlist and a good album of mathcore madness, but I wish it would have a more interesting ending like a piano melody or something after the rest of the instrumentation fades, but that didn't happen. Oh well...
Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
Bleeding Through - "Love Will Kill All" (2018)
I’d heard quite a bit of Californian metalcore outfit Bleeding Through while preparing the monthly The Revolution playlists but had never felt the need to investigate them further upon until this point. Perhaps I’ve been put off by their associations with the more melodic side of the genre or it may be because they simply don’t seem all that likely to appeal to my taste. I’m not too sure but my commitment to the Hall of Judgement & a site with the highest level of accuracy in regard to our genre-tagging has finally brought me face to face with my very first Bleeding Through album & I’m gonna do my best to keep an open mind.
As is very much the norm with the more well-known metalcore acts, “Love Will Kill All” is a really well-produced & executed record with polished & shiny performances from all of the band members. It’s a big, in-your-face collection of short & catchy metal tunes that’s made to appeal to a particular audience. You see, while Bleeding Through certainly integrate various external influences into their sound to good effect, they also showcase all of the signature traits of the metalcore genre at the same time so fans will never find themselves feeling the slightest bit alienated. I wouldn’t describe Bleeding Through as sticking to the conventional metalcore model here but neither would I say that the album is a melodic metalcore release either. It kinda sits in the middle with the band jumping from a straight down the line aggressive tune to a more melodic one with a clean-sung chorus hook quite consistently. If anything I’d probably suggest that the melodic side wins out in the end but a dual tagging is probably the most appropriate result.
The points of difference for “Love Will Kill All” are twofold. On the one hand you have a clear melodic death metal influence with At The Gates seeming to be the obvious point of reference through the driving, up-tempo yet melodic tremolo-picked riffage. Then we also see a clear melodic black metal influence in the use of gothic symphonics & well-executed blast-beats. Cradle of Filth is undoubtedly the source of those sounds. Having never been the biggest Cradle of Filth fan, I have to admit to struggling a bit with the overly melodramatic gothicisms on offer even though they do make for something a little different which is certainly required with a record like this one. The clean choruses on the more melodic tracks remind me quite a bit of Fear Factory so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that they were somewhat of an inspiration too.
One of the problems here though is the more generic elements of Bleeding Through’s sound as they kinda overshadow their more creative ones. The breakdowns are very much the standard model for metalcore & whenever they pop up I find myself snoozing a bit. The vocals of front man Brandan Schieppati are also terribly common. I mean he sounds EXACTLY like every other metalcore vocalist in America & that’s a big detractor for me personally. There are a couple of really enjoyable tracks here though & they generally occur when Bleeding Through simply release the shackles & go for broke like they do on album highlight “Buried” or the pretty decent “Cold World”. The rest of the album seems to drift into areas of insignificance though I’m afraid, even though there’s nothing particularly terrible here either.
At the end of the day I just don’t think I’m the target audience for a record like “Love Will Kill All”. I'd imagine that it’s exactly what the band were trying to achieve & that it’s disappointed very few of their rabid fanbase but it’s simply not something that would generally appeal to me. In fact, the only reason I’ve even found myself listening to it is to assist Andi with his Hall of Judgement entry to have it removed from The Horde & in that undertaking Andi will be receiving a resounding YES vote from me as (despite the At the Gates influence) there’s absolutely no way that this is a death metal record.
For fans of Unearth, The Agonist & early Shadows Fall.
3/5
Here's my review:
Belgian trio Arkangel seem to have built up a fairly strong reputation in the underground metalcore scene over the years with all of their releases being held in quite high regard by those in the know. I recently realised that I hadn’t actually checked them out before & found the links to thrash & death metal to be quite the drawcard. Their most critically acclaimed debut E.P. seemed to be a good starting point given its short run time so I thought I’d start there with this month’s The Revolution feature release seeming like the perfect opportunity for us all to explore 1998’s “Prayers Upon Deaf Ears” together.
My first impressions of Arkangel weren’t great it has to be said. The production job on “Prayers Upon Deaf Ears” is subpar at best with the levels being all over the place, a fairly ordinary snare sound & the vocals blaring over the top at obscene volumes. The level of musicianship isn’t real flash either to be honest & this leaves the band sounding a bit unprofessional to tell you the truth. Some of the six tracks simply don’t gel with the vocals sounding like they could be screaming over a completely different song to the one their band mates are trying to produce. I think the production probably accentuates that effect further too. The vocals are admittedly quite aggressive & are one of Arkangel’s strengths but I can’t find seem to find myself getting all that excited about them which tells me that they’re being done an injustice by their accompaniments.
Arkangel’s sound is pretty vicious for the late 90’s & is strongly influenced by extreme metal. The guitar tone is very much in line with US thrash/groove metal outfit Exhorder & some of the riffs remind me of them too actually. You can also expect some pretty blatant Slayer worship going on at times while some of the tremolo-picked single notes riffs seem to have been plucked straight out of the early Entombed playbook. That all sounds great on paper & I would have thought it would have amounted to an enjoyable release for me but it wasn’t to be with the last few tracks seeing my hopes being further dashed & leading into one of those awfully meaningless hidden tracks after a pause of about a minute.
I imagine that releases like “Prayers Upon Deaf Ears” build their reputations on pure vitriol but I need a bit more quality to keep me interested so I can’t help but feel that it’s an overrated record. The technical deficiencies are too blaringly obvious & the overall package seems more like a demo than a proper release.
For fans All Out War, Day Of Suffering & xRepentancex.
3/5
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Atka - "1xs{aix:ccc}3xs{/a1:cc}4xs{Ij8}4xs{:::comtlkcc}" (from Untitled Album 1, 2018)
2.5/5. WARNING: This intro track suggested by Daniel (thanks for that, by the way) may be too intense for most music listeners, so if you can't handle the extra-spicy grind-mathcore, you might wanna skip it. Or if you want a more melodic start, go to track #4 and start there, then save these first 3 tracks for last.
Between the Buried and Me - "More of Myself to Kill" (from Between the Buried and Me, 2002)
4/5. Of course, this isn't as intense as that Atka track, but it's Between the Buried and Me at their most bonkers, when their original sound was basically deathly progressive metalcore. Still the "Memories keeping all these tears inside" section would have you raising your fist to this beauty. The cleans are really great, and I remember when I was listening to this band in my late teens. This pandemic sh*t really decimated the band's live plans, for they had the chance to remaster their first 4 albums and work on their recent album Colors II. The pace makes sure those 7 minutes don't last forever. Paul Waggoner has done excellent guitar tabs, not just in that aforementioned clean section, but during the first minute and half as well. This album and The Silent Circus show the band's heaviest material. The remastering has really paid off, and g****mn, the return to heaviness midway through gets my attention all the time.
Botch - "Hutton's Great Heat Engine" (from American Nervoso, 1998)
4.5/5. This fantastic highlight, "Hutton’s Great Heat Engine" has great chaotic moves including the guitar dive-bombing into a sludgy riff breakdown. Guitarist Dave Knudson has such extraordinary talent. He performs so naturally and helps the band gain its sense of individuality.
The Ghost Inside - "Avalanche" (from Dear Youth, 2014)
5/5. The Ghost Inside has some of the most blazing fire in metalcore and have managed to stay in their road through success. This album was released a year before the band's terrible accident. It's great that they've recovered after those subsequent years and continue to make f***ing awesome music like this. Dear Youth is a solid step up from Get What You Give, and would stay in that path for their self-titled comeback album.
Beartooth - "In Between" (from Disgusting, 2014)
5/5. The catchy chorus is so great within the melody and lyrics, in perfect balance with the raging verses. Gotta get more of this band!
Silent Planet - "Native Blood" (from The Night God Slept, 2014)
4.5/5. Another heart-toucher! The timeless music and powerful lyrics are amazing ("We were dressed in potential, now we're draped in sorrow").
Oh, Sleeper - "Hush Yael" (from Children of Fire, 2011)
5/5. I discovered this awesome band when my brother shared this song to me and made his own 8-bit version of it. For those who don't know what the story is about, Samir Kuntar was a terrorist who killed half a family when he was 16 in the 1979 Nahariya attack. He shot and drowned the father, then crushed the daughter's head. Yael is the other daughter whom her mother (the only survivor of the family) accidentally choked while trying to silence her cries. Kuntar was sent to prison for life, but was freed after nearly 3 decades. I didn't wanna have to spoil this much, but I guess it's good to know before you get to the song.
Caliban - "Assassin to Love" (from The Split Program, 2000)
4.5/5. A good thrash/groove riff rises after a great scream beginning this song. There are two f***ing brilliant breakdowns, but afterwards, the song sounds a bit draggy.
Deadguy - "Human Pig" (from Screamin' with the Deadguy Quintet, 1996)
5/5. This one gets you started in the same way as their debut, to level up your energy. After siren-like wailing of the guitar, the drumming gets all crazy, and vocalist Tim "Pops" Naumann (replacing Tim Singer) screams all over the place up to the end.
Unbroken - "End of a Life Time" (from Life. Love. Regret, 1994)
4.5/5. This one is also so good, and the more hardcore fans might keep coming back more.
Miss May I - "Relentless Chaos" (from Monument, 2010)
5/5. Another newfound favorite that would make me up for more of this band!
Betraying the Martyrs - "Embers" (from Silver Lining, 2022)
4.5/5. Nice melodic drama, though I miss when their earlier material had more prominent symphonics mixed with death/metalcore. The addictive cleans and killer screams make an amazing mix, especially in the huge chorus. Despite the ambience, the excellent metalcore heaviness is still around, and I love the exciting breakdown over the two-minute mark, energizing me more than coffee! This shows that, while the earlier epic vibe is lost, their new direction can be quite promising.
Underoath - "Writing on the Walls" (from Define the Great Line, 2006)
5/5. One of the best songs of this album and by the band! That's the music video I found on TV a few years before getting interested in this band, and it still rules! The vocals are really delivered well.
Fire From the Gods - "Excuse Me" (from Narrative, 2016)
4.5/5. If you wish to start with the more commercial metal sounds without going into older territory, this is a great place to start with multiple vocal styles, mixing rap with metal and hardcore. I'm not usually into a lot of this style besides Attila, how the f*** is this so good?! So radical!
Coalesce - "Every Reason to" (from Give Them Rope, 1997)
5/5. This band can pummel with every instrumentation aspect, including the heavy groove bass of Stacey Hilt, the smashing drums of James Dewees and the technical destruction in the guitar riffs by Jes Steineger. Altogether with Sean Ingram's mighty roars.
Psyopus - "Insects" (from Our Puzzling Encounters Considered, 2007)
4.5/5. It's too bad this band didn't get a lot of attention and ended up splitting up after only 3 albums. This is crushing technical mathcore, probably more technical than even tech-death bands like Cattle Decapitation and Job for a Cowboy. I'm enjoying this despite being half a world apart from this band. This is basically jazzy grind/mathcore more well-played and tolerable than Atka, with lots of notes. This really should've grabbed the world's attention than Kanye West, though it might cause a major p*ss. Those video-game-sounding guitars and vocal shrieks are not to be missed!
Electric Callboy - "Hypa Hypa" (from MMXX, 2020)
4/5. Once again my brother is really in the zone listening to this band, and while it's not exactly what I'm up for, this song would've definitely dominated Eurovision.
Motionless in White - "B.F.B.T.G.: Corpse Nation" (from Scoring the End of the World, 2021)
4/5. I'm glad to find this band last year. Their new album has a lot to touch my industrial alt-metalcore soul.
Scarlet - "Don't Hold Your Breath" (from Breaking the Dead Stare, 2000)
4.5/5. This is the best song in this EP, filled with top-notch raw math/metalcore brutality! Honestly, this is the kind of metalcore sound bands like Underoath, All That Remains, and Lamb of God were starting out at that time. Yep, that's brilliant mathcore right there!
Volumes - "Happier?" (from Happier?, 2021)
5/5. 100% loving this song, probably one of the best of last year! An incredible song to jam along to in a happy Summer after a depressing time. This emotional groove can pretty much make me shed tears of joy. I really love the lyrics, including that magical chorus. Volumes will never disappoint, instead making me happier!
Haste the Day - "Stitches" (from Pressure the Hinges, 2007)
5/5. Another beautiful song from another underrated band, worth listening to during an early morning motorbike ride.
State Craft - "Season's End" (from To Celebrate the Forlorn Seasons, 2000)
4.5/5. The ending epic to this album is the only one there that stands out well. The outro reminds of that of Trivium's Ember to Inferno. And speaking of Trivium...
Trivium - "The Shadow of the Abattoir" (from In the Court of the Dragon, 2021)
5/5. This brooding masterpiece of a song is the first of not one, not two, but THREE 7+ minute epics in the new Trivium album! This one might just have Heafy's best vocals EVER!! The verses go slow like a power ballad from Blind Guardian or Slough Feg with deep baritone vocals before rising to higher power in the chorus in a depressive journey ("Don't go searching for the battle, you won't find any beasts to slay, you'll rip yourself to pieces, you'll drive yourself insane, in the shadow of the abattoir...") The heavier bridge is more complex with key-switching breakdowns and extensive soloing that ends by perfectly replicating the chorus vocal harmony, before the final chorus itself where the background vocal harmony of bassist Paolo Gregoletto puts more emphasis in the harmony than before. EPIC!!
Crown the Empire - "Lucky Us" (from Retrograde, 2016)
5/5. Another song I just found that I now love. Lots of emotional passion that can make an instant favorite!
Bury Tomorrow - "Lionheart" (from The Union of Crowns, 2012)
5/5. Yet another instant #1! I want more of this band really bad.
Wage War - "Manic" (from Manic, 2021)
4.5/5. This song would have you repeating it over and over. F***ing great sh*t to headbang to! This is like a movie soundtrack to getting ready for fight and, during the heavy choruses and breakdown, fighting the enemies brutally. The Ghostemane vibes are quite accurate. I have a feeling there will be mosh-pits larger than any of the World Wars...
Make Them Suffer - "Bones" (from How to Survive a Funeral, 2020)
4.5/5. This one starts with Sean shouting "I CAN'T BREATHE!!", which in the wake of certain protests, might make you think that's what the song is about, but most likely not. Anyway, that song is one of the grooviest tunes by the band and my personal favorite of this album. The punchy guitar tones and jumpy drums sounds like the song might've been inspired by Issues. It is greatly memorable for its catchy chorus, where the instrumentation gets brighter and Sean sings cleanly for the first time, sounding like August Burns Red's Jake Luhrs' attempts in clean singing, in contrast to the darker djent-core passages. The final chorus especially would be worth singing along to once the band can go on gigs again. Speaking of August Burns Red, I love both MTS' "Bones" and ABR's "Bones", they're both great!
Oceans Ate Alaska - "Dead Behind the Eyes" (from Disparity, 2022)
5/5. Another song of kick-A greatness from Oceans Ate Alaska! It features I Prevail unclean vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe. I can repeat this part of the playlist any time! The clean vocals only appear during the last 20 seconds of the song and make a big impact.
Lorna Shore - "...And I Return to Nothingness" (from ...And I Return to Nothingness, 2021)
5/5. And finally, we have the title track to behold in all its epic glory. This is pure massive destruction that the band had in earlier material, perhaps much more than that. The death metal elements carry on in a steady rhythm, as the vocals are unleashed with berserk might, and the guitars shine even more. The riffs have incredible technical speed. Ramos doesn't have any mistakes in his vocals and the dark lyrics he reads. It's all in intentional thought and focus. His lines are made high while breaking through the lows. While the breakdown fury is an important aspect to the other two songs, and pretty much many other deathcore bands, for this track, fast blasting technicality is the key. Speaking of technicality and keys, the final climatic minute marks a couple raises in the key signature, blows you away with the last of the technical speed, and ends it all with an operatic outro. That final epic is probably the best of the 3 and one of the most glorious extreme metal songs in my entire lifetime!
Ice Nine Kills - "IT is the End" (from The Silver Scream, 2018)
5/5. OK, THIS is the final song of the playlist, a chaotic crown of disturbing glory, "IT is the End", and I think you already know what it's based on. It has many elements but they're used much better and features a few final guest vocalists, Peter "JR" Wasilewski and Buddy Schaub of Less Than Jake and Will Salazar of Fenix TX. It is indeed the craziest and most horrific of the album, and I love it! I made an entire scenario for this album, but I've spoiled enough, so check out my review. Happy Halloween!
HOLY SH*T, this is probably one of the best metalcore playlists I've ever done, with most of the tracks reaching 4.5 or 5 stars, and only a few tough speed bumps including a rough start (sorry, Daniel). Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying 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!
I've always enjoyed this little collaboration between two of the more highly regarded names in metal. The usual Dillinger intensity is somewhat off-set by the avant-garde experi(mental) stylings of Patton which makes for some really interesting listening as you never quite know what to expect next. In fact, I was surprised to discover that Patton's influence has extended far further than I would have thought likely as you could be forgiven for thinking this was a Mr. Bungle record during certain sections. The Aphex Twin cover version was a nice surprise too although it doesn't quite match the original for twisted scare-factor. "Irony Is A Dead Scene" is a unique alternative for fans of either artist & should satisfy those who enjoy Converge, Mr. Bungle & Car Bomb.
4/5
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Asking Alexandria - "Don't Pray for Me" from From Death to Destiny (2013)
5/5. Now this is an awesome way to start an album and playlist! The one-and-a-half minute intro is basically like a main menu theme for one of the HALO games, then FFDP-ish alt-metalcore is unleashed. Asking Alexandria is one of my recent favorite bands, and this song helps seal the deal!
Phinehas - "I am the Lion" from Thegodmachine (2011)
4.5/5. Another fantastic melodic metalcore song to love! The guitar leads two minutes on are hard to replicate, that's what unique this band is.
Coalesce - "Simulcast" from Coalesce (1995)
4/5. This track is in its original demo form, but still the only incredible song here, with some changes into an occasional sludgy sound that would hint at the band's incoming technical experimentation and emotion.
Parkway Drive - "Wild Eyes" from Atlas (2012)
4.5/5. This one has epic background chants and a cool bridge. The lyrics continue the theme of was from the past causing atrocities in the world today, this time in an anthem that you can sing and shout along to. VIVA THE UNDERDOGS!!
Silent Planet - "Afterdusk" from When the End Began (2018)
5/5. Imagine taking the metal/hardcore sound and lyrics of Underminded and The Warriors into Christian ambient progressive territory. This is the kind of greatness you're bound to love if you're up for that style.
Upon a Burning Body - "Fake Plastic Smile" from Straight from the Barrio (2016)
4.5/5. Danny Leal is a kick-A vocalist in sick songs like this one, though some lyrics are questionable. Both his unclean and clean vocals are f***ing kick-A, especially the Breaking Benjamin influence in the latter.
From Autumn to Ashes - "Milligram Smile" from The Fiction We Live (2003)
4.5/5. From Autumn to Ashes is another band that deserves more fame and f***ing respect. This heavily flawless song would fit well for that xXx snowboarding scene as much as the Hatebreed song that was chosen for that scene. The band has already reformed after a hiatus and intends to make more music. I can't believe I'm 23 and didn't discover this band until earlier this year. The indifferent listeners don't know what they miss. I kinda wish for more of that singing girl who appeared in a couple other songs.
Deadguy - "Turk 182" from Screamin' with the Deadguy Quintet (1996)
5/5. This one makes the band sounds more unique than most other hardcore/metalcore bands, but not the most unique themselves. That's good because everything gets balanced well for perfect enjoyment.
CMD81 - "Subsequent" from VOL_1 (2021)
4.5/5. This is one of those songs I've discovered from a YouTube ad that I can't skip unlike many of those sh*tty ads YouTube has nowadays. This is f***ing sick heaviness! Put this one on your workout playlist.
Earth Crisis - "The Wrath of Sanity" from Destroy the Machines (1995)
5/5. This song touches my metal heart the most of all hardcore-oriented tracks with probably the best breakdown of that genre.
Bury Tomorrow - "Man on Fire" from Runes (2014)
5/5. Another underrated unique metalcore band with perfect vocals, both clean and unclean. The lyrics, riffs, and beats also kick a**! I f***ing love this can't wait to find more from this band. It's almost worth a peaceful walk by yourself alone. Why the f*** can't this song get more popular?! Definitely some Parkway Drive/Silent Planet vibes here!
The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Raised and Erased" from Wild Gods (2019)
4.5/5. With Wild Gods, #12 made their comeback for the more of the fantastic material mathcore fans have been craving for, including a bit of the emotional chaos of Put on Your Rosy Red Glasses. I'm digging this amazing sh*t, including the bridge that starts near the 3-minute mark.
Car Bomb - "Solid Grey" from Centralia (2007)
4/5. The mathcore madness is demonstrated yet again in this solid track.
Nineironspitfire - "Charcoal Drawings / Weapon of Choice" from Seventh Soul Sacrificed (1996)
3/5. The least agonizing song in this EP is their best attempt at the mathcore Deadguy developed more properly, in a two-part epic.
Veil of Maya - "It's Not Safe to Swim Today" from The Common Man's Collapse (2008)
4.5/5. This one has more melodic guitar skills along with unique drumming including the usual blast beats and...A WOOD BLOCK!!
Bring Me the Horizon - "Liquor & Love Lost" from Count Your Blessings (2006)
4/5. A strong sensational deathcore track. It kind of makes me think of a more death-ified take on Avenged Sevenfold's heavier metalcore material. The ending breakdown is so cool and brutal as f***.
Day of Suffering - "Shades of Red" from The Eternal Jihad (1997)
4.5/5. This one is a better highlight, with as much blasting intensity as Deicide before settling into hardcore groove. There's a chanting chorus important for live shows.
Demon Hunter - "We Don't Care" from True Defiance (2012)
5/5. Here's an awesome anthem that sounds like a Christian battle song of apathy, where Christians don't care if the world around them is condemned by sin. A heavy song with a heavy theme!
I, the Breather - "The Beginning" from Truth and Purpose (2012)
5/5. I love this kick-A song. Another instant favorite for me! The chorus has quite a message, "Fight for what you're longing for, hold tight, life has its funny ways, follow your heart when you can't think straight, life has its funny ways". This band has awesome metalcore roars. If I still had that electronic drum kit we ended up giving away and got better at drums, I would've performed a drum cover for this song. The pinch-harmonic breakdown reminds me of Born of Osiris.
The Devil Wears Prada - "Watchtower" from Watchtower (2022)
5/5. After a few false attempts to get into listening to this band, this is where I got my jump-start! Nothing disappointing even after 17 long years for the band!
Glass Houses - "Wellspring" from Wellspring (2016)
4.5/5. Holy f***, this is an excellent Skillet-ish anthem with unique lyrics! Quite heavenly...
Bad Omens - "The Fountain" from Bad Omens (2016)
4/5. Another good anthemic hit to live on forevermore...
The Artificials - "Tunnel Vision" from Heart (2017)
4.5/5. I can listen to this track a few times in a row, mixing blissful melody with angry rhythm. Close to a beautiful winner!
Elitist - "Equinox" from Reshape Reason (2012)
5/5. Ah yeah, let's hear it for an amazing round of melodic/technical metalcore! Obviously not all the vocals are clean, but I'm obsessed with the clean chorus, "The secrets of time are dying for more, than the weakness of our existence holds", in awesome contrast with the riffs and breakdowns. I would love more of this album and band! Standard 7-string B tuning is absolutely worth jamming out to, though I don't have a guitar, and the one my brother has is only 6-string. What makes this great song impressive is the ability to not overdo the clean vocals in metalcore, and that's why they rule here. So don't go telling a band to "drop their vocalist" just because of the cleans. There are some similarities to the djenty technicality of Born of Osiris and Volumes, and the melodic power of As I Lay Dying and All That Remains, but at least these guys are pros who don't rip off. Their riffs have gone through different unique ways...
Damaged - "Swine Eyed Sheep" from Token Remedies Research (1997)
3.5/5. The extreme-infused deathgrind/deathcore sound Damaged had in their career is proven in this good killer track.
Within the Ruins - "Roads" from Invade (2010)
4/5. A 6-minute two-part instrumental epic from this Massachusetts-based djenty metal/deathcore band, though it would've been better with some vocals...
Miss May I - "Masses of a Dying Breed" from Monument (2010)
5/5. This one's another nice highlight to get me into this band I've only recently discovered. Some editions say this features Caleb Shomo (ex-Attack Attack! and Beartooth), but I don't hear him, so that's probably just a mistake to overlook.
Everyone Dies in Utah - "Regenerate" from Infra (2021)
4.5/5. Another beautiful song worth headbanging to! I'm nearly a year late for this, but no prob. This is quite an amazing that I'm glad it's available on Spotify. Interesting that this band isn't highly well-known despite being active since the late 2000s.
Convictions - "Last Cell" from I Won't Survive (2021)
4/5. Slightly less quality while a great rocker. Enough said!
Architects - "Memento Mori" from All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us (2016)
5/5. This astonishing epic, along with the rest of this album, was written, recorded, and released in the last months of the life of guitarist Tom Searle, and the lyrics include a couple recorded quotes from Alan Watts that perfectly do justice to the inevitable transcendence into infinite darkness that awaited him. Absolutely amazing, emotional, and deserving to be heard beyond the universe. RIP this amazing legend... My mind is blown by such great remembrance for the memory of a talent young man gone too soon. And if one day, I end up passing too, this would be my funeral song. The power of the music and lyrics can be absolutely gripping. In fact, the lyrics and melody (specifically at the 4-minute mark) is revisited in "Death is Not Defeat", the opener of their next album and first without Tom. If you end up on the brink of death with no way out, just let it be. It is your fate. An inspirational message from this glorious epic to end this album and playlist. RIP Tom Searle. Memento Mori, be mindful of death....
HOLY SH*T, this is probably one of the best metalcore playlists I've ever done, with most of the tracks reaching 4.5 or 5 stars, and only a few tough speed bumps. I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying 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!
PURE…… CHAOS……
PURE… UNADULTERATED…. UNMITIGATED…. RELENTLESS CHAOS!!!!
That’s what German mathgrind outfit Atka bring to the table alright. Seventeen short, sharp shocks to the system through incredible insanity, complexity, urgency & savagery & a front man who must surely be only moments away from a hernia given just how nuts he goes on every track. I’m honestly not sure how a band like Atka can keep this up for more than one or two releases & that seems to have rung true for Atka who haven’t been seen or heard of since.
I really am a sucker for inexcusably brutal yet well produced extreme metal music, aren’t I? Particularly when the level of musicianship is as high as it is here. I mean if The Dillinger Escape Plan looked side to side I’m sure they’d see Atka sitting right alongside them in that department only they’re carrying a whole array of super-intense blast-beats to scare your boss, your girlfriend & your Aunty’s best friend right back to wherever it is they came from. At just thirty minutes in duration you would think that a record like this one would be well-served by the short runtime but I would think that even such a brief dalliance with the senses would be almost too much to bare in one sitting for the majority of casual metal fans. Thankfully I’m not a casual metal fan by any means & this record was right up my alley. May the song structures have ADD & the blast-beats be eternal I say!
For fans of Discordance Axis, Antigama & Fuck The Facts.
4/5
Once again, I continue to shine more of the spotlight on tracks from the 90s and early 2000s, since my earlier playlists barely have any songs from those eras like one or two per playlist. Of course, I've also added some new tracks from the 2020s, and the in-betweens of the mid-late 2000s and 2010s. I might bring back the spotlight on the new tracks in later playlists once I switch my focus out of those older tracks. After all, brand-new tracks are an essential part of playlists, right? Anyway, I like the way this all turned out, so here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Integrity - "Those Who Fear Tomorrow" from Those Who Fear Tomorrow (1991)
4/5. Dwid Hellion makes an unforgettable shout of "MICHA!!!" that kick-starts this track and playlist, similar to the "NIGHTFALL!!!" scream that begins Dark Tranquillity's debut Skydancer. This was an important part of 90s hardcore, already signifying the metalcore vision of Earth Crisis and Hatebreed, even Killswitch Engage.
Avenged Sevenfold - "Unholy Confessions" from Waking the Fallen (2003)
4.5/5. The real melodic metalcore action begins with this recognizable track, a perfect embodiment of 2003 A7X!! The distinct hammering guitar intro is decently familiar in the metalcore realm, along with the power slides and other varieties in the mix. The tight drumming is so awesome and inspiring. No one can do it like the late Rev! (RIP) The bass patterns are tricky to hear but you can still feel them. The vocals are more enjoyable in the diverse sense than in any other part of the band's discography, alternating between screaming and clean singing. I also enjoy the catchy chorus and harmonies. I'll never argue with the fact that "Unholy Confessions" is the band's breakthrough hit!
Black Veil Brides - "Knives and Pens" from We Stitch the Wounds (2010)
5/5. I found this song that has similar riffing to that Avenged Sevenfold song, and that actually beats that one! I'm starting to love this band already and might support them directly as well, despite dumping those metalcore/emo (man, I hate that latter word) roots. SO AWESOME!!!
Asking Alexandria - "Not the American Average" from Stand Up and Scream (2009)
5/5. One more awesome song to follow the "Unholy Confessions"-like riffing chain, despite the somewhat immature lyrics ("YOU STUPID! F***ING!! WH*RE!!!").
Iwrestledabearonce - "Corey Feldman Holocaust" from Iwrestledabearonce (2007)
4.5/5. Another awesome band who knows how to make a brutal breakdown after a blissful clean bridge. They have definitely surpassed August Burns Red in adding experimentation to metalcore while staying true to the genre. Holy sh*t, the lyrics are sick without having to understand! Part of the experimentation comes from comedic samples including, towards the end, the iconic Super Mario Bros. jingle and, shortly after, a line from Clerks, "Hey try not to suck any d*ck on the way to the parking lot."
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox" from Danza 4: The Alpha - the Omega (2012)
5/5. This is pure beauty! Probably the most insane mathcore swarm without vocals, that you can tap-dance to so hard that you can cause an earthquake on the streets. So much intricate elegance in perhaps my favorite song of this f***ing sick and killer album!
Rorschach - "In the Year of Our Lord" from Remain Sedate (1990)
4.5/5. The name of this track can easily refer to this year being the year of the creators of metalcore, Rorschach!
Trivium - "Ember to Inferno" from Ember to Inferno (2003)
5/5. Here they unleash their upbeat yet heavy metalcore guitar riffs, similar to Shadows Fall, that not only sound good but keep the listener going through the music, not just the lyrics, including its incredible lightning-fast solo.
Premonitions of War - "Time for Iron" from Premonitions of War (2000)
2.5/5. Wow, this sounds worse than I thought in Spotify! Why the f*** did I choose this?! Probably because it's under a minute long and I wanna get this sh*t out of here fast in my early metalcore subgenres tour.
Born of Osiris - "Rosecrance" from The New Reign (2007)
3.5/5. This is an unusual yet mind-blowing opening track. It is one of the oldest songs by the band to be re-recorded from an earlier demo, the first version being as early as 2004, when they were a post-hardcore/deathcore band called Your Heart Engraved. In the song, the keyboard doesn't appear until the end. There's a lot of sharp chugging in the guitars, made groove-sounding with the impressive vocals. After over the first half-minute is a lovable but annoying break that would confuse you until you listen to more of the riff-wrath and drumming.
Converge - "Eagles Become Vultures" from You Fail Me (2004)
5/5. Totally the best song in its original album! The intro drum fill sends you into the great hellfire of energetic riffs, insane drums, and vocals screaming scathing lyrics. There's a fantastic breakdown with dissonant chords with Bannon shrieking, "Our eagles become our vultures!!"
Earth Crisis - "Firestorm/Forged in the Flames" from Firestorm (1993)
5/5. Karl Buechner indirectly screams out a message against all the world's problems, in the popular title track of this EP Firestorm, "A chemically tainted welfare generation, absolute complete moral degeneration". The track is indexed together with "Forged in the Flames", an incredible anthem for The Revolution.
Snapcase - "Killing Yourself To Live" from Progression Through Unlearning (1997)
4.5/5. Now this kicks a**! This was back in the hardcore side of metalcore was still reigning and can cause cool riots. I'm not currently thinking of continuing my non-melodic metalcore rediscovery journey, but if I do, this album might be a good one to start with. Great one, Daniel!
Deadguy - "Free Mustache Rides" from Screamin' with the Deadguy Quintet (1996)
5/5. This is the odd yet best one in this EP. The lyrics and screams can be scary as sh*t for newcomers while having a bit of humor, particularly in the title.
Deformity - "The Dark Sun" from Murder Within Sin (1999)
4.5/5. The centerpiece of this song's entire album, and a great underrated part of death metal/deathcore history. The riffing starts off sounding like Slayer before leading into bruising death, complete with screams and growls in the vocals. That's how explosive death metal/core can be!
Crawlspace - "Enter the Realm of Chaos" from Enter the Realm of Chaos (2001)
3/5. The best song for me in this poor attempt of a death metal/core EP, with good drums in the mix, and once it's all over, the album's piano/string intro is reprised.
God Forbid - "Chains of Humanity" from IV: Constitution of Treason (2005)
5/5. This is the strongest headbanging track of its original album, binding together extreme Megadeth-like riffing with an intense yet melodic chorus. The "STRENGTH! BEYOND STRENGTH!!" bridge with Byron Davis’ shouting really gives the song more commanding force.
Underoath - "The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed" from Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008)
5/5. This is a furious follow-up, stunning you way hard. Once again, what makes that song a highlight is the drumming by Gillespie. That and his singing keeps getting better album after album, dominating alongside melodic chanting after all that fire and brimstone.
Electric Callboy - "We Got the Moves" from We Got the Moves (2021)
4.5/5. Another music video from Electric Callboy that my brother likes and gave me the idea to add this song to the playlist. Keep the trance-dance up and high! It's so bizarre yet worth approaching, this wild roller.
Memphis May Fire - "Wanting More" from This Light I Hold (2016)
4.5/5. H*ll yes, I want some more of this!
Upon a Burning Body - "Snake Eyes" from A New Responsibility (2022)
5/5. ...And even more of this! This banger shows Upon a Burning Body channeling their Pantera spirit while reminding some of Throwdown. You can hear that all the way to the ending bass line! This would be a crazy good live staple. SO G****MN AWESOME!!! Well done, guys!
In Hearts Wake - "Warcry" from Ark (2017)
5/5. The lyrics are well-written from this solid band! At least there isn't a wild breakdown in every moment (except the bridge), easier for this song to be preserved for eternity.
Northlane - "Citizen" from Mesmer (2017)
5/5. Both this album and that In Hearts Wake album were released a year after both bands' collaborative EP. For this track, OMG, I have no words to describe this beauty!
Down & Dirty - "Heaven Sent" from Heaven Sent (2017)
4.5/5. This is one of those songs you can use to comfort yourself after a painful relationship, especially those cool lyrics. This can almost be like a combination of Architects and the early 2010s eras of Asking Alexandria and Bring Me the Horizon. This can really show how relationships can end up dead in Hell. The vocals rule here!
Kingdom of Giants - "Wayfinder" from Passenger (2020)
4/5. Another underrated song with cool production, though I'm not into the synthwave undertone.
Sienna Skies - "Misunderstood" from A Darker Shade of Truth (2016)
4.5/5. The vocals sound really good, almost like early 2010s Parkway Drive, though there is a clean chorus.
Wage War - "If Tomorrow Never Comes" from Manic (2021)
5/5. If tomorrow never comes and we watch the world burn, at least we have this awesome banger!
Betraying the Martyrs - "Swan Song" from Silver Lining (2022)
5/5. This is pretty awesome! With a new frontman, Betraying the Martyrs have completed their transformation from symphonic deathcore to technical metalcore that Make Them Suffer have completed two years prior. Probably my favorite track in this EP!
Shadow of Intent - "The Dreaded Mystic Abyss" from Melancholy (2020)
4.5/5. Another long instrumental epic, a mind-blowing monster that has hit me the hardest in my 9 years of metal. I still only have mild interest in Shadow of Intent, though I guess this could be what the DOOM soundtrack would sound like if Angel Vivaldi teamed up with Mick Gordon. 10 minutes of atmospheric, epic, and brutal genius!
Every Time I Die - "We Go Together" from Radical (2021)
5/5. This track ends this playlist and Every Time I Die's final album similarly to Between the Buried and Me's Automata pair of albums, a theatrical metal ending encouraging us to go together. I didn't the band would actually go for real... RIP
HOLY SH*T, this is probably one of the best metalcore playlists I've ever done, with most of the tracks reaching 4.5 or 5 stars, and only a few tough speed bumps. I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying 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!
For this month's playlist, I decided to shine more of the spotlight on tracks from the 90s and early 2000s, since my earlier playlists barely have any songs from those eras like one or two per playlist. Part of the inspiration for that motive came from my rediscovery of bands from all different metalcore subgenres (except melodic metalcore when that subgenre wasn't a primary genre at that time), and I would sometimes feel up to adding more to my journey. I like the way this all turned out, so I might continue this for another playlist or so. Of course, I would have to control myself so I don't run out of options from those eras too fast. So here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Eighteen Visions - "1996" from 1996 (2021)
5/5. If we're going travel back to 1996 and its surrounding years, might as well start with a recent song about that year. This is heavy old-school-sounding metalcore that would have you party like it's that year!
Ice Nine Kills - "Funeral Derangements" from The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021)
4.5/5. This is a heavy fast one based on Pet Sematary, in fact basing the music and lyrics on the score and sounds of the movie, the latter coming from a truck horn and a laughing child.
Coalesce - "Simulcast" from 002 (1996)
4/5. This is the only incredible song in that false start of an EP, with some changes into an occasional sludgy sound that would hint at the band's incoming technical experimentation and emotion.
Kublai Khan - "The Truest Love" from Absolute (2019)
3.5/5. Kublai Khan is one of the few bands still around to stay heavy instead of going soft. In fact, the only other band that has probably done the same is Knocked Loose. "FEET TO THE F***ING EARTH!"
Static Dress - "Fleahouse" from Rouge Carpet Disaster (2022)
4/5. This is a melodic starter for its album, bouncing through a noisy mix of singing choruses and harsh verses. It's the perfect setup for what to expect in the album. Things would keep expanding as it all goes on, as the crew stabilize the foundation.
Embodyment - "Religious Infamy" from Embrace the Eternal (1998)
4.5/5. Recorded from an earlier demo is this killer track with brutal growls from Bruce Fitzhugh of Living Sacrifice.
Reprisal - "The Shadow of Mankind" from Boundless Human Stupidity (2000)
3/5. This is the only song that really slightly stands out in this album, reminding me of Underoath at that time.
Caliban - "A Small Boy and a Grey Heaven" from A Small Boy and a Grey Heaven (1999)
3.5/5. This track has the hardcore bass crunch going on that's actually audible, though low and ominous. That's how early metalcore shall roll around here!
Threat Signal - "As I Destruct" from Under Reprisal (2006)
4/5. I loved Threat Signal quite a lot when I was still listening to melodeath mixed with metalcore. The riffs, solos, and drums can be violent in contrast to the melodic singing in the chorus and the awesome solo, probably the best in this playlist that, at this point, has so far gone down to 1996. It's so f***ing good and heavy! I can hear what caused ERRA to be. I would consider the track cyber-ish heavy metalcore.
Bullet for My Valentine - "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)" from Venom (2015)
4.5/5. This stadium-ready gang-singing anthem really shows the band's higher strengths, having some potential as a theme for a WWE wrestling montage.
Strife - "Question Mark" from One Truth (1994)
4/5. This is the most f***ing metal track in this album, especially that shriek towards the end.
Attack Attack! - "What Happens If I Can't Check My Myspace When We Get There?" from Someday Came Suddenly (2008)
4.5/5. Honestly, this sounds like a mix of metalcore-era Avenged Sevenfold, Black Veil Brides, and Asking Alexandria, plus a bit of Underoath. This is a killer mix of metal and electronics, why exactly do people treat it like sh*t?!
Electric Callboy - "Spaceman" from Spaceman (2022)
4/5. OK, there might be a good amount of metalheads who might hate this, probably hate it far more than Elton John. Sure the instrumentation, vocals, and lyrics might sound ridiculous, but it's still quite fun, and my brother likes it, which is why I submitted this. "The universe is down for my rave attack!"
Integrity - "Jimson Isolation" from Den of Iniquity (1994)
4.5/5. This demo is a sneak peek to their next album System Overload, and has a nice Danzig/Sabbath influence in the pace.
Deadguy - "Die With Your Mask On" from Fixation on a Coworker (1995)
5/5. This mid-paced cruiser keeps up the standard-tuned riff wrath as you hear a ranting frenzy in the vocals ("so quick to deny and patronize"). That's a much better way to start mathcore than the overly experimental Candiria!
Car Bomb - "Vague Skies" from Meta (2019)
4.5/5. An unforgiving sonic crusher.
Damaged - "The Mirror Perils" from Token Remedies Research (1997)
4.5/5. This track is the best of its original album! It turns things around from the sh*tty first half of that album by mixing their deathgrind/deathcore sound with more extreme yet melodic influence than just nu metal.
Rorschach - "Pavlov's Dogs" from Remain Sedate (1990)
5/5. There's not much justice done if I describe in words a song from the very first metalcore album, but this one blasts out into metalcore fury right from its very creation. And those interrogators in Zero Dark Thirty though this music would be torture...
The Artificials - "Lone" from Parables of the Human Spirit (2019)
4.5/5. This is quite f***ing insane! It sounds so emotional, especially the female vocals and that scream over the one-minute mark. The last half-minute is so otherworldly, taking me to another dimension!
Oceans Ate Alaska - "Hansha" from Hikari (2017)
5/5. A different morph between metalcore and ambience. I love it!
Make Them Suffer - "Vortex (Interdimensional Spiral Hindering Inexplicable Euphoria)" from Worlds Apart (2017)
4.5/5. If you pay close attention to this track, the part where vocalist Sean Harmanis screams "A-A A-A-A A-A-A-A A-A A", that's actually Morse code for the subtitle's acronym "ISHIE". Cool, right?!
Betraying the Martyrs - "Black Hole" from Black Hole (2021)
5/5. Sensational new single from BTM! Gotta get the Silver Lining EP as soon as I can...
In Hearts Wake - "Timebomb" from Kaliyuga (2020)
5/5. Alongside the awesome breakdown, this song has a devastating mix of Parkway Drive verses and and Linkin Park choruses. I'm so thankful to find one of the best songs I've heard in this playlist! This amazing fiery banger is what I need to take my mind off the ongoing virus. I can definitely hear a bit of a Crystal Lake vibe in the vocals. The melodic guitars are quite fun as h*ll.
Memphis May Fire - "Sever the Ties" from This Light I Hold (2016)
4.5/5. Another insanely good track! Matty Mullins continues leveling up his vocal intensity.
Parkway Drive - "A Deathless Song" from Ire (2015)
4/5. This is a killer 6-minute finale to its original album, opening with an uplifting acoustic intro before the melody transcends into heavy overdrive. The lyrics are as epic as the song while having a few hilariously cheesy lines like "Let me be your drum of war and love." I still like it! The deluxe edition has a shortened version of the song with guest vocals by Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive, along with a couple other bonus tracks. My brother likes that shortened version, and so do I. However, I just prefer the original epic, since it seems more Revolution-worthy.
Trivium - "Declaration" from Ascendancy (2005)
5/5. The epic of the pinnacle album of Trivium's career is the album’s 7-minute final track. Intense harmonies, lightning-fast beats and solid grooves mingle together to form a driving wall of sound, basically everything metal fans can surely enjoy. The vocals range from deep growls to higher clean vocals that will strike through the heart of any metal listener.
We Came as Romans - "I Knew You Were Trouble" from Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 6 (2014)
4.5/5. An odd song to choose here, but I still quite love this Taylor Swift cover and this band, We Came as Romans. It's an awesome motivator for when I something going on later today (as of this comment). In fact, much better than Taylor Swift's original song! Kyle Pavone really nailed the vocals here. RIP
Arkangel - "Killing to Keep the World Turning" from Arkangel is Your Enemy (2008)
4/5. Well, time for a few brutal songs to close this playlist. This one's quite killer.
Deformity - "177252: God Defined" from Misanthrope (1997)
3.5/5. working the best and most memorable in its original EP is this 4-minute riff-monster, actually adopting fast breakdowns and catchy vocal sections, despite lyrics of Alien-like extraterrestrial murder.
Unbroken - "Curtain" from Life. Love. Regret (1994)
4/5. This playlist ends with a 9-minute epic to shape up top-notch progressive hardcore/metalcore for a different metal future. Everything is wrapped up with long feedback outro to pleasantly end the short yet wholesome journey this band has made. I know the more hardcore fans would certainly look forward to give this playlist and the song's original album a spin again.
This playlist really worked well with this "early throwback" motive, despite a few slight bumps in the beginning, and I look forward to continuing that idea wisely. I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying 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!
Here's my synopsis from the time of release:
I first became acquainted with Buffalo-based metalcore outfit Every Time I Die back in 2012 through their "Ex Lives" album which I really enjoyed so I thought I'd check this one out after seeing it receiving a fair bit of praise from fans & media. It's a very solid release too. You'll find all of the usual metalcore traits here but the difference is that Every Time I Die are a class act & execute everything splendidly. There's a sophistication to the instrumentation which occasionally borders on mathcore complexity but there's also plenty of variation with the band throwing in a few more commercially focused alternative rock influenced numbers that show off a surprising amount of talent in song-writing & hook-development amidst their usual hardcore-fuelled ferocity. Front man Keith Buckley screams his fucking head off as expected but also showcases a variety of alternative influences from Tom Araya to Serj Tankian to Zack de la Rocha at various times. The album opens & closes with its best tracks which are both absolutely sublime & I left the experience feeling well satisfied with my efforts.
For fans of Coalesce, Ithaca & Drowningman.
4/5
Here's my updated top ten after Snapcase have seen Gulch being unceremoniously dumped from the list:
01. Converge – “All We Love We Leave Behind” (2012)
02. Converge – “You Fail Me” (2004)
03. Converge – “Axe To Fall” (2009)
04. Loathe – “I Let It In & It Took Everything” (2020)
05. Converge – “When Forever Comes Crashing” (1998)
06. Between The Buried & Me - “Colors_Live” (2008)
07. Snapcase - "Progression Through Unlearning" (1997)
08. Every Time I Die – “Radical” (2021)
09. Converge – “Jane Doe” (2001)
10. Disembodied – “If God Only Knew The Rest Were Dead” E.P. (1998)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/178
Ok, so this is a fantastic example of metallic New York hardcore that will surely appeal to the vast majority of our regulars. Snapcase have an extremely well-defined sound that's tight as a nun's nasty & heavy as a bulldozer. You can easily pick out the much talked about influence of alternative metal stars Helmet in the staccato riff structures. The vocals of front man Daryl Taberski are suitably aggressive & entirely captivating while the guitar tone is simply devastating. I can't say that I understand the affection for the snare drum sound which would seem to be a little thin & tinny & stands out like a sore thumb on top of an otherwise superb production job in my opinion but otherwise this is an extremely consistent & thoroughly rewarding hardcore-driven experience that's placed "Progression Through Unlearning" straight into the middle of my all-time top ten for Conventional Metalcore.
4/5
Please be aware that after much deliberation & discussion the Trancecore subgenre has been removed from the database with the vast majority of releases having been tossed into the Melodic Metalcore basket.
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
We Came as Romans/Brand of Sacrifice - "Darkbloom" (Reimagined) from Darkbloom (2022)
5/5. Let's start with a killer deathcore-infused remake of We Came as Romans' new epic metalcore single, so I thought I would add it as a tribute to one of my favorite songs from my first assembled Revolution playlist from November. A f***ing amazing banger in the heart of dark fire!
All That Remains - "Madness" from Madness (2017)
4.5/5. This is a heavy groove song that was a good choice for a single. The political lyrics are somewhat repetitive, but the rest of the song is pure heavy metal madness, enjoyed by me and my brother!
Ice Nine Kills - "Assault & Batteries" from The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021)
5/5. The experimentation continues in this track, based on the Chucky series (Child's Play), where after a couple news broadcast samples, child singing adds to the incoming terror. While mostly referring to the first Chucky film, his bride is sometimes mentioned ("stitched back together it seems, by the evil bride of his dreams"), further expanding the concept to the rest of the franchise. I thought the "Hey Andy..." part spooked me a bit, since that's close to my name.
Currents - "Delusion" from The Place I Feel Safest (2017)
4.5/5. Another good band that deserves to be more popular. This is quite d*mn sick as f*** with a good amount to love in this tune, especially the djent soloing in under the 3-minute mark. It's much more deserving than that overrated pop/rap cr*p.
Among Them - "Still" from Coming and Going (2018)
4.5/5. This one has quite some meaning in the lyrics, along with killer depth in the growls and djent influence. This band has potential to go big in fame. Probably the best part is near the 3 and a half minute mark when the guitar harmony and bass have heavy emotion. F***ing sick, man! I should keep my eyes and ears for more modern djenty metalcore like this and listen to them. However, a minute before that best part is the second-best, a brutal yet emotional breakdown. Nice!
For the Fallen Dreams - "10 Years" from Six (2018)
5/5. Now this is an awesome band! Holy f***ing h*ll, I love this furious fire! My brother has listened to a few songs from this band around the time of this album's release, but somehow I never got around there until now.
Northlane - "Colourwave" from Mesmer (2017)
5/5. The breakdown here is one of the best, and it has stirred up a new favorite song and band here. I'm so pumped up for more of this album and band entering my comfort zone. I've reached a good street in the metalcore highway.
Upon a Burning Body - "A New Responsibility" from Fury (2022)
5/5. Let's f***ing roll with another killer band that's a recent favorite of mine!
Demon Hunter - The Negative" from War (2019)
4.5/5. This one's excellent, showing more of the vicious growls/screams in ways never usually heard from the band.
Dreamwake - "Paradise" from Virtual Reality (2022)
4/5. I found this song via a YouTube ad, and I like this quite a bit. Who knew you can add saxophone to an ending metal breakdown?!
Invent Animate - "Shapeshifter" from Greyview (2020)
4.5/5. D*mn, there's a bit of Cult of Luna-like clean ambience while still being upbeat metalcore. This combination with the vocals of Garrett Russell from Silent Planet works like a boss. I especially love the bridge at the two and a half minute mark before the last chorus. The lyrics are slightly heavier than the music and never disappoint. While I enjoy the Garrett's vocals, the rest of the song is still silver and enjoyable. It definitely puts the band near the top trio of Architects, Northlane, and In Hearts Wake, helped out by the middle breakdown. They should go on tour with Polaris!
Crystal Lake - "Freewill" from The Voyages (2020)
5/5. I can't put to words how perfect this is. Listen for yourself!
Born of Osiris - "Throw Me in the Jungle" from Soul Sphere (2015)
4.5/5. This one has some of the most varying vocal styles in a Born of Osiris song; lows, mids, highs, cleans, you name it. However, the harsh/clean dueling chorus is a little flat and the lyrics can be a bit confusing, but that doesn't affect the rest of the track.
Employed to Serve - "I Spend My Days" from The Warmth of a Dying Sun (2017)
4/5. Another automatically recommendation, this time from Spotify when I was assembling this playlist. D*mn, this sounds almost as f***ing brutal as Gojira. Some pretty good bad-a** sh*t right here!
War From A Harlots Mouth - "The Polyglutamine Pact" from MMX (2010)
4.5/5. This is definitely the best track here with riffs crushing through frantic drumming. Great choice, Daniel!
Converge - "Trespasses" from All We Love We Leave Behind (2012)
4.5/5. This one punches in a full assault of blazing percussion, indecipherable screaming, and intricate guitars and bass. The ugly and nasty production gives the track an excellent advantage. The tremendous speed works much better than the earlier calculated rhythm.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Calculating Infinity" from Calculating Infinity (1999)
4/5. This interlude is softer with some guitar crunch before building up building into the maximum tension needed for the later tracks.
Car Bomb - "HeLa" from Mordial (2019)
4.5/5. This is a basic mathy metalcore song that's isn't bad at all. Good break from the unique heavy intensity while keeping a bit of it.
Gaza - "Cult" from I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die (2006)
4.5/5. Also not as highly insane as the first two mathcore tracks, but it does have some funny lyrics ("Hey kids, the Jesus-reaper wears a cowboy hat!!!!") and a guest appearance Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder with his own shrieking verse. RIP...
The Contortionist - "Oscillator" from Exoplanet (2010)
5/5. This is the only re-recording from this band's EP Apparition to keep the original title and practically be the same as the original, yet it has better production that further lightens up the drum talent and the song's epic outro lead solo.
Enter Shikari - "Adieu" from Take to the Skies (2007)
4.5/5. This is one of the most beautiful ballads from a Revolution album I've heard. This band is the best at making pleasant surprises for the listeners. A beautiful soft break from all that intensity before it makes a sinister return in the next song...
Polaris - "The Descent" from The Death of Me (2020)
5/5. The metalcore power returns, hitting you like a bullet-train. F***ING INCREDIBLE!!! It's moments like the last third of the track that makes you wonder why this band isn't so highly popular. Absolutely underrated!
Emmure - "203" from Hindsight (2020)
5/5. This is the kind of music I can probably make when I start making my own metal compositions, simple yet deep in the meaning while giving you a dark blast in the face. I love this one and there's more I gotta find from this band!
Make Them Suffer - "How to Survive a Funeral" from How to Survive a Funeral (2020)
4.5/5. This track's drum beats, piano melodies, and soft vocals show a different side of Make Them Suffer, as if it's something new yet something old. I'm OK with that! All those dynamic changes integrated sound greatly thought-out to the point where the next album should have deeper experimentation, just as long as they stand by the sound that they've been known for.
Chelsea Grin - "Hostage" from Eternal Nightmare (2018)
4.5/5. This is some sick deathcore in this song for you to fight the world at war. At the two and a half minute mark is a short soft ambient section that would work for a trap remix, not that I would ever be a fan of trap music. The new vocalist f***ing rules! Do you see your demons?!
Embodyment - "Golgotha" from Embrace the Eternal (1998)
5/5. This is another song re-recorded from a demo. It really stays true to the deathcore sound this album has spawned, and is one of the best here.
Trivium - "Shogun" from Shogun (2008)
5.5/5 (not exaggerating). The title track of Trivium's 4th album Shogun is the longest track they've ever made at nearly 12 minutes. It is the most epic and progressive song of the album, pretty much partly inspired by Dream Theater. The guitar work in the verses is a little sludgy, but once again contains some battling contrasts between clean vocals and screams, and the chorus is as well-done as steak. Then after a few minutes of soft vocals and soloing, the song builds up to an epic climax featuring lightning fast soloing, chaotic drums, and Heafy's vocals become more powerful than ever before. Then it's back to the chorus followed by the repetitive yet still nice outro. Here's how I would describe the song in an epic fantasy tale: 0:00-3:54 - A knight goes on a huge journey to track down an evil overlord and his army threatening to destroy the land. The knight fights some monsters on the way. 3:54-7:13 - The knight reaches the overlord's lair and goes around finding some allies willing to form an army for the knight. 7:13-7:43 - The knight and his assembled army are ready to fight the overlord's army. 7:43-9:40 - An epic battle commences between the two armies and between the knight and the overlord. 9:40-end - The overlord and his army are defeated, the knight's army wins in victory, peace is restored, and the knight heads off into the unknown.
Motionless in White - "Eternally Yours" from Graveyard Shift (2017)
5/5. Then the knight finds the princess of the kingdom and elopes with her, living eternally ever after. Very much some alt-metalcore fire before calming down for a final outro to pleasantly end this playlist.
Holy wars, this is probably the best Revolution playlist I've assembled, with all songs reaching 4 to 5 stars! To make sure my opinion doesn't sound selfish or bad form, I would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying 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!
Bonus epilogue part of this journey before really putting it to rest:
With their debut, Satisfaction is the Death of Desire, it amazingly describes the band's lack of satisfaction for life's advantages and disadvantages. In its release year 1997, their former label Victory Records was still focused on hardcore/early metalcore bands that included not just Hatebreed but also Earth Crisis, Integrity, and Strife. If this early debut isn't an honor for the metalcore sound that would stick with Hatebreed, I don't know what is! You can hear a lot of strong guitar, smashing drumming, and rebellious lyrics in this awesome metal/hardcore gem that is quite short, but length doesn't matter here. I'm glad to finally complete my early metalcore rediscovery voyage with this album. Thanks Ben for adding this to the site, and I ever come across some more albums that can top this one, I'm up for that challenge. Bring on the hate for me to love!
5/5
I really enjoyed this feature Andi. It's certainly helped by an excellent production job which allows the chaotic music to jump out of the speakers at you as it should with all mathcore. The Meshuggah influence is obvious in the significant djent component of their sound. I really dig the harsh vocals which remind me very much of Phil Anselmo's screamier material. In fact, that's not the only hint at a Pantera influence with many of the djenty riffs leaning heavily on the groove metal superstars for inspiration as well. The clean vocals seem to be influenced by Deftones' Chino Moreno but aren't nearly as effective as the screams & are the clear weakness of the album in my opinion along with some overly ambitious rhythmic complexity that sees things crossing the chaos line by more than I'm comfortable with on tracks like "Naked Fuse". Still... Car Bomb are a quality outfit full of accomplished musicians & with an appropriate level of aggression & angst. What's not to love about that?
4/5
This one has not yet reached the point of death, though it might later this year if I keep wearing it more often. Behold, my over two-years-old Trivium t-shirt!
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Memphis May Fire - "The Sinner" from The Hollow (2011)
5/5. Let's start with this mighty metalcore opener that would make you want more, especially the first chorus at the one-minute mark!
The Ghost Inside - "Between the Lines" from Returners (2010)
4.5/5. I'm glad this band is still here after that near-fatal tour bus crash in 2015. You get to witness the band create more tunes that follow the ones before the crash. I love the brilliant lyrics here. "Where have the words gone?!"
ERRA - "Gungrave" from ERRA (2021)
5/5. I love this one! The artwork for that album is quite cyberpunk-ish. The sound here is awesome too!
Of Mice & Men - "Echo" from Echo (2021)
5/5. I've heard of this band a few years ago and never gotten the chance to actually listen to much of them... But now I might feel up for that again with this amazing track! Aaron Pauley's vocals sound awesome despite having to go solo.
Any Given Day - "Loveless" from Overpower (2019)
4.5/5. Any Given Day sounds like they continue the groove anthems Five Finger Death Punch had in their earlier albums, while sticking to their own metalcore recipe. There are great lyrics in this one!
Crystal Lake - "Aeon" from Helix (2018)
5/5. Another band that has now become one of my favorites, because of this wild rollercoaster ride through progressive metalcore, deathcore, djent-core, and tech-black-death. That's how diverse this can be!
If I Were You - "Broken" from Inner Signals (2018)
4.5/5. Another great song really worth listening to. Enough said!
Architects - "Death Is Not Defeat" from Holy Hell (2018)
5/5. Some of the most intense lyrics and music I've heard in this amazing masterpiece of a song! It fits well for the band after their earlier guitarist Tom Searle passed away. RIP... If death catches up to me on an untimely moment, I'd like this as my funeral song. Absolutely underrated! The rhythm in the final minute, towards the end, shows the Tom era coming full circle.
Currents - "Origin" from The Way It Ends (2020)
4.5/5. Quite some fire here. Feel it burn!
Trivium - "Watch the World Burn" from In Waves (2011)
5/5. And then watch it burn as this track branches out beyond the band's usual sound of thrash metalcore. It still keeps that style but it's a more progressive track. The song has pretty much everything from heavy riffs and a progressive bridge with epic singing and screaming vocals to a melodic thrash chorus.
Demon Hunter - "This is the Line" from The World is a Thorn (2010)
5/5. Another awesome heavy song. That song's chorus is a little cheesy with more clean singing and not as much shouting as the rest of the song that the shouting plagues. Outstanding song choice there, Daniel!
Ice Nine Kills - "Rainy Day" from The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021)
4.5/5. This is based on the Resident Evil movie, which itself is based on the video game series and that makes me wonder if they should've saved it for a horror video game tribute album. The highly different gamer-industrial tones produce a vibe of video games and early 2000s action film soundtracks.
Attila - "Proving Grounds" from Guilty Pleasure (2014)
4.5/5. One of the best Attila songs for me! I love how this song is based on Fronz's real-life stories in a way that almost stretches the truth of his struggles in the music industry with his "b****rds be damned" like attitude. Not the super-best, and not the most appreciated but still so good. Makes you want to "Hit the back button, repeat this song." Except if you're like my mother who can't stand the heavier metal/core or if you're sensitive to a bit of homophobia in the middle ("WHO'S THE F****T NOW?!"), in which case you might wanna go somewhere else. Can Of Mice & Men reach that level? Most likely not.
Make Them Suffer - "Fake" from Old Souls (2015)
5/5. For a song titled "Fake", it's never fake. It's a real punishing song with sharp riffs and menacing views towards hypocrisy and indoctrination that basically say "To h*ll with religion!" A great standout!
War From a Harlots Mouth - "Spineless" from MMX (2010)
4.5/5. Without a doubt, this has some of the best instrumentation here. Catchy breakdowns, a well-placed clean section, and crushing riffs keep leveling up.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Mouth of Ghosts" from Ire Works (2007)
5/5. Probably the longest TDEP song at almost 7 minutes. After 4 minutes of mellow jazz piano, things start building up before the guitars enter one last time in an almost theatrical conclusion.
ExitWounds - "Sickened" from Heaven is Empty (Hell is in My Mind) (2021)
4.5/5. This is quite a sick banger, with nearly the right metalcore vibe!
Convictions - "The War That Followed Me Home" from I Won't Survive (2021)
4/5. If the band Reflections married Norma Jean and then cheated on that band for Veil of Maya, this song is what would be spawned. You can definitely hear the influences from those bands within the guitars.
Lost in Separation - "The Secrets We Keep" from The Secrets We Keep (2022)
4/5. It's no secret what there is for the heavier metalcore fans to love. Some cool metalcore hype here! The vocals are quite a chiller, especially in the chorus. Quite some beautiful killer jamming there. Sworn In has really influenced this band to make such a banger.
The Parallel - "Monochrome" from Weaver (2018)
4.5/5. D*mn, that chorus has powerful meaning! Other than that, I don't have a lot to say.
Void of Vision - "GOTHIKA" from CHRONICLES I: LUST (2021)
5/5. Filthy synths and breakdowns are gonna make Ocean Grove regret not having them longer. The playlist gets better again with this d*mn underrated band. So ravaging this sound! And I thought their song "VAMPYR" from the March playlist was the heaviest those guys can do. The mixing is f***ing brilliant, a fantastic distorted beast of a song! I don't know any other filthy banger that could top this. The unclean vocals really transcend through realms, maybe one of them being Emmure. Your bones would be crushed in a moshpit activated when this song is blasted live. Heavy in a decent level for me, kinda like Northlane at their heaviest.
The Afterimage - "Cerulean" from Eve (2020)
4.5/5. Apparently the vocalist of this band is also in deathcore band Brand of Sacrifice. Quite fascinating! The riffing/rhythm in the intro and bridge reminds me a bit of Meshuggah, specifically the Nothing era.
Dead by April - "As a Butterfly" from Let the World Know (2014)
5/5. High-quality beautiful lyrics in this excellent song! If the tempo was two times faster, this would've made the song more metalcore. But there's already enough strength to brush aside that weakness like it's nothing.
Asking Alexandria - "Moving On" from From Death to Destiny (2013)
4.5/5. A great song from Asking Alexandria, and one of my favorite metal ballads, to break things up a bit.
Chelsea Grin - "Blind Kings" from Blind Kings (2020)
4/5. Chelsea Grin is back at it again with some searing deathcore only suitable for those who can go underground.
Underoath - "Act of Depression" from Act of Depression (1999)
3.5/5. Some of Dallas' best screaming comes from the 10-minute title epic of this band's deathly metalcore debut. The lyrics deal with suicide, but the way he screams those lyrics with pain and depression in his voice is the best aspect of the track. Christians normally condemn suicide, but the lyrics tell the story of someone who was bullied (as you can hear from the sound samples at the 7-minute mark). The lyrics are meant to discourage such a tragic action, instead of encourage, and that's what Christians prefer. However, it can't beat the rest of this playlist.
Betraying the Martyrs - "When You're Alone" from Breathe in Life (2011)
4/5. A killer song to roll with the f***ing punches. You can hear the deathcore elements of Whitechapel combined with the symphonic black metal of Dimmu Borgir, mixed into this band's own unique sound.
Slice the Cake - "The Holy Mountain" from Odyssey to the West (2016)
4.5/5. This fits well as the closing single track epic to both this playlist and its original album, mixing all and additional elements to end this theatrical journey. Nothing is simple! The melody and rhythm fades, and you might just feel up to repeating this journey again.
Holy wars, this is probably the best Revolution playlist I've assembled, particularly the first half with all songs from that half reaching 4.5 and 5 stars! To make my opinion not sound selfish or bad form, I would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying 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!
Following my dalliance with Bad Omens this past few weeks and also making more of a conscious effort to stretch the boundaries of my taste, I decided to give War From A Harlots Mouth a try. I didn't hate this by a long chalk but by the same token I find it a little to fluid in its transitions to the point where I find myself switching off. For some reason I expected I would need less concentration for this to still seep through the room and into whatever I was doing at the same time. However, without physically sitting down and focussing on the record I find little that sticks. When I am in the zone with it the polyrhythms do attach themselves better but I still won't pretend that I keep up with it all the time.
The jazzy interludes are the parts that really standout to me,, otherwise it is too much for my tiny brain to comprehend in the main.
3/5
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Attack Attack! - "The Revolution" from Attack Attack! (2012)
4.5/5. Let's start this playlist with a suitable anthems for The Revolution and metalcore, the first of which being an amazing Attack Attack song! And why wouldn't it be the Revolution anthem? This is full-on metalcore power that fans of the genre love. Wow, this is absolutely worth headbanging to! It's surprising fitting for the recent Capitol Riot. The 30-second intro might bore some, but it's all for suspense before the action starts. And there's more metalcore greatness to come in this playlist...
Attila - "Metalcore Manson" from Closure (2021)
4/5. Here's the other beginning metalcore anthem of lit fire. Actually like the title suggests, it mixes metalcore with the more alt-metal side of Marilyn Manson. Very cool metalcore that could remind some of an X-rated partying recent Architects. A f***ing crazy banger!
Code Orange - "Swallowing the Rabbit Whole" from Underneath (2020)
5/5. Another climatic start point of the action, this one is awesome! One funky section has an average one time change per second in 7 seconds!
Bullet for My Valentine - "4 Words (To Choke Upon)" from The Poison (2005)
4.5/5. Another really good song with excellent lyrics, amazing drums, and a good solo!
Trivium - "Strife" from Vengeance Falls (2013)
5/5. This is of the best songs from the band and its album, combining a small bit of the Disturbed formula with the band's signature thrash elements. Though it still cannot beat the ultimate favorite which is the title track of the previous album In Waves.
Dreamshade - "Photographs" from The Gift of Life (2013)
4.5/5. "Look at these photographs, every time I do it makes me laugh..." Just kidding, it's not that song. Such strong lyrics in this melodic Dreamshade song, so intense to fit well with the emotional music. The heavy rhythm levels up the vocals. There's even a bit of synth power here and there. I might show this song to my brother who's having a bit of melodic metalcore in his playlist. "Through my eyes you're fading..."
From Sorrow to Serenity - "Perpetrator" from Reclaim (2019)
4.5/5. This d*mn underrated good sh*t goes hard, an excellent hammering single they've nailed. Such a brutal beast, so new and unique! And holy f***, that chorus sounds amazing! Lots of djent-core riffing here. This guys cleans sound a bit like James Hetfield. Some things might be a bit confusing, but I'll this band do what they love.
TheCityIsOurs - "Violent" from COMA (2021)
4/5. Found this cool song and snuck it in here. This might please the heavier fans who enjoy metalcore with a more f***ing violent edge.
Silent Planet - "Nervosa" from Everything Was Sound (2016)
4.5/5. This song is apparently about anorexia and encourages people suffering from that disorder to overcome with passion. Such captivating lyrics from this amazing song, with guest vocals from Cory Brandan of Norma Jean.
Phinehas - "Grace Disguised by Darkness" from The God Machine (2011)
5/5. "I scream Your name! Your name!! Your Name!!! Are You outside Your wrath?! OH GOD~!!! YOUR NAME!!!!" Some of the best music! What more can we f***ing get?!? I feel like conquering the rest of their discography.
Northlane - "Bloodline" from Alien (2019)
5/5. Absolutely awesome lyrics and production here! So atmospheric while dark and heavy. Fantastic prog-ish alt-metalcore!
Sleep Waker - "Alias" from Alias (2021)
4.5/5. This is quite a heavy jam! I love the cleans here. The story might take some time to understand, but the song is an amazing chiller. This is a brand new generation of metalcore this band is, along with Polaris, ERRA, and Crystal Lake (the latter two bands we'll hear later in this playlist). The screams are great too and essential for such a metalcore banger. It is killer, but the best I can give this is 9 out of 10. Still this band is quite f***ing underrated. Metalcore started in 1990 as an experiment to add metallic elements into hardcore, and listen to that genre now! Good music that shall keeping moving forward, probably as far as Cane Hill.
The Ansible - "Maestranza (Lost)" from Forever (2019)
4.5/5. Some more amazing atmosphere and tempo. A f***ing sick and amazing single! This is atmospheric prog-ish metalcore similar to the Silent Planet and Northlane songs from earlier. Though the singing sounds like Brendon Urie from Panic at the Disco.
If I Were You - "Radiant Dark" from Radiant Dark (2020)
4/5. Another consistent banger for the new decade, but the Dreamshade song a slightly higher edge.
Dealer - "Tourniquet" from Saint (2020)
3.5/5. The intro sounds almost like that of Godflesh's "Crush My Soul", and the rest is just nu metalcore that close to Attila's level but not as much of an anthem.
Amaranthe - "Fury" from Maximalism (2016)
3/5. This blaster displays Henrik Englund charging like a raging bull with vocal venom, actually sounding like Blood Stain Child-esque melodeath for the first 40 seconds, until it gets ruined by Elize Ryd trying to impersonate Rihanna. What a joke! So why did I submit this? Because I wanna hear Amaranthe once more before the fate of trance metal.
ERRA - "White Noise" from Impulse (2011)
5/5. Can you believe that I've never actually listened to a full song from this band until I was assembling this playlist?! The tone and depth is all in perfect dissonance! Definitely a piece of perfection that makes me want more of this band.
Monasteries - "Allowing Your Traitors to Die" (2021)
4.5/5. A mathy deathcore ripper to flex upon. Enough said!
Bound in Fear - "Cardinal Sin" from Eternal (2021)
4/5. Same with this sick hammering track. But I would have to have real deathcore man b*lls to go that far into brutality.
Impending Doom - "Chaos: Reborn" from Baptized In Filth (2012)
5/5. Actually I might! Indeed this is deathcore, but with Christian faith instead of that satanic sh*t. There's a bit of a Meshuggah influence here, so that's interesting... If anybody thought deathcore/death metal doesn't mix with Christian themes, they would be wrong. Thanks for this submission, Daniel!
Betraying the Martyrs - "The Righteous with the Wicked" from The Hurt the Divine the Light (2009)
4.5/5. I still enjoy the kind of deathcore I used to strictly be into, which is when the genre has more symphonic/progressive elements. Think of this one as a killer mix of the mid-2000s eras of Bring Me the Horizon and Bleeding Through, and Septicflesh.
Shadow of Intent - "Gravesinger" from Melancholy (2019)
4.5/5. Seems like Shadow of Intent took Betraying the Martyrs' earlier sound to a much darker level alongside some classical elements of Bach and Beethoven mixed with some of the most brutal metal subgenres out there. This might also include some Dimmu Borgir-like symphonic black metal in the middle. And the outro with neoclassical soloing before a symphonic closure is just EPIC.
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Yippie-Kay-Yay Mother!@#$%^" from Danza 3: The Series of Unfortunate Events (2010)
5/5. Fans of the Die Hard film series would definitely recognize that track title. This is f***ing incredible underrated mathcore in the house!
The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "The Garden's All Nighters" from Worse Than Alone (2009)
5/5. In early 2009, this band released their last album before breaking up for 6 years. I now recognize what a f***ing amazing band #12 is! A new adventure awaits to add to my ongoing journey. At over the 4-minute mark is one of the most beautiful while still wild mathcore sections around.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "43% Burnt" from Calculating Infinity (1999)
5/5. The most popular track in its album and possibly mathcore! The fans love it enough for the song to remain a staple in the band's stage setlist. The song opens with screeching chords, before continuing into what may be the anthem of mathcore. The last minute and a half is just a trance-inducing mantra that slowly fades out. I think that's the 43% of the song that's burnt. The song still has a lot of the potential the band has offered; a playful section, atmospheric guitar, enraged lyrics, and more tempo changes than most other bands' albums. Beautiful yet defiant!
Gaza - "Mostly Hair and Bones Now" from No Absolutes in Human Suffering (2012)
4.5/5. This one starts Gaza's last album amazingly, as nicely intense as mints!
Crystal Lake - "Into the Great Beyond" from The Voyages (2020)
5/5. First thing when I starting getting some more band's discographies, this one, Crystal Lake! More perfect greatness beyond...
Resolve - "Between Me and the Machine" from Between Me and the Machine (2021)
4.5/5. As this journey comes in, one thing I don't wanna miss is a long epic, this one lasting 8 and a half minutes! It almost summarizes everything we've witnessed in this playlist, and the breakdown/solo mix is just heavenly. There are times when it seems like they f***ing nailed what they have in that amount of length. Such a climatic epic would make this complete, though I expected slightly more.
Enter Shikari - "Reprise 2" from Take to the Skies (2007)
4/5. Also known as "Closing", this marks the outro of Enter Shikari's most metal album, their debut Take to the Skies, and it's suitable for ending this playlist, still having the metalcore instrumentation in the first half, including the weird growls that not many other bands can do. "And still we will be here, standing like statues!"
Wow, this playlist turned out pretty well! I'm glad to have some good help from Daniel with his submission. I look forward to listening to more of the bands that are perfect for me. I would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
With so many bands of metalcore and its different styles/subgenres I started listening to this weekend, like 10 bands (because of my Revolution monthly playlists), I decided to present not only what those bands are but also a food pyramid-like guide to metalcore for people just discovering that genre and wanting to find more. So behold:
Other bands to fit in the guide:
MELODIC - Issues
STYLISTIC - Architects
STANDARD - Beartooth
DEATHCORE - Lorna Shore
Saxy, Sonny, Vinny... do any of you guys feel up to sharing what each of you think are the 10 most essential songs in The Revolution?
Nothing from me.
OK, so I've relented from and deleted the original vitriolic rant I posted for Demon Hunter's 2010 album, The World is A Thorn, although I still think that's a terrible title. I truly don't like shitting on any metal albums too much because there's always bound to be someone who enjoys the album in question even if I don't and I suppose you have to respect that. Despite that, I didn't enjoy this at all I'm afraid and I know it isn't aimed at me, but that is part of the issue - why should it be "aimed" at anyone?
I think I am so affronted by albums like this that are so obviously aimed at maximising commercial success because they go against the fundamental principles of why I listen to metal. I want to hear bands that maintain their integrity and play music they can justify artistically, not because they want to get played on Kerrang!! TV or get a cover story on Metal Hammer so they can sell hoodies or play bigger venues. This just sounds like an album that is chock full of compromises. There's a few shouty, angsty tracks to get the kids' attention, but there's also some radio fodder such as Collapsing and (even worse) Driving Nails that those kids can play to their mum so she'll think it sounds like that lovely Nickelback guy and buy the album for them, or at the very least allow them to wear the band's merchandise.
Albums like these seem to plague The Revolution and are the reason why I struggle with the clan so much. The rebellion they attempt to illustrate is so contrived and compromised that it becomes laughable. True rebellion is playing what you want with no compromises to the money machine or fashion police and if people like it then great or if they don't then that's OK too. I guess that's why guys like Fenriz have to have a day job too (he's a forest ranger if you didn't know).
Shit, I know - it still sounds like a rant doesn't it? Well that's the best you're going to get I'm afraid. Sorry.
1/5
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Amaranthe - "Leave Everything Behind" (from Amaranthe, 2011)
5/5. This track to begin the playlist is one of the first songs by the band and it has melodeath, alt-metal, power metal, and a bit of trance all in a perfect balance. The choruses are catchy while staying epic, especially in the guitar solo during the last one.
All That Remains - "Two Weeks" from (Overcome, 2008)
5.5/5 (not exaggerating). This is one of the band's first songs to discard most of their metalcore sound, but I still love it anyway! This is the band's best track on the album, probably the band's best one in general. Dueling guitars, deep bass, relentless drumming, this song has it all. And I can thank my usually alt-rock-loving brother for getting me into this melodic metalcore glory!
Invent Animate - "Cloud Cascade" (from Greyview, 2020)
4.5/5. Very good and dark, just the way I like it!
Like Moths to Flames - "Do Not Resuscitate" (from Pure Like Porcelain, 2021)
5/5. Now this is what I really love, melodic-ish metalcore with a brutal breakdown! Like Moths to Flames is a band I wish to discover more of. The chorus rhythm is in excellent progression. The lyrics seem to relate to Alzheimer's. The brutal breakdown groove occurs in the last 30 seconds of the song, one of the best of the year! Though there is an emotional verse a minute earlier. Also there's a bit of amazing soul-touching piano in the middle. The band can go in like a lion and out like a lamb, then vice versa! Seems like after their recent 11-track album, they decided to release another EP. This heavy bomb is phenomenal. An absolute metalcore banger!
Savage Hands - "Memory" (from The Truth in Your Eyes, 2020)
4/5. Gnarly riffs, great vocals, catchy melodies... This band can stay quite sharp!
We Came as Romans - "Daggers" (from Daggers, 2021)
4.5/5. How is this band staying on without Kyle Pavone?! Either way, this single has killer potential! RIP Kyle
Within the Ruins - "Feeding Frenzy" (from Elite, 2013)
5/5. Another fantastic metalcore band! The screaming can sound emotional while staying aggressive along with the rest of the music which also beautiful melody. I f***ing love it! Screams don't ruin metal, it makes it better.
Thornhill - "In My Skin" (from The Dark Pool, 2019)
4.5/5. An atmospheric journey that allows you to drift along with this unique captivating music. The vocals give the track a melodic vibe. However, in my quest to try to score a home-run for this band, I'm stuck in 3rd base.
Void of Vision - "VAMPYR" (from CHRONICLES I: DUST, 2021)
5/5. Here's what I prefer to go for in metalcore, dark aggression! After that heavenly drift in the Thornhill track, the Void of Vision one forcefully drags you through Hell, reaching the deepest most violent depth during the end. One of the best!
InVisions - "Deadlock" (from Deadlock, 2022)
4/5. First song I've heard from this band, and I can hear a bit of their stellar talent.
Saving Vice - "Endgame" (from Hello There, 2020)
4.5/5. A sweet killer balance between brutality and melody. So amazingly bad-a**! This is kind of the equivalent to the limbo realm between Heaven and Hell, when you visualize the aftermath of an untimely death, like in the next track...
August Burns Red - "Indonesia" (from Constellations, 2009)
5.5/5 (not exaggerating). This is my favorite song on this song's album and probably the band and this playlist. It is dedicated to David Clapper, drummer Matt Greiner's second cousin, who was a missionary killed in a plane crash in Indonesia. There's a lot of sweeping and breakdowns, plus a guest clean vocal appearance by Tommy Rogers from Between the Buried and Me.
Weeping Wound - "23[23]23" (from PAIN, 2019)
4.5/5. Now this is some heavy sh*t that's barely bad at all, a f***ing satisfying banger! We shall get more of this amazingness further...
Aviana - "Oblivion" (from Obsession, 2022)
4/5. D*mn, this sounds quite useful for a DOOM-like video game soundtrack. F***ing good heaviness!
Trivium - "Sever the Hand" (from The Sin and the Sentence, 2017)
4.5/5. Speaking of DOOM, my brother's been listening to this song lately because it reminds him of the soundtrack to that game. And why not??? This one really kicks things up to high gear and has a darker thrash metal-influenced sound.
Bullet For My Valentine - "Shatter" (from Bullet For My Valentine, 2021)
3.5/5. After that slight ballad, there's more Hell to unleash with rising feedback before the dark verses and fierce moshing chorus. Interesting choice, Daniel!
Bring Me the Horizon - "Pray for Plagues" (from Count Your Blessings, 2006)
4/5. This band, THIS BAND wrote dark lyrics and brutal music?!? Yep, and it still hits right after all these years! While this isn't as perfect as their metalcore material, it really beats their recent alt-pop-rock phase. This heaviness keeps me both calm and active during the late-night hours of me writing these comments. Seriously, f*** the pop rock sh*t, the older material is what the heavier fans should get. When Oliver Sykes does his amazing screams to say the album's title, that's the best part. So underrated!
Make Them Suffer - "Contraband" (from Contraband, 2021)
5/5. This Australian symphonic metalcore band has returned with a brand new single to start a mosh pit at home. The piano melody is hauntingly beautiful, but Booka Nile doesn't sing in that song. In fact, she was in hiatus due to taking time off to participate in Married At First Sight Australia, then just recently, she was fired from the band. For this song, the band brought in Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox to perform female vocals. If she wasn't committed to her main band, she might have a chance to join this one. Anyway, this track is kind of like a bridge from their previous album How to Survive a Funeral to whatever comes next, and can be considered August Burns Red with female singing. Still I miss the glory days of Neverbloom and Old Souls.
Psyopus - "The White Light" (from Ideas of Reference, 2004)
4.5/5. Here's a nostalgic throwback to when mathcore was rising in the early 2000s. Only someone who has mastered experience this kind of complex chaos can truly enjoy this track as much as I do. Listen at your own risk!
A Trust Unclean - "Aeon" (from Parturition, 2017)
4/5. F***ing underrated heavy technical deathcore right here! This can please the heavier fans looking for radical brutality.
Alpha Wolf - "The Mind Bends to a Will of Its Own" (from A Quiet Place to Die, 2020)
5/5. Another heavy headbanger! The lyrics follow the breakdown ridiculously well. The blast beats blow you away like a gigantic wind tunnel. A Warp Tour is in order for this band! This is basically Slipknot gone hardcore bonkers. I can definitely hear some Knocked Loose influences. The last-minute breakdown starts with a scream, literally!
Darko US - "Insects" (from Darko, 2021)
4.5/5. These lyrics are quite addictive in this f***ing slammer! What other band can go that wild?...
Brand of Sacrifice - "Demon King" (from Lifeblood, 2021)
4/5. I first started listening to metal when I was 13. Little did I know that, 10 years later, I would be exposed to some of the most berserk music I've heard in my life! Still I would reserve for the more brutal professional fans.
Gaza - "Gristle" (from I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die, 2006)
4.5/5. This one starts hard on the guitar then goes light before heading back into the heavy waves, sounding like another song inspired by early Converge. The song rolls with a heavy punch at the end.
Daughters - "Cheers Pricks" (from Hell Songs, 2006)
5/5. This long 6-minute epic has one of the most catchy bass loops I've heard.
Vein - "Doomtech" (from Errorzone, 2018)
5/5. Here you can find some intimidating hardcore. These 5 minutes are filled with chaotic changes to spin your head in uncontrollable directions.
Shadows Fall - "Somber Angel" (from Somber Eyes to the Sky, 1997)
4.5/5. Another incredible song! The first minute is a beautiful acoustic intro, then the rest is pure melodeath-inspired metalcore mayhem.
Underoath - "Pneumonia" (from Voyeurist, 2022)
4/5. This closing finale is worth describing on its own. It is the band's first 7-minute epic since the one at the end of Define the Great Line (still not as long as any of the songs from Cries of the Past). Basically it's brooding drone/post-metal that really emphasizes the first part of the post-hardcore name. Things start to build up to a final phenomenal climax. All in just that last minute, you hear more energy exploding than a supernova before it's all over. It's Underoath's "Nighttime Disguise"!
Wow, this playlist turned out pretty well! I'm glad to have some good help from Daniel with his submission. I look forward to listening to more of the bands that are perfect for me. I would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
I'm back into the Revolution zone early, all!
After having fun with the "most popular 50 Infinite albums and EPs in 2021" last week, I've decided to the same with my other 3 clans. So here they are for The Revolution, with the number of ratings and average score:
#1 Between the Buried and Me - Colors II (2256 / 3.51)
#2 Poppy - Eat (NXT Soundtrack) (2164 / 3.67)
#3 Frontier - Oxidized (1992 / 3.50)
#4 Every Time I Die - Radical (1593 / 3.55)
#5 Knocked Loose - A Tear in the Fabric of Life (1578 / 3.77)
#6 Pupil Slicer - Mirrors (1163 / 3.41)
#7 Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon (938 / 3.47)
#8 SeeYouSpaceCowboy - The Romance of Affliction (807 / 3.46)
#9 Lorna Shore - ...And I Return to Nothingness (706 / 3.51)
#10 Sunami / Gulch - Sunami / Gulch (606 / 3.51)
#11 ERRA - ERRA (592 / 3.39)
#12 For Your Health - In Spite Of (578 / 3.24)
#13 Yautja - The Lurch (563 / 3.45)
#14 Anna Pest - Dark Arms Reach Skyward With Bone White Fingers (481 / 3.14)
#15 Humanity's Last Breath - Välde (435 / 3.30)
#16 SeeYouSpaceCowboy / If I Die First - A Sure Disaster (430 / 3.53)
#17 Brand of Sacrifice - Lifeblood (414 / 3.26)
#18 Ice Nine Kills - The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (397 / 3.31)
#19 Death Goals - The Horrible and The Miserable (384 / 3.43)
#20 Zao - The Crimson Corridor (369 / 3.46)
#21 Jinjer - Wallflowers (366 / 3.29)
#22 The Devil Wears Prada - ZII (315 / 3.47)
#23 Fawn Limbs - Darwin Falls (311 / 3.35)
#24 Bullet for My Valentine - Bullet for My Valentine (310 / 2.89)
#25 Hazing Over - Pestilence (309 / 3.39)
#26 Born of Osiris - Angel or Alien (292 / 3.16)
#27 Slaughter to Prevail - Kostolom (275 / 2.77)
#28 Silent Planet - Iridescent (275 / 3.44)
#29 While She Sleeps - Sleeps Society (256 / 3.14)
#30 Dying Wish - Fragments of a Bitter Memory (251 / 3.46)
#31 Wristmeetrazor - Replica of a Strange Love (250 / 3.31)
#32 Circuit Circuit - Circuit Circuit (247 / 3.53)
#33 MouthBreather - I'm Sorry Mr. Salesman (244 / 3.48)
#34 God’s Hate - God’s Hate (239 / 3.27)
#35 Employed to Serve - Conquering (215 / 3.14)
#36 Kaonashi - Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year (208 / 3.24)
#37 Darko - Darko (200 / 3.34)
#38 Skin Tension - Machinic Impulses of the Hyperreal (190 / 3.26)
#39 Wanderer - Liberation From a Brutalist Existence (181 / 3.40)
#40 Mental Cruelty - A Hill to Die Upon (179 / 3.28)
#41 Carnifex - Graveside Confessions (176 / 3.30)
#42 Wage War - Manic (175 / 3.35)
#43 Abiotic - Ikigai (174 / 3.14)
#44 Ghostemane - Fear Network II (161 / 2.58)
#45 Of Mice & Men - Echo (155 / 3.44)
#46 Bridge Burner - Disempath (140 / 3.44)
#47 Juan Bond - Womb (138 / 3.01)
#48 Waking the Cadaver - Authority Through Intimidation (126 / 3.32)
#49 LANDMVRKS - Lost in the Waves (125 / 3.12)
#50 Of Mice & Men - Timeless (124 / 3.34)
I'm not at all versed in the ways of deathcore (or almost any-core to be honest) and I'm not even sure I know what breakdowns or gravity drops really are - sorry I'm just exceptionally ill-informed (or possibly uninterested) in that respect. I think this is probably a generational thing and, being an older metal fan, deathcore, metalcore etc. have never played a huge part in my listening habits and I'm perfectly happy to leave it to you younger whippersnappers. In truth any kind of djenty chugging immediately puts me off, but hey, good luck to you if that's your thing - I don't consider it a lesser form of metal, it just isn't my thing, so shoot me. Consequently I have no idea if this is any good or not in the deathcore pantheon, but I didn't take against it anything like as much as I thought I might. Sure, by album's end I was glad it was over but at least I made it that far which is pretty good going for me when faced with a -core album and OK it's only 34 minutes so that helps. The band's personal beliefs are irrelevant to me also but I guess if they are christians it may well have hindered their popularity in the metal scene as a significant number of metal fans are kind of weird that way. I'm not sure if comparing the vocalist to Phil Anselmo is any great advert for the band either, it certainly doesn't make me any more sympathetic towards them and yes, Daniel, the accusation of Kroegerness is valid as regards the clean sung vocals on My Light Unseen.
So that's all I have to contribute really and essentially Baptised in Filth is an album I am mostly indifferent to, but at least I didn't hate it, so there's a plus!
2.5/5
Hey all, I'm gonna be taking a two-week break from The Revolution. I still enjoy all the bands I like from metalcore and its related subgenres and I still wanna keep my clan lineup intact. I just need a small break from the rebellion. Hope you all understand. As some of you know, I write my own book series aimed for young children, and I'm currently writing an activity book. What does this have to do with my break from The Revolution, you may ask? Well because I tried to make my character a little more rebellious but my parents rejected that, saying that it's inappropriate for my target group; younger kids who can easily imitate stuff. So for the next two weeks, I'll be taking my mind of rebellious things such as metalcore to make sure the activity part of the activity book is good for everyone. And don't worry, once I'm done with my break, I would be ready to share my thoughts about the feature release and playlist I've submitted for March when they're available to the public. Well, time to make march out of the rebellion until the beginning of March!
My thoughts on a couple more tracks (as part of my Revolution playlist band catchup):
Every Time I Die – “Moor” (from “From Parts Unknown”, 2014)
4.5/5. A sick underrated song! Enough said.
The Ghost Inside – “Aftermath” (from “The Ghost Inside”, 2020)
5/5. YES!!! My second attempt to try this song and it's still solid! Some might be reminded of Stick to Your Guns at some points. The last minute and a half hit hard. I'm glad the band is still going strong after recovering from that bus crash, including Andrew Tkaczyk, who lost one of his legs in the crash, still having his impressive drumming skills.
The Every Time I Die record was a worthy winner here in my opinion although I was pleasantly surprised by the Bullet For My Valentine one & it wasn't as far behind as I would have thought prior to giving it a few spins. "Radical" is beautifully executed though & it showcases a high class outfit that have sadly since dissolved due to internal conflict.
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Ice Nine Kills - "Welcome to Horrorwood" (from The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, 2021)
5/5. The title track of Ice Nine Kills' latest album begins the playlist similarly to Every Trick in the Book, with Spencer Charnas' vocals, piano, and strings (“ink fills the page, a classic killer completes the cast”). Then the quietness is broken by a guttural scream and furious drum pounding. The song isn't based on any horror films, but establishes what to expect in the album; film violence that sometimes bleeds into reality, all part of the album's main concept. So continuing the story from my Silver Scream review, you leave the theater and find yourself in a mysterious town known as Horrorwood, where violence from movies is real and you have to stay alive and not get killed. You successfully avoid the brutal madness and escape the town. To be continued in my review for that album.
Demon Hunter - "Collapsing" (from The World is a Thorn, 2010)
5/5. After that extreme opener, we have one of the strongest and greatest tracks of its album and the playlist. This is the first of 3 sneak peek tracks I've submitted because of my usually alt-rock-loving brother listening to them, this one having gotten me into listening to Demon Hunter. The vocals are mostly clean singing from Ryan Clark and guest member Björn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork, while keeping the song's heaviness along with a delightful guitar solo.
Parkway Drive - "Sleepwalker" (from Deep Blue, 2010)
4.5/5. Up next is this album's single, which is nothing like the previous two tracks while still having excellent riffing and amazing ending soloing.
Trivium - "Amongst the Shadows & the Stones" (from What the Dead Men Say, 2020)
4.5/5. This one is filled with crushing technical fury. The brutal chorus would grind you to dust and eat your remains like a motherf***er. And that's the last of the metalcore trio of songs that my brother likes, but there's more to come, so stay in your seats.
If I Were You - "False Reality" (from Radiant Dark, 2020)
4/5. I appreciate the hard work this band puts into their music, especially the f***ing grinding breakdown at over the two and a half minute mark. However, it still doesn't beat any of the earlier tracks.
Novelists FR - "Modern Slave" (from C'est La Vie, 2020)
4.5/5. This is Polaris-like sh*t to love. I can be quite a slave to modern metalcore.
Crystal Lake - "Daylight" (from The Voyages, 2020)
5/5. Know what I mean in that last comment? I hope to hear more of this crystalline Japanese metalcore band.
Memphis May Fire - "Left for Dead" (from Left for Dead, 2021)
5/5. A tremendous powerful song! Memphis May Fire was not yet a metalcore band I had to listen to, but I'm glad to start feeling up for this band thanks to this song. Simply excellent! A f***ing great comeback to the band's heaviness as part of their upcoming album Remade in Misery, coming out in less than 3 months.
Invent Animate - "As If It Never Was" (from The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was, 2021)
4.5/5. The recent two-track EP/single from this band continues with this song to make sure this pair stays f***ing great. What's especially great is at the one and a half minute mark, the start of an epic one-minute section that reminds me of Silent Planet.
Cold As Life - "All Alone" (from Born To Land Hard, 1998)
4/5. A brief time-travel to the 90s when metalcore was really hitting hard. Thanks Daniel!
Employed to Serve - "Exist" (from Conquering, 2021)
4.5/5. This one's quite a banger. This band was touring with Gojira and must've gotten their groove from them. Sick slaying right there! This kick-A hellfire of amazingness should reach the stratosphere for great attention. Despite not surpassing Trivium's early 2020s albums, it's still a strong killer monster of a track. This heavy brutal banger is for fans of groove-laden hardcore metal with some Sepultura/Slipknot vibes, probably greater fans that I am. Honestly, it just rips hard, and this f***ing good journey of mine for new music isn't ending any time soon. Think of this like Code Orange and Prong in a slightly thrashy turn. The vocals are a bit of a struggle though. Anyway, thanks Vinny!
Iwrestledabearonce - "Alaskan Flounder Basket" (from Iwrestledabearonce, 2007)
5/5. It wasn't until 15 years after this EP's release when I finally came across this band via this song and another one from a different playlist. This one starts with an audio sample from Scary Movie 2 ("Im'a p*ss on yo face, and Im'a fart in yo mouth, yeah, and Im'a sh*t on these b*lls, ray, ooh!"), a bit f***ing odd, but the rest of this song is perfect and I'm glad to start listening to this band and its "descendant" Spiritbox.
Convictions - "Hurricane" (from I Won't Survive, 2021)
4.5/5. Convictions is another underrated band. Christian metalcore bands can really people get their lives on track again. The bass has some good talent, and I love the clean vocals that take the genre to a higher level while keeping the heaviness.
Tasters - "Jakarta" (from De Rerum Natura, 2017)
4/5. Another groove-ish metalcore song. The soft 12-second intro is a good sound. Amazing extremeness here! The g****mn guitar grinds greatly, but the growling is a bit out of place. This is the second metalcore song to remind me of Jakarta, Indonesia, that I went to over 3 years ago, the other being August Burns Red's "Indonesia".
Thornhill - "Coven" (from The Dark Pool, 2019)
4.5/5. Then we started to unreal depths of power. This might just help 23-year-old me get through any anxiety I might suffer at times. The insane breakdown 2 minutes in rules. If I can listen to more Karnivool and Northlane, I might dig this slightly more. The harsh-melodic mix of metalcore never fails! UNFD continues reaching the top of the metalcore record label hill along with Sharptone. The ending is slightly more DOOMy (the game soundtrack not the metal genre). The great melody is more serene, while the djent vibes still remain, inspired by Tesseract and Monuments. This is indeed useful for breaking out of the dark abyss of anxiety with your screams released.
Polaris - "Masochist" (from The Death of Me, 2020)
5/5. This is a f***ing phenomenal song to share, with metallic hardcore vibes from Bring Me the Horizon, Periphery, and Loathe. I'm loving this underrated sh*t that might just be one of my recent favorite metalcore songs! F*** BTS, this should go viral!
Bleeding Through - "Dearly Demented" (from The Truth, 2006)
4.5/5. This song can kinda be the sequel to the previous album's "Number Seven With a Bullet"; it's over 5 minutes long and has more prominent keyboard parts. The chorus features haunting guest vocals by Nick 13 from psychobilly band Tiger Army. At one point, there is a moshing breakdown before focusing on a riff that would fit well in an Iced Earth album along with said haunting chorus.
Make Them Suffer - "Neverbloom" (from Neverbloom, 2012)
5/5. The massive title track of Make Them Suffer's deathcore debut Neverbloom starts with actual riffing instead of just the overused breakdown. The song is so epic and brutal, and even though it still has the breakdown, the one used in this song is the best in the entire album. There's a lot to progress in this 6 and a half minute monster (a couple longer epics would appear later in this playlist). I love how the bass doesn't cause the rest of the music to be heavily distorted. The piano is also great! It sounds so real, even though it's probably just electronic keyboard. Keyboardist/pianist Louisa Burton is really talented, offering great soft piano contrast to the deathcore breakdowns and riffing, playing actual piano melody instead of just a few keys. She also provided background vocals in this song, similar to Skillet drummer/vocalist Jen Ledger in their album Awake. Both her piano and vocals add the melodic beauty of their sound. That epic has the essence of perfection!
Born of Osiris - "The New Reign" (from The New Reign, 2007)
3.5/5. The title track for Born of Osiris' EP is not bad but not appealing enough. At least there's another video game-like keyboard break and melodic breakdown that I would recommend to Born of Osiris newcomers.
Psyopus - "The Pig Keeperis Daughter" (from Our Puzzling Encounters Considered, 2007)
5/5. I'm glad to find one of the best mathcore bands around, and this band is probably more chaotic than Cattle Decapitation.
I, Valiance - "Thrown to Belial" (from The Reject of Humanity, 2015)
4.5/5. Psychedelic-ish progressive deathcore, I can give this band some credit. They know how to tell a story in the lyrics through some of the most f***ing complex music elements in deathcore to keep engage through these 6 minutes. And halfway through that amount of time is a sick groove. Throw some punches in the golden moshpit! The synths help keep this song and band unique. D*mn, what a ride!
Bound in Fear - "Left to Drown" (from Eternal, 2021)
4/5. Another attempt to fit in the new epic deathcore generation with killer breakdowns and crushing riffing. However, I'm slightly disappointed about skipping out on most of the epicness of the previous track for the genre's typical brutality.
Rolo Tomassi - "Cloaked" (from Cloaked, 2021)
4.5/5. The drumming and guitar riffing are insane in this beautiful metallic mathcore song.
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "The Alpha the Omega" (from Danza 4: The Alpha- the Omega, 2012)
5/5. This spine-chilling piece of chaos might also be one of my new favorite mathcore songs! What really adds golden perfection here is the guest vocals from the lead vocalists of two deathcore bands, Whitechapel (Phil Bozeman) and Despised Icon (Alex Erian). Brutally loud like a motherf***er, to get you ready for a g****mn fight. This chaotic -core style pummels heavier than a sledgehammer. The final minute explodes like TNT into madness, with a brutal breakdown more aggressive than Pantera! Likely to be my favorite Revolution song since All That Remains' "Two Weeks"! 8-string guitars can be used in more than just djent.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "One of Us Is the Killer" (from One of Us Is the Killer, 2013)
4.5/5. Here's some straight-forward experimentation in this playlist, with dreamy jazz verses and more catchy than extreme choruses. Despite the song sounding a bit different, it still feels like something TDEP would do.
God Forbid - "Earthsblood" (from Earthsblood, 2009)
5/5. This track and the one after are the two longest songs of the playlist at 9 and 7 minutes, respectively. It is also the longest God Forbid song! They have more traditional progressive dynamics than ever before, alternating between the band's usual thick heavy riffs and different atmospheric passages. And they both have superb standout moments! What makes the title track stand out is the epic-sounding acoustic intro.
Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - "Stay as Who You Are" (from Phase 2, 2014)
4.5/5. And finally, we end this playlist with the longest song by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas, their so far only attempt at 7-minute 3-part epic, all in good power, especially that third and final part in the last 3 minutes. Enjoy this final nightclub dance as your reward for making it through this entire playlist!
Wow, this playlist turned out pretty well! I'm glad to have some good help from Daniel and Vinny. Great submissions, guys! I look forward to listening to more of the bands that are perfect for me. I would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
My thoughts on two more tracks (as part of my Revolution band catchup):
Enter Shikari – “Rat Race” (from “Rat Race” E.P., 2013)
5/5. This one's very cool! This might be my chance to catch up with this band and start listening to them for real.
HORSE The Band – “Anti-Pizza” (from “Pizza” E.P., 2006)
4.5/5. HORSE the Band provides some of the mightiest Nintendocore in existence. Just imagine yourself skateboarding all over the town to find a pizza restaurant. "JUST GIVE ME SOME F***ING PIZZA!!!"
With all these metalcore bands I've discovered throughout last year and this month, I've decided that it's time to catch up with songs from the band I've discovered and enjoyed since in a few of the earlier Revolution playlists. So here are my thoughts on the tracks I'm catching up with:
Skycamefalling – “With Paper Wings” (from “10.21”, 2000)
5/5. Kicking up the action is probably this band's best hit, filled with driving guitar intensity, one of my favorite metalcore songs to remember! I might just feel up to screaming along to the chorus. After grabbing your throat throughout the song, there's a beautiful piano outro that would inspire hundreds of other bands to add something like that to their songs.
Every Time I Die – “Map Change” (from “Low Teens”, 2016)
4.5/5. This one I also love, especially the lyrics! The music is like a more metallic Mínus.
I missed out on Knocked Loose in terms of Revolution stuff and I'm kind of sad I did considering my extreme praise of Oxidized this year. While I think that Oxidized is infinitely better, A Tear In The Fabric Of Life kind of occupies the same space with being a white-knuckled punch in the teeth. There's not much to it but there doesn't really need to be, it's a pretty great example of Metalcore that the genre has needed for quite some time now given the modern trends of most Metalcore. Still don't get the hype around the Poppy release.
I also couldn't get into Radical, I guess it's just not my type of Metalcore. Frontierer took my #2 spot of the year due to challenging me in a way that really made me respect one of the heaviest albums of the year, contrary to my normal tastes. BTBAM's Colors II also made me rethink some things as I immensely enjoyed the album, making me go back and give Colors I another chance and I ended up liking that more as well. I'm one of the weird ones that actually enjoys Colors II over the original, so The Revolution was surprisingly fantastic this year despite me not listening to much stuff from it.
Here are my thoughts:
That Equilibrium track... UGH, it's that album where they switched from their epic melodeath/symphonic/folk metal roots to this sh*t! This one seems closer to those roots though. I say it's symphonic power metal with the death growls happening as frequently as some of Epica's greatest hits, so it has some Guardians potential.
Passcode sounds closer to trancecore in the same vein as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, though with a Babymetal-inspired Japanese girl lineup. This can definitely stay in The Revolution, but under the trancecore banner.
DOLL$BOXX, yet another Japanese female band with the trance metal label. In my opinion, this sounds like the synth-powered alt-power metal sound that Machine Supremacy has, though not as 8-bitty, and with more emphasis on the "alt-" and a bit of screaming. The Gateway it is for this track, then.
So, if we include the tracks from the previous round, including the bonus Amaranthe track I suggested, my voting points are: The Guardians - 4, The Revolution - 2, The Gateway - 1. It is most likely for trance metal to be suited nicely in The Guardians as a power metal genre, despite slight potential in The Revolution. Let's see what the rest thinks first.
I didn't listen to this album last year, but did come across "Parasite" on a whim, and being very surprised by the drastic change in direction after being swallowed whole by the "Imagine Dragon" on their last album. This was heavier, less electronics, fast and lots of harsh vocals. When I listened to the album and saw "Parasite" as the opener, followed by snippets of BFMV's greatest hits, I saw the band hinting at changing their sound; either to the applause or disdain of their fans. I appreciated it because they could always hold a melody together and "Parasite" is a good opener.
The rest of the album? Well it has moments; the more thrash adjacent stuff like "Paralysed" near the top of that department. "Can't Escape The Waves" is a mid album "ballad" that harkens back to "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)" with a surprising style change during the intro. It does feel like a little bit too much going on, but the faint sustain triads in the lead guitar bring it all together. And "Shatter" for having a solid melodic chorus to go along with a Bring Me The Horizon meets Pantera instrumental that was very well done.
This albums has a lot of harsh vocals on it...perhaps a little too much. There were quite a few points on this record, most notably in "Knives" and "Bastards" where the constant swapping between Matt's cleans singing and harsh screaming is kind of bad; like the band wanted to sound heavy so they threw in as many screamed vocals as possible, when in reality, BFMV were never this egregious with it. The heaviest moments on The Poison like "Hand of Blood" had harsh vocals, but they felt deserved and not shoehorned in. Beyond that "Bastards" sounds like a rejected Three Days Grace song, "My Reverie" is incredibly basic fundamentally, the thematic arc of this record is anti-authority, but could have used a couple more rough drafts as they feel interchangeable with anti-authority records by Muse. And production wise, it sounds a lot more open with its space than either Spiritbox or Trivium's last albums, but if you can hear the bass during some of the isolated moments, you're ears are far more equipped than mine. Why it does not feel as dense during the softer portions is beyond me.
In the end, this is a great improvement from 2018's Gravity. But Bullet For My Valentine's recent venture's after changing label's from Sony to UMG has had them kill their personality with Gravity, and now this feels like the apology tour. Unfortunately this apology feels half assed as it tries to lure you in with its chugging guitars and harsh vocals, while anyone who knows what BFMV once sounded knows that this is only for the clout.
6/10
Similarly to last month's playlist, this one plays out like an epic hero story that could fit well in a movie or a video game, except after the final boss level during the 11-minute epic, a final soft track plays as en epilogue. This I think could make the playlist more interesting, along with more appealing based on the order, for anyone up to listening to a long 2-hour playlist, but that's just what I think. Enjoy! I'm gonna share with you my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Bullet for My Valentine - "Parasite" (from Bullet for My Valentine, 2021)
4.5/5. After a minute of half of distorted brief radio samples of BFMV's greatest hits from practically every album, the song itself (and the playlist) blasts through pure metal to have you fist-pumping and headbanging in no time.
Atreyu - "Doomsday" (from Lead Sails Paper Anchor, 2007)
5/5. One of the best songs I've discovered via playlist submissions! Thank you, Theo, you didn't have to delete your submissions out of shame, if that's what you felt. This one has a mix of metalcore and hard rock/metal, especially proven by Dan Jacobs' Halen-inspired guitar soloing. It's so great to find this band via a song from an album released in 2007. This underrated band has just become one of my favorites in metalcore!
Bleeding Through - "Love Lost in a Hail of Gun Fire" (from This is Love, This is Murderous, 2003)
5/5. This one opens with a sound sample from the movie The Boondock Saints (not to be confused with that comic strip The Boondocks). Then the band starts their attack of powerful riff energy and Brandan Schieppati's fueled-up harsh vocals. This song features one of only a few instances of clean vocals in this album, sounding not too tough and not at all nasal, but somewhere in between.
From Autumn to Ashes - "Daylight Slaving" (from Holding a Wolf by the Ears, 2007)
5/5. Another amazing banger! This is well known as one of the songs from the soundtrack for Madden NFL 08.
Trivium - "Feast of Fire" (from In the Court of the Dragon, 2021)
4.5/5. After those first 4 songs starting the playlist heavy, the radio anthem "Feast of Fire" has a different riff that spawned from an unknown demo. There's killer strength and maturity that levels this song up more than the similar mid-tempo songs from The Crusade. The balance between heaviness and melody continues to suit Trivium's latest album and makes sure it's not just a sequel to the one from last year.
Parkway Drive - "Boneyards" (from Horizons, 2007)
5/5. One of the first and best Parkway Drive songs I've listened to, indeed a brutal bruiser with urgent up-tempo bursts! A killer flashback to the heaviness of their debut! I love that killer metalcore monster.
Currents - "Better Days" (from The Way It Ends, 2020)
4.5/5. Another d*mn amazing song to strike my soul! This almost describes the current situation of the world. The lyrics never disappoint, they hit f***ing hard and motivate you to break out of these hard times ("Suffocating, can’t breathe but you’ve got a f***ing mouth to feed"). Unbelievable! I think this is like a more metal Rise Against.
Neon Graves - "Sanctuary" (from All That Brings Us Down, 2020)
4.5/5. This is the second song I've heard from this band, and it's still not even close to bad. Spread the sound! In a time when real life is in a sh*tty level, sick songs like this are worth hearing to escape reality. It is also useful for dealing with breakups. Great song, but not perfect enough to start a relationship with the band's music.
Every Time I Die - "Prom Song" (from The Burial Plot Bidding War, 2000)
4/5. Another cool headbanger! The intro sample is from the movie Event Horizon. This EP and their debut Last Night in Town are the most brutal start to this band's journey. This is bad-a** killer sh*t that we're gonna miss, especially since recently, Keith Buckley is having his hiatus from the band. Who knows what their fate might be...
Motionless in White - "Dragula" (from Creatures, 2010)
4.5/5. A friend of mine from the outside world showed me a Rob Zombie song, "Dragula", in which a remix version was used in the first Matrix movie. That song is industrial metal, but the kind of industrial metal I prefer is not the "alt-" kind heard in that song, but rather the more experimental industrial metal bands like Godflesh, Strapping Young Lad, Samael, and Motionless in White, the latter having done a cover of that song with a gothic-ish metalcore twist in style, as you can hear here. You can also find one of Motionless in White's industrial songs in this month's Sphere playlist.
Knocked Loose - "Where Light Divides the Holler" (from A Tear in the Fabric of Life, 2021)
5/5. I just found this band thanks to Daniel's suggestion. After a minute of someone driving their car while browsing through different radio channels, the driver ends up in a car crash at the one-minute mark, and the chaotic metalcore action begins. F*** YEAH!!!! I love this headbanger, especially the breakdown near the 3-minute mark. This song is clearly inspired by Meshuggah's Destroy Erase Improve, while going nowhere near djent and sticking to their metallic hardcore guns. Thanks for this, Daniel!
Unearth - "Letting Go" (from The March, 2008)
3.5/5. This ballad-ish track can be considered the negative of its album, though it adds some deep restraint to the album, enough for me to make that playlist submission and recommend it to any melodic metalcore fans out there.
Like Moths to Flames - "YOTM" (from No Eternity in Gold, 2020)
5/5. Sometimes discoveries can be made on my own, and I can't wait for more of this awesome band!
Inventure - "Renaissance" (from No Time to Waste, 2020)
4.5/5. I haven't listened to this band before, but wow, I'm impressed by some of the great aspects! Killer lyrics, screaming vocals, and unbelievable technicality. The cleans are brilliant too! I would pass this on to someone who likes the more brutal metalcore more than me if I were...me.
Anticline - "Headspinning Bias" (from Urgency, 2020)
4.5/5. I found another f***ing killer band who can perform incredible riffs, clear bass, and sick grooves. Hitting so g****mn HARD, especially the furious breakdown at the two-minute mark. The aggression follows through all the way until the end with barely any melody, with the chorus riffing being mainly heavy groove. This brings more variety than the emo sh*t that chicks dig. Again, that song's for the more brutal fans.
Spirit Breaker - "Pure Fury & Wonder" (from Cura Nata, 2021)
4/5. Almost incredible, though the fire is often too engulfing. Next!
Blueshift - "Voyager" (from Voyager, 2020)
4.5/5. There some grand prog-metalcore gold here, clearly inspired by the Australian scene of bands such as Polaris, Thornhill, and Northlane, despite this band and the similar-sounding Erra being from Alabama.
36 Crazyfists - "The Tide And Its Takers" (from The Tide And Its Takers, 2008)
5/5. An interesting submission from Theo, a beautiful semi-acoustic ballad to break up the playlist a bit. I've tried listening to 36 Crazyfists for a few attempts, but maybe this could be my gateway to listening to that band, despite being different from what they usually do. So emotion-inducing! It reminds of when I changed the tempo of My Dying Bride's "Two Winters Only" to be 2x faster. This can very well be one of my favorite songs from a metal band to not be metal! If people start a mosh pit when they perform this song live, that would be ridiculous. And this is the same band who made the song "Slit Wrist Theory". So lovely and poetic, I would pay for it if I could!
Polaris - "Landmine" (from The Death of Me, 2020)
5/5. One of the best songs here, slightly better than the Inventure one! First track from this band I've listened to, and I'll definitely pay more attention to them. That insane breakdown really crushes and revives my soul. This band's heaviness shall wipe out the fluffiness of the mainstream. This band can combine some of the nu metal of Stray From the Path and Slipknot with the metalcore of Architects and The Devil Wears Prada. Or just be Make Them Suffer without female singing and with Northlane-like riffing.
Amaranthe - "Director's Cut" (from Amaranthe, 2011)
5/5. This is the longest song ever by Amaranthe, an almost 5-minute progressive-ish epic! Man, they have got to make more songs like that. Seriously, I need to fill up the trancecore/trance metal space in these playlists!
Brand of Sacrifice - "God Hand" (from God Hand, 2019)
4.5/5. We are now entering the dangerous deathcore zone, so if you can't handle the brutality, lyrical gore, and a bit of nude cover art, stay out the Revolution Hell's Kitchen. I probably will, despite this song being killer.
Slaughter to Prevail - "Baba Yaga" (from Kostolom, 2021)
4/5. Once you're about 20 seconds in, you already enter the hellish mosh-pit of chaos in a good song worth headbanging to. Listen to this at school without headphones, I dare you to survive that dare!
Darko US - "Pale Tongue" (from Darko, 2021)
4/5. There's just so much heavy destruction in this song, heavier than the largest elephant and possibly anything in existence. What's a heavier word than "heavy" and a more brutal word than "brutal"? Heavy enough for my liking but not perfectly appealing.
Bound in Fear - "Penance" (from Penance, 2021)
4.5/5. Another brutal headbanger with downtempo breakdowns to let rip!
Attila - "Payback" (from Outlawed, 2011)
5/5. Wow, what a beautiful Christian love song...NOT!!! A perfect song for the heavier metalheads! I'm not ashamed to admit that I was brought to this song by a video from one of the YouTube animator channels I used to like. I love this song, so beautiful, but brutal all the way. This heavy metal/deathcore song shouldn't be forgotten. It'll blow your f***ing mind! This amazing sh*t's on fire! The next time someone says "metalcore sucks", use that song against them.
The Ghost Inside - "Dear Youth (Day 52)" (from Dear Youth, 2014)
5/5. Finally we reach the last of Theo's submissions, a mega mood-fitting song for me to love, with some similarities to Crystal Lake, especially the vocals. From the 2-and-a-half-minute-mark onward is an epic breakdown until the ending fade.
Botch - "Man the Ramparts" (from We are the Romans, 1999)
5/5. The 11-minute closer "Man the Ramparts" is the perfect way to end Botch's two-album career (other than the EP). Epic gigantic chords soar throughout its long duration. Soon there's a passage where a choir sings the album's title, "We are the Romans", in glorious grandeur before being overtaken by one more furious devastating riff as a proper farewell from the band members. A grand atmospheric outro to bring that album to a heavy epic end! However, there's one more track to end this playlist...
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Dissociation" (from Dissociation, 2016)
4.5/5. The Dillinger Escape Plan wanted to really say farewell in their final album before their end-tour and split, with the final title track. It starts with melancholic strings before electronic beats come in and Greg Puciato starts singing in a truly tender voice. It's NOT as soft as an acoustic ballad but at the same time obviously NOT heavy. And finally, strings and organic drums and cymbals keep playing as Puciato repeatedly sings "Finding a way to die alone" as the mix fades and he sings that line a couple more times and...it's over, that album, the band's career, and this playlist.
Wow, I really dig this playlist! I don't have to feel bad about saying that myself because of a couple great helpers in making this playlist; Daniel and Theo-Wyoming. Great submissions, guys, I look forward to listening to more of those bands! I would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
Yeah, I don't mind this album. I've developed a taste for beatdown metalcore over the last couple of years & this example is suitably violent & in-your-face. The vocals are absolutely vicious & help to cater for some of the more generic instrumentation. The tracklisting is a bit top-heavy with highlight tracks like the short & brutal "Little From the World" & my personal favourite "All Alone" being wheeled out very early in the game with the quality petering out a touch at the end with two of the last three tracks being pretty flat. The kick drum is way up there in the mix. In fact, there are times when the double kick sounds almost like blast beats which just about sums up what you can expect from "Born To Land Hard". You won't find much in the way of subtlety here but that's not what a band like Cold As Life are trying to achieve now, is it? They're more about creating an aggressive whirlwind of energy that ticks all of the boxes you need when you're just fucking fed up with the world & want an outlet to help you vent.
For fans of Knocked Loose, Hatebreed & Sunami.
3.5/5
Similarly to last month's playlist, this one plays out like an epic hero story that could fit well in a movie or a video game, except for one final boss to defeat during the 11-minute epic, followed by a final uplifting trancecore track for an epilogue level in a treasure trove similar to that of Spiral Knights. This I think could make the playlist more interesting, along with more appealing based on the order, for anyone up to listening to a long 2-hour playlist, but that's just what I think. Enjoy! I'm gonna share with you my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Darkest Hour - "Doomsayer (the Beginning of the End)" (from Deliver Us, 2007)
4.5/5. Time to begin with a great song from an underrated band! However, this is one of those bands I've abandoned with my death metal departure because of their other albums being in The Horde. Will I ever return to this band someday? You'll see in time!
Trivium - "Like a Sword Over Damocles" (from In the Court of the Dragon, 2021)
5/5. Another song from Trivium's new masterpiece album, showcasing the band's Nevermore influences in a prog-thrasher where Matt Heafy adds aggression to his singing then rises to the usual growling. The d*mn epic clean chorus should definitely get fists pumping in future live festivals. The title fits well with the perilously powerful pandemic and how our leaders are trying to prevent it from spreading further. Some more epic guitar fire in the dueling solo trade!
Unearth - "Lifetime in Ruins" (from Watchers of Rule, 2014)
4/5. Here the military-like breakdown really crucifies the song into headbanging territory without sounding too needless repetitive. Not the best Unearth song, but a good starter track for new fans.
Parkway Drive - "Crushed" (from Ire, 2015)
4.5/5. This is one of my brother's favorite Parkway Drive songs, and its album Ire's second single, starting with a monk-chanting intro before turning a groove track with heavy guitars and drums. The lyrics are political but used in a powerful way, especially in the first verse.
Mentally Blind - "One for No One" (from Stage Zero, 2021)
4.5/5. Another amazing song that I would recommend to anyone who likes their metalcore more brutal than mine. The awesome vocals flow through fantastic music worth gym works. Almost a sick entry into song of the year!
Convictions - "Thomas (feat. Matty Mullins)" (from I Am Nothing, 2012)
4/5. Good song with amazing lyrics. For anyone wanting to hear Matty Mullins from Memphis May Fire, his vocals start at the one and a half minute mark, you're welcome.
Currents - "Kill the Ache" (from The Way It Ends, 2020)
3.5/5. Another nicely song, with a cool contrast of clean and unclean vocals.
Annisokay - "Under Your Tattoos" (from Aurora, 2021)
4/5. Another great song to recommend to the more die-hard metalcore fans.
Aviana - "Retaliation" (from Retaliation, 2021)
4.5/5. Holy f***ing h*ll, some f***ing good fire burning from those intense vocals and lyrics! An amazing track to preserve and keep for the slightly more brutal metalcore fans than me. Enjoy the fury!
Silent Planet - "Trilogy" (from Iridescent, 2021)
5/5. I'm so happy to find this band recently. THIS is one of my favorite metalcore songs of the year, from a solid album this band has nailed. "It's always red, the static in my head", yep, not the Taylor Swift album that has been re-recorded. The new Silent Planet album Iridescent is what I prefer to hear instead. Amazing Tesseract and Oh Sleeper vibes to embrace with the very low guitar tone. Slightly rigid transitions here, but I digress.
Every Time I Die - "Dark Distance" (from Radical, 2021)
5/5. A blast right back into their discography that will stun you into stone. The band has delivered a furious frenzy in higher heights of heaviness. They took quite a tribute to their previous albums in this one, with that track putting a Daughters-like spin into the sound of their previous couple albums and first couple albums.
Between the Buried and Me - "Ad a dglgmut" (from The Silent Circus, 2003)
4.5/5. For one of the must brutal progressive metalcore songs, this band has sure made one of the most beautiful guitar solos in existence. I didn't get interested in this band until around 14 or 15 years after this album's release date. It's sad that I've ended up missing out on more of this beauty and power after giving up on this band earlier this year, but I'm glad to return. There are some awesome parts that give me chills every time. The softer mid-section, starting at the 3-minute mark, is a warm calm between two storms of chaotic rage. Incredible genius to enjoy! The last minute of this track is f***ing brutal, having already gone past that long soft section capable of beauty. They're just not as metalcore now as they were back then. Next stop, Alaska! (the album, not the US state, though I still wish to go there)
Neon Graves - "All That We've Become" (from All That Brings Us Down, 2020)
4.5/5. Holy f***, those vocals and instrumentation are just on f***ing fire here! The vocals especially give me chills.
Alpha Wolf - "#104" (from Mono, 2017)
5/5. If you know Pokemon, you know that "#104 in the Pokemon deck is Cubone. “Cubone lost its mother and wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. It is often said to cry loudly when it becomes lonesome, and weeps for it’s dead mother.” Hence the reference to the song lyrics about losing a loved one." Awesome and killer as f***!
Broken Youth - "Dis/connected" (from Suffering : Silence, Vol. 1, 2021)
4.5/5. H*ll yeah, some more good sh*t. The intro riff starts with Architects vibes, though sounding a bit lo-fi, and the rest of the song is worth playing Fortnite to (not that I ever have). An amazing song for our broken future, and maybe that future would bring back some touring. This song is an absolute f***ing banger, even at the clean parts. The song might remind some of ERRA...
LANDMVRKS - "Lost in a Wave" (from Lost in the Waves, 2021)
4/5. Some good pure melodic-ish brutal metalcore right here, though the music is too heavily focused on compared to the lyrics. Still there are killer surprises like that brief brutal breakdown before the final chorus.
Heliocentric - "Whispers" (from Ishmael, 2021)
3.5/5. This is a good one with some The Ocean-like ambience while still staying metalcore, evident in the great heavy screams. This dude (in a one-man band) has quite some passion. Garrett Russell from Silent Planet must've really inspired this guy in both the vocals and the lyrics, plus a bit of Crystal Lake-esque energy. However, I might not be completely ready for that next level...
Kingdom of Giants - "Runaway" (from All the Hell You've Got to Spare, 2017)
4/5. "I used to think that I could change the world, but now I'm afraid that I can't even change myself." Yeah, we're all there. This is quite a good headbanger, but it wasn't until the djenty bridge near the two and a half minute mark when things get easier for me, along with that ending groove riff. Quite some amazing progress here! 2017 was a great year for metalcore, with amazing album treats from While She Sleeps, August Burns Red, and Trivium. There were also sad times in other music areas, like Linkin Park's pop album and the subsequent suicide of Chester Bennington. Somewhere between these ups and downs is that Kingdom of Giants song.
Bring Me the Horizon - "A Lot Like Vegas" (from Count Your Blessings, 2006)
4.5/5. Here's where the darker, more brutal, deathcore part of the playlist begins. This is the kind of deathcore we need, with both guitar solos and breakdowns to allow the genre to rise away from the deep shame. Probably the best song of this album! Can you believe this band has recently been a pop group?! Still I wish albums like Count Your Blessings would have more success...
Ice Nine Kills - "Merry Axe-mas" (from The Silver Scream, 2018)
5/5. OK, this song is from a melodic metalcore album, but it's still brutal enough for this section of the playlist. This one is based on Silent Night, Deadly Night, and filled with jingling bells, hard fast music, growling vocals, and heavy guitar riffs, in contrast the upbeat melodic chorus, and a metal way of celebrating Christmas!
Bound in Fear - "Beyond the Mire" (from Penance, 2021)
4.5/5. G****mn it, these are merciless growls of a beast. Let the deathcore heat burn this f***ing sh*t down!
Slaughter to Prevail - "Misery Sermon" (from Misery Sermon, 2017)
4/5. Without a doubt a kick-A death metal/core headbanger, though I've struggled with the lyrics that are mostly Russian.
Darko US - "Splinter Cell" (from Darko, 2021)
4.5/5. The deathcore territory continues going nuts, as chaotic as Brand of Sacrifice. The heavier songs from the new alt-metalcore album from Spiritbox is still what I prefer, though this next song in the playlist would say otherwise...
Chelsea Grin - "Desolation of Eden" (from Desolation of Eden, 2020)
5/5. Now this is the deathcore I love that's so underrated! After a brutal one-minute intro buildup, the usual groove pace rolls in with vocals ranging from tortured-duck screams to yelling-frog growls.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Panasonic Youth" (from Miss Machine, 2004)
4.5/5. This one really blasts listeners in the face with punishing fury. There are many twists and turns with Greg Puciato's thunderous screaming, relentless guitars, quick passages, and tapping rhythms. The band slows down a bit for some grating bass and more pummeling drumming. The song picks up the sonic aggression again toward the end. Impressive for 2 and a half minute song!
Botch - "Saint Matthew Returns to the Womb" (from We Are the Romans, 1999)
4.5/5. This one will grab you by the throat and twist it with exotic changes and unrestrained riffs until you can't breathe. Not quite the best Botch song, but it certainly doesn't botch up its album or this playlist at all.
Converge - "Jane Doe" (Jane Doe, 2001)
5/5. Saving the absolute best for second-to-last, this 11 and a half minute title epic is probably the longest track by Converge. This is Converge's "Shogun"! It is the final piece of this metalcore puzzle that high-school hardcore fans would be blasting through their speakers. This is a brilliant incredible work of emotion! Bannon softly sings "I want out" in the chorus (much softer than Helloween's "I Want Out") to escape this nightmarish chaos. There's even a soloing section! At the 9-minute mark, Bannon screams the final lyrics, "RUN ON, GIRL, RUN ON!!!", as a riff makes an epic layering buildup going on until the fade-out. A terrific ending to a true metalcore closing epic!
Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - "Journey to Aim High" (from Feeling of Unity, 2015)
4.5/5. Feeling tired out as sh*t after another two-hour Revolution marathon? Take it easy and enjoy this final uplifting song while resting in a sunny flowery field. Relax! Smell the flowers. Enjoy your day in the sun. You earned it!
Wow, I really dig this playlist! That opinion might seem bad form, but let me even it out by saying that I would recommend it to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
I don't much care for metalcore at all, but Trivium's previous feature release, In Waves, I actually found surprisingly listenable, so I was more than a little sceptical about Daniel's Nickelback jibe (I really don't like Nickelback). After listening to In the Court of the Dragon this evening though, I think he has a point. On several songs, but especially on Like a Sword Over Damocles, the shadow of Chad Kroeger is cast long. In fact, I swear a couple of tracks sound like Slipknot/Nickelback collaborations (no, this is unlikely to be a good thing!).
Anyway that aside, following the unexpectedly positive experience I had with In Waves I found this disappointing. It feels like an album that has been written by market researchers, the songs optimised to sell the maximum number of t-shirts. I don't hate it - it isn't offensive enough to generate that much emotion - but it just ploughs a completely different furrow to what I personally find interesting in metal.
2/5
Story behind playlist order (so you know what to expect when going through the playlist):
The playlist order will help you visualize yourself as a warrior in a post-apocalyptic Earth on a mission to defeat the demonic forces of the underground. The more intense, brutal, and complex the music, the deeper down the underground you go and the stronger and more powerful the monsters are. You start your mission by fighting the monsters on the Earth's surface (the first 4 melodic metalcore tracks). After that you start heading down the caverns from whence they came and slaying more monsters along the way. The metalcore tracks 5-18 (including one mathcore track, one more melodic metalcore track, and a 9-minute soft intermission for a break from the action) signify the normal cavern layer where the monsters are more powerful than on the surface. Then when deathcore tracks arrive from track 19 onward, while the mostly clean yet still intense metalcore and mathcore remains up to track 22, you're in the more dangerous lava cavern layer, where there's lava all around and the monsters are even more powerful. The 4 "explicit" tracks in a row, tracks 23-26 (one metalcore, three deathcore) are for your battle with the first incarnation with the mighty powerful boss in the lava-covered pit at the earth's core. When you defeat the first incarnation, the boss would revive itself as a second incarnation beyond more powerful than any of the monsters you've fought before. It starts burning a hole up through the crust to travel up to the surface. You use a grappling hook to get a hold of its leg. You keep fighting the boss and some more monsters as you hold on travel at a fast speed (mathcore tracks 27-29). And finally, at the end of track 29, when you reach the surface, you deliver a final hit on the boss to defeat it once and for all. When the boss dies, the earth is restored back to its normal self, but you're still above the hole, and you fall right back in just before it closes up, and land in the lava below. You lose your life and end up in the "Astral Heaven" (track 30, the trancecore outro to the playlist) to remain there peacefully as a hero.
So basically I made this entire playlist play out like an epic hero story that could fit well in a movie or a video game, which I think could make the playlist more interesting, along with more appealing based on the order, for anyone up to listening to a long 2-hour playlist, but that's just what I think. Enjoy! Of course, since I'm the one who assembled this playlist, I'm gonna share with you my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
All That Remains - "This Calling" (from "The Fall of Ideals", 2006)
5/5. Let's start this album with a scream, literally! this song starts with a high menacing metalcore/close to black metal scream from Phil Labonte over chugging metalcore riffs. After a killer verse, the catchy chorus comes in, then another scream to continue the same path. After the second chorus, the duel guitars keep playing a melodic riff until a breakdown with Labonte's screaming. And finally, a pretty short guitar solo and the final chorus before the closing outro.
Bullet for My Valentine - "Scream Aim Fire" (from "Scream Aim Fire", 2008)
5/5. Then we go to the furious title track of BFMV's second album, containing pounding drums, fired-up screams in the breakdown ("Scream! Aim!! FIRE!!!"), and a signature guitar solo that's #1 in that album!
Unearth - "Watch It Burn" (from "Darkness in the Light", 2011)
4.5/5. Another great extreme starting track in this metalcore journey, containing lots of melody, plus clean vocals rarely heard from this band until the album the song is in. The punishing open-chord breakdown is the best breakdown in this album.
Trivium - "In the Court of the Dragon" (from "In the Court of the Dragon", 2021)
6/5 (not exaggerating). The furious title track of Trivium's latest album erupts with Matt Heafy's f***ing beastly growling vocals. The blast-beat onslaught carries on into the cleanly-sung chorus, occurring before a brutal breakdown. The shredding soloing makes you visualize a bad-a** battle with the dragon in the pit, with your weapon being that guitar soloing. A tune of heavy brilliance that might just be my ultimate favorite song since "In Waves"!
Attack Attack! - "Press F" (from "Press F", 2021)
5/5. And this might be one of my favorite songs from a band I haven't listened to yet (other than "Stick Stickly")! I press Enter to continue...
Invent Animate - "The Sun Sleeps" (from "The Sun Sleeps", 2021)
4.5/5. Another piece of headbanging talent, with guitar riffing and a chorus to love and stay alive! Though it doesn't really push my metalcore era further into including this band in my listen-list...
Lucrecia - "Sleeping Slaves of Fate" (from "Sleeping Slaves of Fate", 2021)
4/5. I'll be honest, I'm not really into anime-influenced female-fronted metalcore, though this song is quite killer. Next!
Iwrestledabearonce - "You Know That Aint Them Dogs' Real Voice" (from "Ruining It for Everybody", 2011)
5/5. Now this is the female-fronted metalcore/mathcore I prefer, influenced from Mr. Bungle and grindcore! Krysta Cameron has done a great job her superb mix of cleans and screams, though this would be her last album with the band. This is as delicious as the "ruined" cake on the album cover. Beyond amazing! I think the "skin-shedding" lyrics might've helped the metalcore-tattoo scene expand for all the right and wrong reasons. Nice beauty in f***ing awesome brutality! It is very impressive when a female does all the vocal work. Just like that cake, some things the unprepared might consider gross but turn out great when you're ready. Paramore would be blown away...
Void of Vision - "THE LONELY PEOPLE" (from "THE LONELY PEOPLE", 2021)
5/5. The Australian metalcore scene is really pulverizing everything in its path, and Void of Vision is doing a chaotic job cranking up the distorted destruction to 11. Anyone not in the same tolerance level as me, listen at your own risk!
Aviana - "Rage" (from "Rage", 2021)
4.5/5. A headbanger built up from a famous quote from a Dylan Thomas poem. Enough said!
Wage War - "High Horse" (from "Manic", 2021)
5/5. This song my brother was listening to, and why not? This is a catchy killer song to love, especially in lyrics such as "Caught the scent, took the bait, now the hunter is the prey". Definitely worth headbanging to!
August Burns Red - "Coordinates" (from "Phantom Anthem", 2017)
4.5/5. This one shows vocalist Jake Luhrs trying clean vocals for the first prominent time. The song itself has some twangy blues vibes, and while I'm not normally into those kinds of vibes, I know other fans of ABR's experimentation can enjoy it.
Skycamefalling - "10.21" (from "10.21", 2000)
5/5. Thanks Daniel for the idea of a soft intermission in this playlist! The instrumental title epic of the only Skycamefalling album contains 9 minutes of acoustic guitar, clean piano sounding a bit Eastern, and light percussion, leading to an ending crescendo. A soft break while you breathe in the flames of creativity!
We Came as Romans - "Darkbloom" (from "Darkbloom", 2021)
5.5/5 (not exaggerating). While assembling the playlist, I've been hooked by some of the bands I haven't listened to yet, and this song really struck out higher than the rest. A f***ing amazing banger in the heart of dark fire!
Structures - "Extinction" (from "Life Through a Window", 2014)
5/5. A more melodic song while staying heavy, compared to the heaviness of most of the previous songs. A better change of pace!
Sleep Waker - "Serenity" (from "Alias", 2021)
4.5/5. Another crazy progressive-ish metalcore song that deserves some recognition, despite the brutality. The 15-second section in the middle is all fired up and heavy as sh*t. The ending kinda gets me off-guard though. A modern headbanger that would surely surpass Korn!
Spirit Breaker - "The Mountain Between Us" (from "Cura Nata", 2021)
4/5. This might take time to get used to, at least for me anyway, but it does stir up nostalgic vibes of at least 10 years ago when prog-ish metalcore was being developed. A good exciting insane song to get you pumped with early In Hearts Wake vibes. I love the fantastic chorus that's just on fire, while the rest of the song is a d*mn good straight banger. Though the high screams I'm not so sure. Still a decently great song to love.
Caliban - "Army of Me" (from "The Undying Darkness", 2006)
4.5/5. This is an interesting one, a bad-a** metalcore cover of a Bjork song. Sensational beauty right here! Not entirely though, since the only slight flaw is the female voice who, while doing a good job imitating Bjork, lacks power.
Betraying the Martyrs - "Tapestry of Me" (from "Breathe in Life", 2011)
5/5. I love this band, with the best brutal growls from Aaron Matts, who would unfortunately leave the band recently. This is probably, for me, the best song of its album Breathe in Life with a f***ing amazing blend of heavy and clean. The chorus is the catchiest of that album, and everything else is awesome! I really love the perfect clean vocals. Unlike Born of Osiris and Periphery, they add a bit of orchestration in place of progressiveness for their metalcore/deathcore. So incredible! Let's see what else I can describe here... Some think they the instrumentation is so mixed up, but it's still wicked for me, a great improvement from their 5-song EP. That 30-second section starting at the one-minute mark is so f***ing bad-a** that I should be careful walking the streets when listening on an iPod, if I had one. This kind of music we should spread the word about! This is great soundtrack the virus apocalypse we're trapped in. For anyone feeling suicidal, the lyrics encourage to never give up.
Make Them Suffer - "Drown With Me" (from "How to Survive a Funeral", 2020)
4/5. This song I don't mind, a straight heavy song released as one of this album's in-advance singles. When I first heard it, I thought it was one of the most radical recent songs by the band, but now that I've heard the other wilder tracks in the album, it's now my d*mn least favorite song in the album. It just doesn't hold up! Booka Nile's chorus in that song is the weakest here. Still great for recent Make Them Suffer fans!
Shadow of Intent - "The Indexing" (from "Primordial", 2016)
4.5/5. Another dope song! Think of this like a killer blend of Betraying the Martyrs, At the Gates, and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Psyopus - "The Burning Halo" (from "Odd Senses", 2009)
5/5. Holy f***ing sh*t!!! I love this mathcore madness!! With a crazy riff! Things get epically insane at 0:42, then 42 more seconds later is where things get way better. The high-screeching riffs might annoy those who aren't in the same level as me, but it's a brilliant assault for my ears. Towards the end, a preacher who sounds like Marco Hietala from Nightwish yells "Demon...WHO ARE YOU??!" before a final pulverizing breakdown. I would say this track is math-death-cyber-grindcore. Truly chaotic!! Apparently, this is about Anneliese Michel, a victim to abusive exorcism by her religious parents. As an avant-garde mathcore band, Psyopus has done what their fans have expected, and that's what I like about this, though I'm not a fan...YET.
Defocus - "Disease" (from "Disease", 2021)
4.5/5. Another metalcore banger! Enough said...
Bound in Fear - "Saint of Sorrow" (from "The Hand of Violence", 2019)
3.5/5. This is more of an intro song to the album's original release, but it's a f***ing tough one that acts as the first part of the brutal deathcore trio. Even the strongest would be disturbed! Listen at your own risk, seriously!
Brand of Sacrifice - "The Branded" (from "God Hand", 2019)
4/5. Probably one of the heaviest deathcore bands on Planet f***ing Earth! Anyone listening to this might feel the urge to go berserk and slay as many demons as they can, ripping the demons' guts and shoving them up the demons' a**es.
Darko US - "(Devine Void)" (from "Pt. 1 Dethmask", 2020)
4.5/5. Another powerful deathcore track with big rhythm! What else is there to say?
Car Bomb - "Dissect Yourself" (from "Mordial", 2019)
5/5. Another perfect quantum-physical mathcore track that can shoot more powerful than planet-destroying laser beams! Think of this like Gaza, Gojira, and the more brutal Lamb of God all mixed in one cauldron.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Sandbox Magician" (from "Under the Running Board", 1998)
4.5/5. Still amazing mathcore/metalcore lovers since its release slightly before I was born, with a cool ending past the two-minute mark.
Converge - "Thaw" (from "Jane Doe", 2001)
5/5. Then it flows to this wonderful gem. You can feel the intense vocal emotion overpower you as he screams over the brutal instrumentation. I would've suggested the 11-minute title epic, but I wasn't up to taking up too much space. Maybe next time...
Crossfaith - "Astral Heaven" (from "Xeno", 2015)
4.5/5. And finally we end with a killer outro from the one Revolution subgenre I hadn't tackled yet, trancecore. Anyone having survived the rest of my playlist, enjoy the cool trance of this outro. You've earned it!
Wow, I really dig this playlist that I've made! That opinion might seem bad form, but let me even out by saying that I would recommend any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoy the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting my playlist, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
LATEST HEADLINES: Metalcore band in unintelligible lyrics scandal!! Fans shocked by references to violence in hardcore songs!
*Sorry. I couldn't help myself.* :)
My thoughts on some tracks:
All Out War – “Resist” (from “Truth In The Age Of Lies”, 1997)
4/5. Let's start the playlist with one of the more violent metallic hardcore bands that is a direct opposite of those suburban emo bands that wish for peace. Mike Score has sick vocal brutality going on. The first couple minutes play off almost like a slower "Hell Awaits", but after that, they don't need to go thrash, groove, or Swedish death metal. Instead this is OG metalcore that they've helped developed along with Integrity. F***ing great bad-a** sound, but the intensity is slightly overwhelming. This song would definitely be for old-school metalcore fans. War awaits...
Unearth – “Incinerate” (from “Extinction(s)”, 2018)
4.5/5. This one with a hardcore riff that, along with an awesome guitar interlude, can incinerate listeners face down.
Bullet For My Valentine – “The Last Fight” (from “Fever”, 2010)
4.5/5. Here's a glimpse of a driving fighter-attitude. It has the first ever guitar solo in the album. It's my personal favorite song in terms of vocals, most of which is clean singing with background shouting in the chorus, which is unlike the rest of the clan while keep the rebellious attitude. That's a simple but cool mature song.
Shadows Fall – “Destroyer Of Senses” (from “The Art Of Balance”, 2002)
4/5. This one keeps up the fast thrashy pace from the BFMV track, but a little simplistic and repetitive. Brain Fair does some guttural screaming in the slow sludgy part. I just picked this one as a starter for thrashy metalcore newcomers.
Misery Signals – “Five Years” (from “Of Malice & The Magnum Heart”, 2004)
5/5. One of my favorite Misery Signals songs! The line "Blood is forever" really smashes my heart and fixes it back up, restoring the blood that came out of it. And d*mn, what a f***ing amazing ending here!
Born Of Osiris – “Angel Or Alien” (from “Angel Or Alien”, 2021)
4.5/5. What you may hear in this track is a long-time-no-listen infectious hook, in which you can't deny its resemblance to the band's past material while moving the evolution forward. What a grand album that is!
Amaranthe – “Drop Dead Cynical” (from “Massive Addictive”, 2014)
3.5/5. This song I'm not really a big fan of. Their attempt to sound heavier ends coming out as more of an industrial-pop single. That marks the start of the overpowering trance infecting their later albums.
All That Remains – “Behind Silence & Solitude” (from “Behind Silence & Solitude”, 2002)
4/5. One of my favorite songs from All That Remains' melodeath-fueled debut, though not as the same height as songs from their later metalcore albums.
After The Burial – “Pendulum” (from “In Dreams”, 2010)
4.5/5. After the Burial is a f***ing passionate progressive metalcore band that I used to enjoy, but I kinda wish I hadn't given up on this band. This is a great song from them. Justin Lowe did amazing djenty rhythms. RIP...
Converge – “No Heroes” (from “No Heroes”, 2006)
5/5. This awesome killer Jane Doe leftover-ish track has crazy good lyrics ("NO MORE HEROES!! NO MORE!! NO MORE!! In my world of enemies I walk alone!!!").
Threat Signal – “One Last Breath” (from “Under Reprisal”, 2006)
4.5/5. Time for one last song, this one with one of the best choruses by this band that I've also left behind listening to, this time because of their melodeath mixed with metalcore. This can really pound more than coffee for me! Thankfully, this isn't a Creed cover at all, but instead a much better original track than that Creed song. Absolutely kick-A! I haven't heard this band in 5 or 6 months but, I still understand how underrated this band is. The chorus might remind some of a mix of Linkin Park and Fear Factory.
I'm really glad I gave this one a second chance after letting it sit for a bit, because it really clicked compared to the first listen. I don't have too much to say about Mathcore in general since I'm grossly unfamiliar with it outside of the big names, so I'm not sure what else to say other than this is great. Converge in their Jane Doe era was always a bit too abrasive and chaotic for me, so Botch having a cleaner sound and more focused songwriting really helps them play to my preferences. Definitely going to be going back to this one, I can see why it's spoken of so highly.
4.5/5
Cheers for the rec, Daniel! Here's my review summary:
Hopesfall is an alt-hardcore band that had a more metalcore sound 20 years before this review. They were signed to Trustkill Records, an infamous record label that took their own name seriously. This EP, No Wings to Speak of acts as a bridge in the 3-year gap between their debut The Frailty of Words and The Satellite Years. The band's Christian-themed debut is an under-recorded under-promoted album that failed to spread through a greater audience. The EP No Wings to Speak of is a greater display of their earlier work with underground spirit dug into the surface. And when I finally got the chance to listen, it was indeed a jaw-dropping experience! Hopesfall were, besides Skycamefalling and Underoath, one of the earliest metalcore hybrid bands, mixing the genre with emo and post-hardcore, and slight hints at the indie rock that would dominate their sound in the mid-2000s and beyond, all in dense sound layers. Despite this hybrid, their main focus isn't on metalcore's moshing chaos, but rather on smooth beauty in their sound. These 4 songs are harmoniously written compositions while still using heavy grooves and breakdowns in the song structures. Heavy but mellow compared to what their previous record label Takehold Records had then. The band stays strong with emotional chords and beautiful riffs overlapped with harsh vocals in spiritual purity. The emotion in this album is especially proven in "The End of an Era", a 7-minute epic of beauty and fury, reaching its climax with a soft gentle instrumental passage, and if you have that part seamlessly repeat without any of the heavier ones, that would be excellent meditation music. No Wings to Speak of is more suitable for a night drive with yourself or friends than just a live show. With music filled with brilliance, beauty and a breakdown or a few, metalcore youngsters like myself would absolutely love it!
5/5
My thoughts on some tracks:
Shadows Fall – “Of One Blood” (from “Of One Blood”, 2000)
4.5/5. Let's kick off my playlist journey with one of my favorite songs of this album. It has a long, complicated solo that would've fit well in a DragonForce song.
Demon Hunter – “Sixteen” (from “Storming The Gates Of Hell”, 2007)
4/5. This one sounds more original, starting with a long experimental chamber cello/guitar one and a half minute intro before vocals come in, including edgy guest vocals by Bruce Fitzhugh of Living Sacrifice in the pre-chorus, in contrast to the clean chorus. The breakdown has interesting lyrics.
Underøath – “Paper Lung” (from “Ø (Disambiguation)”, 2010)
5/5. Like "Writing on the Walls" and "In Division", this song's music video is what ignited a slight spark of interest in Underoath 5 years ago that didn't fully began until halfway through that period of time when a different song from the band was used in a TheOdd1sOut video. This is closer to a sludgy metalcore mix a bit like the first 3 He Is Legend albums combined, especially in the intense last minute. I ain't sorry when I say this is much better than their recent pop rock sh*t.
Converge – “You Fail Me” (from “You Fail Me”, 2004)
5/5. For the title track one of the greatest metalcore/mathcore albums, any fan of shorter-length hardcore might find the length and mood boring, but it fits perfectly here. The song is a wall of sludge metal sound. Bass, guitars, and drums combine into a pounding mix while Bannon unleashes his shrieking vocal assault. Now this is a sludgy metalcore epic! Thanks for submitting this, Vinny!
Pupil Slicer – “Mirrors Are More Fun Than Television” (from “Mirrors”, 2021)
3.5/5. This is fun and all, but I'm not that into the brutal experimental kind of metalcore, OK?!
Born Of Osiris – “Recreate” (from “The Discovery”, 2011)
4.5/5. The guitar bit around the 30-second mark of this wicked song really shows what guitarist Lee McKinney can do.
Darkest Hour – “Beneath The Blackening Sky” (from “Darkest Hour”, 2014)
4.5/5. I was once a fan of Darkest Hour, but there were also one of the melodic death metal bands that I moved away from during my death metal departure. But I still enjoy a few songs from their more metalcore albums, like this one which was one of my favorite songs from their self-titled album. A killer kick-A thrashy metalcore instant classic despite its short but average 4-minute length. Their self-titled album marked a swift change out of the earlier melodeath sound the band had up to The Human Romance. In the iTunes deluxe edition, this song is surrounded by two bonus tracks while still before the last two regular tracks. Some might think of the self-titled album as a piece of unholy sh*t, but I say it's by far underrated!
Veil Of Maya – “Namaste” (from “[id]”, 2010)
5/5. This one apparently has a 20-second intro that didn't make the final cut, which is a shame because that intro sounds so awesome and it would've made the song closer to the 4-minute mark. But that song itself is still a sweet highlight!
The Dillinger Escape Plan – “The Running Board” (from “Calculating Infinity”, 1999)
4.5/5. Here's a song that probably works better in the Under the Running Board EP. After a chaotic minute, the song switches to a western noir theme that escalates into some more jazz fusion. Still there's no denying that the song is a hardcore anthem for metalheads.
A timely piece for sure. I find less in common between Skycamefalling with Converge and Dillinger, but rather something that is closer related to post-hardcore like Botch or Hopesfall. This record feels a lot simpler than those albums; the breakdowns are monstrous, the vocals are ruthless and quite impressive, and the main melodic counterpoint in the guitar is short, but effective. However, for a "hardcore" album, it feels very predictable after a while, and for an album with twelve tracks and running over an hour, you start picking up very quickly on the repetitive motifs. Near the end, the title track and the closer "An Ocean Apart" really started to drag on and become monotonous. The outro deserves special recognition for being only four-and-a-half minutes, but returns with about a minute-and-a-half to spare, just to continue playing the same riff that faded out the first part! Not a great way to close out an album that's for sure.
Regardless, this brand of metalcore is close to my alley as opposed to the technical parts of mathcore. But for me, something about this record feels less developed than the bands mentioned earlier. While not metal by any stretch, I hear a lot of similarities between this record and a local hardcore output, Alexisonfire, especially that 2002 self titled debut. I don't know; the quality is there I'll give it that, but I am not feeling this the same way that I did We Are The Romans or No Wings To Speak Of.
7/10
My thoughts on some tracks:
Ice Kills Nine – “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (from “Safe Is Just A Shadow”, 2010)
5/5. Do you like Ice Nine Kills? I sure do! Do you look forward to their second Silver Scream album coming this October?! For me, H*LL YEAH!! The album this song is in also very cool, and was the only one with bassist/vocalist Shane Bisnett who passed away on New Years Day 2019. RIP... This song indeed tells one of the greatest stories ever told, really in need of millions of YouTube views. Love a bit of vocal reverb! I should really use this song as my ringtone for when I ever get a smartphone. The remake of Safe is Just a Shadow is cleaner, but I enjoy the rawness of the original (this version). Those golden leads they really should've done more of in recent albums. If you include the first version ever in The Burning EP, there would actually be 3 official versions of this amazing song!!! HOLY SH*T!! I just love this awesome song, having a mix of vibes from the mid-2000s eras of Escape the Fate and Panic at the Disco, with a bit of Disney-like storytelling.
Protest The Hero – “Bloodmeat” (from “Fortress”, 2008)
4.5/5. This one crashes in with its Dillinger Escape Plan-like modern math-metalcore. The main riff appears surrounded by many of its chaotic moments to make me jump in joy. The inventive riffs go along with the catchy hooks that sing/scream about worshiping mythology in violent metaphors ("HEADS WILL ROLL!!!"). The fast pace often slows down for little epic moments of greatness. Too bad the bass is a little too turned down, I was looking forward to more awesome bass tapping.
All That Remains – “Down Through The Ages” (from “A War You Cannot Win”, 2012)
4/5. A great heavy thrash-driving metalcore opener! Not much more to say...
Shadows Fall – “Stepping Outside The Circle” (from “The Art Of Balance”, 2002)
5/5. One of the best songs of the playlist and its album, with lots of amazing thrash. Riffs, time changes, gang vocals, all nothing but pure 100% thrash, with a capital TH. But at least there's a nice clean part and nice soloing.
August Burns Red – “The Truth Of A Liar” (from Messengers”, 2007)
4.5/5. Happy August! This song opens with a small throwback to the past; a Black Sabbath-style riff with a vintage metal scream. After that, the band stays with their present-day sound for the rest of that song and its album.
The Devil Wears Prada – “Contagion” (from “ZII” E.P., 2021)
5/5. Ah yeah, one of the best songs of metalcore to be released this year! A comeback to the band's heaviness after their recent electronic-infused experiment. I'm absolutely up for more of this band!
Betraying The Martyrs – “The Sound Of Letting You Go” (from “Rapture”, 2019)
4.5/5. Though Betraying the Martyrs is memorable for their symphonic deathcore style, this song is an example of how melodic their recent album is. 2019 is one of the greatest years in the 2010s for metal, and this song almost seals that deal. One of the best songs from Rapture! The elderly should stay away so they wouldn't get heart-attacked. Nothing lasts forever, and this track teaches not to take it all for granted. The direction is h*lla different yet still has the band's signature heaviness. If this wasn't too heavy and filled with a bit of swearing, this song would fit well for the Frozen 2 soundtrack, especially since they covered "Let It Go" earlier. Awesomeness under my skin!
Starkweather – “Epiphany” (from “This Sheltering Night”, 2010)
3.5/5. A bit too long and experimental for metalcore standards, but has a bit of great potential.
Attila – “You Looked A Lot Better Last Night” (from “Soundtrack To A Party”, 2008)
4/5. Before Attila became a rap-metalcore monster, they had a party-themed death/metalcore sound, and even the lyrics sound more brutal than what they have now: "WHEN THE FIRE RAISES FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL!!!"
Coalesce – “A Safe Place” (from “In Tongues We Speak” split E.P. with Napalm Death, 1996)
5/5. The day of finding more metal to start enjoying continues with this early mathcore band with slower jams. Perfect! But that EP cover art though, is that supposed to be a tongue!? H*ll if I know...
Winds Of Plague – “Sewer Mouth” (from “Resistance”, 2013)
4.5/5. I just don't understand the lack of attention for this band. I mean it sounds sick and brutal with guest vocals by Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain, but this band, along with the metalcore/hardcore punk bands I've commented on need more attention in MTV or the radio, like WT*?! But you know what, I'm just asking for too much. After all, we have this playlist and this website now, do we?