Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Underoath - "Breathing in a New Mentality" from Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008)

5/5. Honestly, this opening highlight can really take you by surprise by starting with riffs, drumming, and screams in a lower volume before shoving heavy loudness through your mouth and throat. This is a far more powerful opener than that of the previous album and playlist. Spencer Chamberlain's screaming sound demanding while Aaron Gillespie's drumming dominates and the guitar chords cuts more sharply than razor blades.

Trivium - "Rain" from Ascendancy (2005)

5/5. This next song kicks off the metal action in a vicious bang, setting a feverish pace maintained throughout its original album.

Falling in Reverse - "Raised by Wolves" from The Drug in Me Is You (2011)

4.5/5. Pre-Popular Monster Falling in Reverse isn't really metal nor something I really like, but this kick-A first track of their debut is as metalcore as they could get back then, mixing it with their usual pop punk similarly to early A Day to Remember.

BOI WHAT - "Let Me Crawl" from Let Me Crawl (2025)

4.5/5. Plankton AI metal goes Linkin Park/Memphis May Fire/Architects.

Bleed from Within - "Hands of Sin" from Hands of Sin (2024)

5/5. An awesome hard-hitter with a deep chorus, "Stood on the outside I'm looking in, holding peace in hands of sin. This moral mind wears a second skin, the end is now where I begin."

Shadow of Intent - "The Return" from Reclaimer (2017)

5/5. Technical deathcore is practically combined with the symphonic power metal guitarwork of Symphony X and Iced Earth. If the clean vocals were higher and more operatic, the band would've beaten Dragoncorpse in that game. Plus there's some medieval harpsichord! Now there's still the more extreme side of the spectrum with the brutal breakdown and the blackened death growls. It's amazing that the vocalist Ben Duerr would still have that power in their next album.

Carnifex - "No Light Shall Save Us" from World War X (2019)

4.5/5. An antiheroic anthem to love and embrace the darkness, featuring Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz.

A Night in Texas - "The God Delusion" from The River Delusion (2015)

4/5. Death metal/core continues to strike with its great cosmos-destroying might.

The Acacia Strain - "Beast" from Wormwood (2010)

4.5/5. "Whatever is necessary to do, you do it. Whenever somebody needs to be killed, there's no wrong, you do it, and you move on." "My life is a shooting range, people never change." Those lyrics are better taken as an incentive for taking on video game bosses. F***ing bad-a** downtempo deathcore featuring Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed.

CABAL - "Redemption Denied" from Redemption Denied (2025)

4/5. Another underrated band rises in the deathcore horde. Let's all stop being fixated on the behind-the-scenes drama of the genre and focus on how sick the music's gonna be this year. Other bands heading up include Humanity's Last Breath, Black Tongue, and Paleface Swiss. The lyrics and drumming are quite great here. So brutal as f*** with lots of creativity and noise.

Dal Av, Andy Cizek - "Remember Me" from Remember Me (2023)

4.5/5. With Monuments vocalist Andy Cizek onboard, it's a battle of demons and angels that can make any car ride brutal. Absolute djenty metalcore gold!

Shokran - "Supreme Truth" from Supreme Truth (2014)

4/5. I love this track getting me hypnotized by the riffs and growls sounding like Whitechapel while mixed with stunning melodies.

Mindsnare - "Flood" from Credulity (1996)

3.5/5. Pretty good early hardcore/metalcore track though it would've been better without that one-minute intro ("CAN YOU HEAR ME!?!").

Ice Nine Kills - "Dead is the New Black" from The Burning (2007)

4/5. This is from Ice Nine Kills' earlier era before they went all intense and horror-themed. Spencer Charnas is quite talented in his vocals and guitarwork. They've already gotten past their ska punk phase at this point.

Vianova - "Melanchronic" from Melanchronic (2025)

4.5/5. A sick song for a fun night drive, almost like Neurotech gone metalcore.

Get the Shot - "Pit of Misery" from Pit of Misery (2025)

4/5. This journey through brutal death/metalcore insanity isn't over yet...

Parkway Drive - "It's Hard to Speak Without a Tongue" from Killing with a Smile (2005)

4.5/5. This one is a standout track beginning with a simple clean guitar riff before drilling drums and thunderous bass come in followed and impressive solo-like melody. The melody fades into a quieter riff to fit it with the growling. That melody is used again the chorus section. An unusually well-balanced song for Parkway Drive!

Eighteen Visions - "A Short Walk Down a Long Hallway" from Vanity (2002)

5/5. The best track of its original album for me. The singing, soloing, riffing, and lyrics all reach their very peak. "Disgust, disgrace, you'll slap that look right off of my face, I'll play God, I'll play dead, You'll be the one to shoot me in the head." I also love the screaming by Corey Darst from The Pretty Weapons who was also a live vocalist for Zao.

Imminence - "Proclaim" from The Reclamation of I (2024)

4.5/5. The violin that starts this track might have some listeners confused thinking they put on a My Dying Bride album, but then it explodes into dramatic metalcore, not too far off from The Showdown's 2004 debut instrumentally.

Make Them Suffer - "No Hard Feelings" from Make Them Suffer (2024)

5/5. Alex Reade has more of the divine spotlight in this highlight. The heaviness is toned down slightly for some lovely melody, while staying fast and killer. Sean Harmanis continues his harsh screams while also offering some gruff singing behind Reade. They both might make the best metal vocal duo of the year alongside Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong!

Alleviate - "Forevermore" from DMNS (2024)

4.5/5. One of the heaviest songs I've heard in modern metalcore. You don't wanna miss out on the chaos that is two minutes of your life you want more of. This banger is more brutal than even the heaviest of As I Lay Dying. Lots of interesting fire to make up for the worst of times.

Graphic Nature - "Human" from Who Are You When No One is Watching? (2024)

4/5. This one has more melodic synths, while blending it with heavy guitars, a balance already mastered by Sleep Token.

Hollow Front - "Caved In" from Homewrecker (2017)

3.5/5. Pretty cool, but I wish there could've been some Cave In-like experimentation.

Convictions - "Sleeping Lotus" from The Fear of God (2024)

4/5. Such a destructive yet beautiful tune. What else can I say?

Inertia - "Theist" from Unlearn (2017)

4.5/5. Bad-a** lyrics once again, with the music reminding me of Polaris.

Half Me - "Fatalist" from Opium EP (2024)

4/5. "I WILL DIE AS A FATALIST!!!!!" The breakdown goes quite hard, as much as the ones by Thrown, whom they have collaborated with previously.

Rolo Tomassi - "Opalescent" from Grievance (2015)

4.5/5. Rolo Tomassi never disappoints! The drums start off jazzy then, at the end, rise into massive blackened blasts. The instrumentation and vocals are quite beautiful, though if there was any screamed vocals, it would've been perfect.

Ion Dissonance - "(D.A.B.D.A.) State of Discomposure" from Cast the First Stone (2016)

5/5. See what I mean!? Those growled/screamed vocals help make this the fantastic nearly 9-minute mathcore epic it is.

Revnoir - "Revenge" from Revenge (2025)

4.5/5. Revnoir, along with Landmvrks, Novelists, and Resolve, have the ambition to bring light to the French metalcore scene with heavy bangers like this. D*mn, I'm so proud of those guys!

All That Remains - "Blood & Stone" from Antifragile (2025)

5/5. Finally we have this epic emotional closing track. The piano intro and outro are performed by none other than Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater. And in between is a metalcore extravaganza of heavy riffs and whimsical DragonForce-like leads. Philip Labonte lets out perhaps his most dynamic vocals to date. The perfect way to close this masterpiece album and this playlist!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Atheist – Air (1993)

4.5/5. This waltz-paced track to start this playlist rises from jazzy guitar and cymbal into a riff blizzard. Shaefer's impressive shrieking strike the music down into the snow. Rather than being catchy, the windy music catches the feeling and drags through the breeze. After a bit more fury comes some more commanding jazz.

Black Crown Initiate – Belle The Machine (2016)

5/5. Some of the greatest modern progressive death metal songs are the ones that are around 9 minutes long. This one is so unique and beautiful! Anyone discovering this band should be considered lucky to find great gems in their discography. The instrumentation and growls is like a modern upgrade for Opeth. The guitarwork should be worth playing on a djenty 8-string guitar. Too bad the massive rhythm section of rhythm guitarist Wes Hauch and drummer Jesse Beahler are gone after this album...

Car Bomb – Gratitude (2016)

4.5/5. This trippy track actually has a Deftones-like sound, where a verse drives through with clean vocals and jangly guitars, taking a sideways turn in direction.

Fallujah – Sapphire (2024)

5/5. Over 10 years and still timeless, so much so that its album The Flesh Prevails has been given a f***ing kick-A 10th anniversary remastering. Transcending through this epic djenty sound!

Haken – The Architect (feat. Einar Solberg) (2016)

4.5/5. I still enjoy this Haken epic with a lot going on throughout these 16 minutes. When the heaviness enters in the first minute, it's closer to some jazzy progressive metal packaged from Planet X. The verses don't come until the 3-minute mark, with background 80s synths. Then the riffing hits hard in the chorus. After those 6 minutes of Dream Theater-esque progressiveness, it calms down for a soft ambient break with some guitar fiddling. The ambience slowly rises up for a bit of TOOL and the softer side of Rosetta. When the vocals come back on after a minute, they might remind some of Porcupine Tree. At over the 10-minute point is when things start to sound more like Opeth, especially when we get to hear screamed vocals by Leprous vocalist Einar Solberg, his last screams that he would perform in 5 years. Two minutes later, the heavy djent-ish riffing really fires away. Soon the chorus returns, and we reach the ultimate climax during the final two minutes. Truly an astonishing epic!

Ihsahn – Celestial Violence (feat. Einar Solberg) (2016)

5/5. Up next, we have another track featuring Einar Solberg. Shorter, darker, and showcasing his cleans. What a masterpiece of a song! Ihsahn has appeared in a couple Leprous tracks, so it's good for Einar to return the favor. Truly an anthem that should be remembered for centuries, maybe even millennia!

Intronaut – Fast Worms (2015)

4.5/5. Wow, this is the 4th time this Intronaut song has appeared in an Infinite playlist. I won't complain though, this is f***ing killer jazzy post-/progressive metal with flawless mixing by Devin Townsend.

Novembre – Marea (2002)

4/5. A 3-part 12-minute epic that actually combines two tracks originally in Novembre's debut. Calm acoustics aside, it's a vast improvement and another great track here!

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Ankor – Chop Suey! (2014)

4.5/5. Well this is an interesting start to this playlist. I had no idea Ankor covered this System of a Down classic. The band's usual A Day to Remember/Bring Me the Horizon gone Paramore sound gives the song more climatic drama, especially during the bridge leading up to the final chorus. Well done!

Any Given Sin – Nearer Our God to Thee (2015)

5/5. Wow, this might just be the greatest song I've heard in this Disturbed kind of alt-metal style. This is my jam!

Avenged Sevenfold – Afterlife (2007)

4.5/5. Although I've fallen off the A7X train, I can still go back to this killer track again and again. RIP The Rev

Limp Bizkit – Shotgun (2011)

4/5. My favorite track in this Limp Bizkit album attacks with the band's earlier humor and heaviness of Significant Other. Anyone here caught off-guard by the awesome rare guitar soloing?

Metallica – Some Kind of Monster (2003)

3.5/5. A monstrous 8-minute epic that should be re-recorded with improved production, guitar soloing, audible bass, and none of the G****MN SNARE.

Mucky Pup – Own Up for What You Say (1993)

4/5. Pretty great track, but a little too punky.

Nothing More – Fade In/Fade Out (2017)

4.5/5. A 6-minute pic to touch the hearts of all music listeners.

TOOL – Jambi (2006)

4/5. This one track really lets loose with the groove, especially the riffing surrounding the guitar solo.

March 2025

1. Fear Factory - "Edgecrusher" from Obsolete (1998) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. Turmion Kätilöt - "Pirun Nyrkki" from Pirun Nyrkki (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Deathstars - "The Last Ammunition" from Termination Bliss (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Rabbit Junk - "Denature" from Denature (2021)

5. Terminal Choice - "Don't Go" from New Born Enemies (2006)

6. Ludovico Technique - "Embrace" from Haunted People (2022)

7. Sphere (NO) - "Primordial" from Primordial (2013)

8. Digimortal - "Белое знамя" from Белое знамя (2024)

9. Neurotech - "The Serpent Bites" from Ave Neptune (2023)

10. Oblivion Machine - "Shield Mode" from Zero-Gravity (2011)

11. Circle of Dust - "Telltale Crime" from Brainchild (1994) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

12. Blue Stahli - "Gravity" from Obsidian (2021) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

13. Cypecore - "Neoteric Gods" from Make Me Real (2024)

14. The Axis of Perdition - "This, Then, in Paradise?" from Deleted Scenes From the Transition Hospital (2005)

15. The Amenta - "Obliterate’s Prayer" from Flesh is Heir (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. Corrections House - "Dirt Poor and Mentally Ill" from Last City Zero (2013)

17. Sybreed - "Bioactive (Neurotech Remix)" from Bioactive Remixes (2025)

18. Nine Inch Nails - "Give Up" from Fixed (1992)

19. Eisbrecher - "Kaltfront" from Kaltfront (2025)

20. Viter - "Two Colors" from Springtime (2012)

21. Rammstein - "Engel" from Sehnsucht (1997)

22. Morgoth - "A New Start" from Feel Sorry for the Fanatic (1996)

23. KMFDM - "Trust" from Nihil (1995)

24. Tyrant of Death - "Biomechanical" from Biomechanical (2014)

25. Black Light Discipline - "Faded" from Faded (2018)

March 2025

1. Underoath - "Breathing in a New Mentality" from Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. Trivium - "Rain" from Ascendancy (2005)

3. Falling in Reverse - "Raised by Wolves" from The Drug in Me Is You (2011) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. BOI WHAT - "Let Me Crawl" from Let Me Crawl (2025)

5. Bleed from Within - "Hands of Sin" from Hands of Sin (2024)

6. Shadow of Intent - "The Return" from Reclaimer (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

7. Carnifex - "No Light Shall Save Us" from World War X (2019) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

8. A Night in Texas - "The God Delusion" from The River Delusion (2015)

9. The Acacia Strain - "Beast" from Wormwood (2010)

10. CABAL - "Redemption Denied" from Redemption Denied (2025)

11. Dal Av, Andy Cizek - "Remember Me" from Remember Me (2023)

12. Shokran - "Supreme Truth" from Supreme Truth (2014)

13. Mindsnare - "Flood" from Credulity (1996)

14. Ice Nine Kills - "Dead is the New Black" from The Burning (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

15. Vianova - "Melanchronic" from Melanchronic (2025)

16. Get the Shot - "Pit of Misery" from Pit of Misery (2025)

17. Parkway Drive - "It's Hard to Speak Without a Tongue" from Killing with a Smile (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

18. Eighteen Visions - "A Short Walk Down a Long Hallway" from Vanity (2002) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

19. Imminence - "Proclaim" from The Reclamation of I (2024) [submitted by Saxy S]

20. Make Them Suffer - "No Hard Feelings" from Make Them Suffer (2024) [submitted by Saxy S]

21. Alleviate - "Forevermore" from DMNS (2024)

22. Graphic Nature - "Human" from Who Are You When No One is Watching? (2024)

23. Hollow Front - "Caved In" from Homewrecker (2017)

24. Convictions - "Sleeping Lotus" from The Fear of God (2024)

25. Inertia - "Theist" from Unlearn (2017)

26. Half Me - "Fatalist" from Opium EP (2024)

27. Rolo Tomassi - "Opalescent" from Grievance (2015)

28. Ion Dissonance - "(D.A.B.D.A.) State of Discomposure" from Cast the First Stone (2016)

29. Revnoir - "Revenge" from Revenge (2025)

30. All That Remains - "Blood & Stone" from Antifragile (2025)

Here's my review summary:

I would've thought this smooth cyber/industrial metal sound was weird a few years ago, before I realized its true potential. Now it's something so fresh and unique that's hard to find in any other band or style. Ave Neptune continues restoring the many aspects of Neurotech's material from 10 years prior, while adding new stuff including the occasional acoustic bridge and even extreme blast beats. Wulf's ongoing journey of electronics blended with metal is something once done by Dead by April and The Browning, only mellower and more focused on electronics while still having a great deal of metal, with excellent riffing, pleasant singing, and catchy choruses. All in all, Ave Neptune has been an amazing experience in the cyber realm of Neurotech, with some of my newfound favorite tracks by the band. I look forward to hearing more of the band's discography and finding out which albums can surpass this one. All hail Neurotech!

4.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Mundane Entropy", "The Serpent Bites", "Repent in Need", "Inner Quest", "The Years of the Flood"

For fans of: Deathstars, Mechina, The Browning's "Skybreaker"

Here's my review summary:

Shadow of Intent made a couple albums based on their favorite video game franchise Halo. After that, with another new lineup, Ben Duerr and Chris Wiseman have made a separate concept album about mass suicides at the hands of a demonic goddess. So dark, so depressing, yet... so intriguing! Until at least 5 years ago, I was never really into deathcore. At first I thought it was like standard death metal with metalcore breakdowns. The kind of deathcore I prefer is when the genre goes progressive and symphonic. I only just discovered this band a couple years ago, and eventually it has managed to grow on me with epic extreme songs showcasing the harsh vocals by Ben Duerr and the searing guitar work of Chris Wiseman, alongside orchestration filled with eeriness and drama. Before this discovery, albums like Make Them Suffer's Neverbloom and Lorna Shore's Pain Remains have been my go-to albums for symphonic deathcore. In comes Shadow of Intent's Melancholy, an epic riff-tastic melodic deathcore album to please any metalhead. I just found a new best album of 2019!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Gravesinger", "Barren and Breathless Macrocosm", "Dirge of the Void", "The Dreaded Mystic Abyss", "Malediction"

For fans of: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Lorna Shore, early Make Them Suffer

Update for April:

THE FALLEN: VINNY, Sonny

THE GATEWAY: ANDI, Saxy

THE GUARDIANS: KARL, Xephyr

THE HORDE: KARL, Vinny, Sonny

THE INFINITE: XEPHYR, Andi, Saxy

THE NORTH: SONNY, Karl, Xephyr

THE PIT: SONNY, Vinny

THE REVOLUTION: ANDI

THE SPHERE: ANDI

Here's my submission for the April Guardians playlist:

Starkill - "Detonate" (from Gravity, 2019) (a little deathly for a Guardians track submission, but it sounds closer to the likes of Epica and Trail of Tears)

Ben, please add these new Saliva albums:

Revelation

Revelation: Retold

A more progressive while still doomy 8-minute epic:

A great early example of female-fronted progressive doom with its bleak darkness:

I've just revisited this EP and I can definitely hear those lush arrangements and guitar arpeggios, with tracks "Grevinnens Bønn" and "Silently I Surrender" sounding quite expansive. With enough progressiveness to qualify, I'll vote YES for this entry, Daniel.

Some of the best highlights from this compilation of all of Dawn of Orion's recordings, one per release, not including the debut album mentioned above:

We definitely don't need to worry about that now. Seems like RYM is aware of the scene/genre situation and will fix the issue in a later update. Here's what they had to say:

"For the moment Scene and Movement voting is still mixed in with genre voting on this page, even though they are now displayed separately. The voting UI for this will be improved at some point in the future.

"For Scenes and Movements the primary/secondary vote distinction is irrelevant, it is recommended to just vote them up in the Primary section but in the future the voting data for these will likely be combined. Again this is something that will be improved in future site updates."

It's crazy how after my Undying review marathon, this symphonic black metal song that I rediscovered made me think of that band, with the D-flat tuned epic heavy guitar melodies and occasional symphonic synths. Of course, when it slows down and the shrieked vocals come in, that's when Stormlord fans can recognize the band they know. Even people like me who aren't into black metal that much can enjoy this power and glory:

Ben, Sonny, Xephyr, Rex....this amazing offering of power metal-ish symphonic black metal might just be worth you guys' time:

This brilliant start to Undying's last album has the best of many bands past and future, including late 90s Cave In, The Ghost Inside, Killswitch Engage, and Omnium Gatherum:

A fantastic early melodic metalcore song of rage and passion:

A mighty battle between the 90s metal/hardcore of Vision of Disorder and Burst and the European melodeath that would later reach bands like Neaera and Omnium Gatherum:

Ben, please add the Dawn of Orion compilation album A Celestial Ballad.

A true early example of melodic deathcore and its dark riffing:

The only track I like from this lo-fi mess of an EP is this beautiful highlight combining their brutal sound with dark melodies:

I've just checked their RYM page. Their EP Absence is black metal with the death metal secondary tag.

Ben, please add Oblivion Machine.

THE GATEWAY: Northlane - Mirror's Edge (2024) 4.5/5

THE INFINITE: Meshuggah - Catch Thirtythree (2005) 5/5

THE REVOLUTION: Converge - Petitioning the Empty Sky (1996) 4.5/5

THE SPHERE: Corrections House - Last City Zero (2013) 4/5

Although all of the feature releases for my clans were nominated by me (including one that I had to nominate in Saxy's place) and the only ones I've chosen to check out, they're all quite amazing and I would recommend them to fans of their respective genres. Keep up the good work on the feature releases, all! And please remember to submit them to Ben on time.

Thanks to YouTuber Michael Shea's better re-recording of Metallica's St. Anger, its closing track is finally living it up as a true 8-minute epic:

We all know what went wrong with St. Anger; the overlong songs, the poor production, the total lack of guitar solos, the inaudible bass, and that F***ING SNARE. But what if the album had almost none of those problems at all? Last year, YouTuber Michael Shea decided to create and upload this full-album re-recording of St. Anger, St. [b]Anger. As he stated in the description, "The songs are shorter, the production is better, and the snare drum is more tolerable. I took some creative liberties with the songs and did what I thought would benefit them. Everything has been re-recorded from the ground up, except for the vocals which were extracted from the original album."

The end result is indeed St. Anger but better! It really does sound like a more enjoyable alt-metal album, and a more enjoyable take on what Metallica has done. With most of the original problems eliminated, I like many of the songs more now, and even the worst songs sound cool. Most of them are trimmed down to 4 or 5 minutes, which shall work well for many music listeners, including those who prefer to hear them in more radio-friendly lengths.

There are still a few issues, a couple of which might've been added in by the re-recording. Since the vocals weren't re-recorded and instead we end up having the original vocals by James Hetfield, his nu metal-ish shouts still make me cringe a bit. At least the re-recording has an instrumental version. The shortening of a couple songs might've been too much, with "Frantic" and the title track becoming shorter than their original radio edits. The re-recording of "Frantic" would end up having an extended version along with the re-recording of "Invisible Kid". And the title track rules more than it already does, along with "Some Kind of Monster". The lengths of "Sweet Amber", "Purify", and "All Within My Hands" were barely affected, but that's OK because all 3 are turned into highlights, with "All Within My Hands" finally living it up as a true 8-minute epic.

So, is St. [b]Anger really St. Anger but actually good? I certainly think it's good, while still having a few things wrong. I don't know if it's something you all might be up for, but there's a high chance that you'll be like, "Oh yeah, this is what that sh*tty trainwreck should've sounded like." You might just win it all from this band after all....

Favorites: "St. Anger", "Some Kind of Monster", "Sweet Amber", "Purify", "All Within My Hands"

3.5/5

Thanks, Daniel. Could you please also post or pass this nomination: https://metal.academy/forum/28/thread/2488

With excellent riffing and a catchy chorus, this might just be my favorite track of Neurotech's new era:

Too much electronic sh*t in this awful stinker:

A deathly groove highlight from Cypecore's latest album:

Deathly djenty industrial/groove metal at its best that Cypecore fans would surely love:

The "Death Version" of this track is closer to metalcore than melodeath, which I can greatly accept and love more than the cleaner version:

Great harmonies and vocals in this more industrial track, and I love the bridge in the second half:

A chaotic groove metal opener to Cypecore's comeback EP, with vocals sounding like melodeath-ish metalcore gone Disturbed:

Along with the Swedish pioneers of djent:

Meshuggah

1. I (EP)

2. Catch Thirtythree

3. Destroy Erase Improve

4. Chaosphere

5. Nothing

6. Koloss

7. The Violent Sleep of Reason

8. None (EP)

9. ObZen

10. Immutable

11. Contradictions Collapse

12. Meshuggah (EP)

In Flames was really making a gradual descent in quality from the melodeath glory of the 90s to the alt-metal atrocity of the 2010s, around twice as many albums as the ones from each of the bands I've listed above. That's part of what made me gave up on listening to this band a few years ago, though they made a slightly better comeback to the in-between of the 2000s with their new album Foregone in 2023.

A playlist I've made based on the above list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5LTu94tw97MMAlLfVGI5sJ

Here are my top 20 favorite tracks from melodic metalcore band All That Remains:

1. Two Weeks - Overcome (2008)

2. This Calling - The Fall of Ideals (2006)

3. The Last Time - ...For We Are Many (2010)

4. Blood & Stone - Antifragile (2025)

5. Chiron - Overcome (2008)

6. Divine - Antifragile (2025)

7. Not Alone - The Fall of Ideals (2006)

8. Madness - Madness (2017)

9. Victory Lap - The Order of Things (2015)

10. Stand Up - A War You Can Not Win (2012)

11. Behind Silence and Solitude - Behind Silence and Solitude (2002)

12. And Death in My Arms - This Darkened Heart (2004)

13. The Weak Willed - The Fall of Ideals (2006)

14. Focus Shall Not Fail - This Darkened Heart (2004)

15. A War You Can Not Win - A War You Can Not Win (2012)

16. Safe House - Madness (2017)

17. ...For We Are Many - ...For We Are Many (2010)

18. Victim of the New Disease - Victim of the New Disease (2018)

19. Tru-Kvlt-Metal - The Order of Things (2015)

20. Everything's Wrong - Victim of the New Disease (2018)

Nice lists, Rex! Now how about these Canadian forerunners of thrashy progressive metal:

Voivod

1. Dimension Hatross

2. Nothingface

3. Killing Technology

4. The Wake

5. Target Earth

6. Rrroooaaarrr

7. Synchro Anarchy

8. Morgoth Tales (re-recording album)

9. Angel Rat

10. The Outer Limits

11. War and Pain

12. Infini

13. Katorz

14. Voivod

15. Negatron

16. Phobos

Cool lists, guys! Death is known as not just the fathers of death metal, but also one of the technical death metal Big 4. Also in that Big 4 are the Dutch leaders of that death metal subgenre:

Pestilence

1. Spheres

2. Testimony of the Ancients

3. Exitivm

4. Consuming Impulse

5. Hadeon

6. Obsideo

7. Doctrine

8. Resurrection Macabre

9. Malleus Maleficarum

10. Levels of Perception (re-recording album)

The epic emotional closing track of All That Remains' brand-new masterpiece album is probably the best song they've done in a long time:

I was thinking about which clan to add this band known as the pioneering forces of post-sludge but have since been inactive due to a disgraced band member, but ultimately decided to do it here in The Fallen:

Neurosis

1. The Eye of Every Storm

2. Through Silver in Blood

3. A Sun That Never Sets

4. Times of Grace

5. Given to the Rising

6. Enemy of the Sun

7. Honor Found in Decay

8. Neurosis & Jarboe

9. Souls at Zero

10. Fires Within Fires

11. The Word as Law

12. Pain of Mind

A brand-new single of intense violin-infused metalcore by Imminence:

A Spotify playlist I've made based on my Mechina favorite tracks list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/46x2HxpNaUfLUQrisTSXCn

After my Mechina album reviewing marathon, I thought I would share my top 20 favorite tracks from that band:

1. The Hyperion Threnody - Acheron (2015)

2. Elephtheria - Empyrean (2013)

3. Gene Heresy - Telesterion (2019)

4. Anagenesis - Progenitor (2016)

5. Bellum Interruptum - Bellum Interruptum (2025)

6. On the Wings of Vecterra - Bellum Interruptum (2025)

7. The Assembly of Tyrants - The Assembly of Tyrants (2005)

8. Freedom Foregone - Siege (2021)

9. Reclamation of Mortal Nature - Tyrannical Resurrection (2007)

10. The Iron Law - Conqueror (2011)

11. Xenon - Xenon (2014)

12. Unearthing the Daedalian Ancient - As Embers Turn to Dust (2017)

13. When Virtue Meets Steel - Venator (2022)

14. The Horizon Effect - Progenitor (2016)

15. Asterion - Empyrean (2013)

16. Siege - Siege (2021)

17. Tartarus - Xenon (2014)

18. Venator - Venator (2022)

19. The Synesthesia Signal - As Embers Turn to Dust (2017)

20. The Grand Hunt - Cenotaph (2023)

Honorable mentions (non-album singles):

1. To Coexist Is to Surrender (2014)

2. Blessings Upon the Field Where Blades Will Flood (2023)

3. The World We Lost (2015)

4. Cepheus (2013)

5. Andromeda (2011)

6. The World We Saved (2024)

The re-recording of the title track of Mechina's debut has a proper sense of closure with its extended ending and should've been the finale of the Tyrannical Resurrection EP:

No full review from me for this Mechina EP as I generally don't review albums that are just demos or re-recordings of songs from a single album, whether all or some tracks. Two years after the band's debut The Assembly of Tyrants, they decided to re-record 5 of the songs from that album for this EP Tyrannical Resurrection. Basically everything except the death metal demo tracks, the interludes, and the "Clash" remix. The instrumentation and vocals are all slightly improved compared to their debut, which a much less "demo" quality". The songs here are also some of my favorite tracks from the debut. So why am I rating this EP 4 stars as opposed to 4.5 stars for the debut? Simply because it's not the entire album, and it's only two years after the debut. I'd love to hear the whole Assembly of Tyrants album re-recorded for its 20th anniversary, with Mel Rose singing the cleans, including the death metal demo tracks and the interludes, but minus the "Clash" remix. It was actually Sonny who brought up that idea when he reviewed the debut last week. Thanks for that, Sonny! Also it would be better if "Shattered Cry" was put in the beginning of the EP instead of the end, because the extended ending of "The Assembly of Tyrants" has a more proper sense of closure. Fingers crossed for that 20th anniversary full-album re-recording to be made this year....

4/5

The band's attempt at experimenting with major-key brightness make this sh*tter the worst they've done in 10 years, and it fits better in a Cynic/Devin Townsend album: