Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Threads

I have another judgement submission for the Blue Stahli album The Devil, which takes the project's industrial metal sound through mainstream territory, heading into alt-metal. This is given away by the frequent accessibility in riffs, melodies, and vocals. So I'd like to submit Blue Stahli's "The Devil" to The Hall to be added to The Gateway and alternative metal.

Blue Stahli has a lot of industrial metal going on alongside the industrial rock and electro-industrial in several albums. Many of the songs have the distorted guitar crunch and techno beats and keys that can be found in industrial metal, thus making them more than just electro-industrial rock (alt-metal for The Devil). So I'd like to submit Blue Stahli's 2011 self-titled debut album, "B-Sides and Other Things I Forgot", and "The Devil" to the Hall to be added to The Sphere and industrial metal.

This nomination has been passed.

https://metal.academy/hall/537

https://metal.academy/hall/536

https://metal.academy/hall/535

This nomination has been passed.

I decided that I'll stop doing my monthly playlist total ratings in this thread, because they're all pretty much the same and haven't caused much discussion. All I'm gonna say about this month is, my playlists and songs I've listened to from Saxy's playlists have paid off again with a rating of 4.5 stars each. I recommend them to any fan of the clans' respective genres and anyone who isn't into those genres but wants to get into a great start in enjoying them. Thanks, Daniel, for accepting these playlists, and good work all!

Ben, please add the new Attack Attack! EP Disaster.

I've done my review, here's its summary:

Everyone's gotta have past trauma sometime in their life. Even I had these kinds of painful experiences in the past. Sometimes you gotta battle those harrowing struggles or just accept them. You might get to move on, but if you're unable to do so, there are better ways in life than just taking the devastating but painless way out. Black Veil Brides' melodic metalcore debut will motivate you by detailing the somber sorrow while giving it optimistic light. It's the greatest the band has even been, alongside their 10th anniversary re-recording which I won't review because I'm not up for reviewing full-on album re-recordings. Andy Biersack can performed pleasant vocals, both cleans and screams. His cleans had yet to improve in quality, but that doesn't stop the perfect glory of this album. The drums and guitarwork are so catchy with enjoyable energy. The metaphorical motivational lyrics fit perfectly for anyone in the most dire situations. So if you're feeling down, overcome your struggles and look for as much help as you can. And this grand masterpiece of motivation can help be your savior!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "We Stitch These Wounds", "Beautiful Remains", "Perfect Weapon", "Knives and Pens", "All Your Hate", "Never Give In"

For fans of: The mid-2000s eras of Avenged Sevenfold, A Day to Remember, and Trivium

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Gothminister - "Stonehenge" from Anima Inferna (2011)

5/5. The opening track for its original album and playlist begins with heavy guitar crunch and interesting synth harmonies. Then the guitars calm down to let Brem's baritone vocals shine. Sounds quite evil for a then-recently-married and domestically happy man, proving his ability to maintain the earlier darkness. Optimistic lyrics ain't gonna make the gloomy vocals fade away in this battle of life and death.

Blue Stahli - "Prognosis" from Obsidian (2021)

5/5. The effects and lyrics astonish me, and I'm certainly up for more of this music from Blue Stahli.

Killing Joke - "Aeon" from Democracy (1996)

4.5/5. This 8-minute epic has a spectacular mix of the band's new wave/post-punk sound from the 80s with the industrial rock/metal style that shaped up Pandemonium. Probably the best song of its original album and by the band!

The Amenta - "Plague of Locus" from Plague of Locus (2023)

4/5. The title track of this Amenta cover album is its second original track, this one being a full song. The brutality hits hard with heavy riffs, synths, and vocals, growing harder as the song progresses.

Megaherz - "Kopf Durch Die Wand" from Wer Bist Du (1997)

3.5/5. Pretty nice, but as always, NDH isn't really for me. Next!

Eisbrecher - "Bombe" from Eiszeit (2010)

4/5. Quite the bomb, but still missing a bit of impact.

OOMPH! - "Sandmann" from Monster (2008)

4.5/5. The lyrics are quite interesting as they detail the horrors of children disappearing in Germany while Hungary has them all protected.

Motionless in White - "America" from Infamous (2012)

5/5. This awesome highlight expands the band's sound yet again. This is more like the gothic industrial metal of Gothminister, especially the deeper cleans in the verses. Michael Vampire of Vampires Everywhere! sings together with Chris in a sing-along gang chorus, one of the best of the genre! That song can definitely reach the hard rock/metal charts. America, F*** YEAH!!!!

Marilyn Manson - "The Nobodies" from Holy Wood (2000)

4.5/5. The lyrics for this song are quite deep as well, addressing the Columbine shooters whom the band was falsely accusing of influencing, and the song title taking a quote from John Lennon's murderer. A remix would appear next year in the film From Hell starring Johnny Depp.

Deathstars - "Metal" from The Greatest Hits on Earth (2011)

4/5. A great piece of cyber/industrial metal from the masters of the genre.

Genitorturers - "Falling Stars" from Blackheart Revolution (2009)

3.5/5. Then we have another nice alt-ish anthem that's more melodic while still heavy. The guitar distortion of their 90s material is blended with an old-school rhythm that can easily be tapped by tambourine.

Samael - "Us" from Eternal (1999)

4/5. This one soars through the industrial metal cosmos once again with a memorable chorus despite it being a bit too noise-ridden in the background.

KMFDM - "From Here on Out" from WWIII (2003)

4.5/5. "Don't risk your life and the lives of your comrades. Leave now and go home, watch your children learn." I enjoy those lyrics sung by Lucia Cifarelli in an excellent that can be both relaxing and kick-A.

In This Moment - "Fly Like an Eagle" from Mother (2020)

5/5. The band took a Steve Miller song and covered it to make it dark and beautiful. Maria Brink's vocal power is incredible! The intro itself is almost a cover of the Terminator theme. I f***ing love it!

Mnemic - "There's No Tomorrow" from Mnemesis (2012)

5/5. What really brings the band back to a time 25 years before this album is "There's No Tomorrow", the 6-minute epic that almost sounds like a power ballad ala Bon Jovi/Dokken. There's even a beautiful guitar soloing crescendo. Of course, the brutal growls are still in great passion.

Diabolos Rising - "Genocide-I Am God" from 666 (1994)

4.5/5. Creepy yet excellent blackened industrial metal right here, though I would never have listened to this in my early teen years.

Nik Nocturnal, Our Mirage - "NEIN!" (Rammstein parody track) from How to Metal, Vol. 1 (2023)

4/5. Any Rammstein-inspired song should end up in a Sphere playlist without a doubt. Slightly better than most of the songs from the band parodied here.

The Interbeing - "Perplexion" from Icon of the Hopeless (2022)

4.5/5. This one kicks up the heaviness like an upgrade from Fear Factory and Mnemic in the riffing while making room for the epic melodic chorus. Often the riffing takes a turn from industrial metal to leaning close to metalcore, which actually opens up more outer dimensions in the music-verse.

Tyrant of Death - "Gone Too Far" from Superior Firepower (2019)

4/5. Another f***ing sick cyber metal banger that shall take you through an alternate reality. It's so heavily stellar!

Mechina - "Tartarus" from Xenon (2014)

4.5/5. You can swim through different dimensions ranging from cyber to deathly, as a saga unfolds, almost competing with Marvel, Star Wars, and even The Elder Scrolls. A truly dark and ethereal collision!

Psyclon Nine - "Order of the Shadow (The Heretic Awakened)" from Order of the Shadow: Act 1 (2013)

4.5/5. F***ing amazing as h*ll this song is, probably the best of its original album! It is lightyears beyond the aggrotech sound of their debut. It would've been perfect if Nero Bellum's high shrieks had better improvement.

Celldweller - "Birthright" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

5/5. A slightly better one, and perhaps the best one of Wish Upon a Blackstar. Klayton is a true master of modern electro-industrial rock/metal!

Front Line Assembly - "Surface Patterns" from Millennium (1994)

4.5/5. This one uses samples from songs by other metal bands, with this one using that famous riff from "Walk" by Pantera, followed by "Don't Tread On Me" by Metallica.

Godhead - "Anybody Else" from Evolver (2003)

4.5/5. Excellent track, but I'm better off anywhere else.

Ruoska - "Rumavirsi" from Radium (2005)

5/5. D*mn awesome sh*t from this Finnish industrial metal band. Here's to another album in the future!

Ministry - "Ricky's Hand" from HOPIUM FOR THE MASSES (2024)

4.5/5. Sounds like Ministry is going back to their 90s/early 2000s material with this cover of an 80s synthpop hit. A bit more prominent guitar would've been necessary for me and the rest of the metal audience.

Napalm Death - "Contemptuous" from Utopia Banished (1992)

4/5. Ending this playlist is the second Napalm Death track suggestion submitted by Daniel, the first one from the Sphere playlist exactly one year ago. Sounds like the band has a little more creative freedom when experimenting with shoegaze-ish industrial metal. The band's usual violent deathgrind has been turned away for bleak industrial darkness of Godflesh. The riffing has beautiful atmosphere before leading into the final fading bass chords. I personally would pick this one and that other submission, "Evolved as One", over their more well-known grind that I'm not up for.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for 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 are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Shadow of Intent - "We Descend" from Reclaimer (2017)

5/5. I didn't think an album intro would be the missing spark needed to finally to get me fully interested in Shadow of Intent, but here we are. The first 20 seconds consists of beautiful melancholic piano, then the heaviness builds up, reaching it's high point in the breakdown for the last 30 seconds. This is two minutes of my life I wanna repeat! How the f*** have I missed this in my life?!

As I Lay Dying - "Within Destruction" from An Ocean Between Us (2007)

4.5/5. I made that intro segue into this killer metalcore song to love.

Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - "Hey Girl!! Why Not Party Like a Bitch!?" from Dance & Scream (2010)

4.5/5. Some say this divine brand of dance-core is sh*t, I say it's THE sh*t! This party's gonna rule like a b***h!

Motionless in White - "Black Damask (The Fog)" from Infamous (2012)

5/5. Like that Shadow of Intent intro, this song starts with soft somber piano, then when you least expect it, it switches to an intense head-ripping assault of vocals, guitars, and drums. The chorus is where the expected clean vocals come in greater range than in their debut. The perfect stage-setter!

MAYFLOWER - "Save Me" from Misery (2022)

4.5/5. Another excellent banger! I enjoy both the screamed verses and the clean choruses.

Hollow Front - "The Price of Dreaming" from The Price of Dreaming (2022)

4.5/5. Yet another killer banger! This one has a nice music video centered around a ballerina.

Make Them Suffer - "Oscillator" from Oscillator (2024)

5/5. Make Them Suffer can make kick-A tracks worth headbanging to. This and the other singles like "Doomswitch" makes me look forward to their self-titled album big time.

Lorna Shore - "Hollow Sentence" from Immortal (2020)

5/5. This one is a brilliant vocal battle between the growling of the one-man army that is McCreery vs. a multi-person choir, almost like a vocal exchange. There are huge dramatic theatrics while staying menacing. The riffing is also impressive, alternating between the slow breakdown and sledgehammering sections.

Impending Doom - "Nailed. Dead. Risen." from Nailed. Dead. Risen. (2007)

4.5/5. "NAILED. DEAD. RISEN!!!!!" Sometimes, even Heaven can reach the height of brutality. The band's deathcore was a lot more death than core back then. The breakdown at the last minute would certainly fit well for God striking down the hordes of Satan.

The Contortionist - "Advent" from Exoplanet (2010)

4/5. Beauty and brutality sound good together, especially at over the 30-second mark when you get to "ESCAPE!!!" through the cosmos. The breakdown-ish bridge that starts the last minute is out of this world.

Advents - "Stigma" from Advents (2022)

4.5/5. Check out these excellent vocals! Both the singing in the chorus and the screaming go down hard. This banger is cool as sh*t!

Void of Vision - "Blood for Blood" from Blood for Blood (2024)

4/5. ANOTHER HEAVY F***ING BANGER!!!! This oughta level up this playlist greatly.

Avenged Sevenfold - "The Art of Subconscious Illusion" from Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001)

4.5/5. G****mn it, M. Shadows' wife Valary DiBenedetto should've joined the band full-time as their screaming vocalist. With her demonic shrieks, A7X would've continued their metalcore sound at ease after Shadows decided to stop screaming following Waking the Fallen. Valary's screams come midway through the song, though the "This can't be happening" part is also brilliant, as well as the intro sounding like that Call of Duty song "115". Pretty much a lot has happened in the first couple minutes that band never had the chance to replicate ever since.

From First to Last - "Dead Trees" from Dead Trees (2014)

4/5. One of two singles from First to Last's heaviest album, this one is a powerful metallic throwback to the mid-2000s post-hardcore scene embraced by similar bands.

Trivium - "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" from Ascendancy (2005)

4.5/5. This one unleashes a pummeling double bass drum rhythm leading into a ferocious verse and a pre-chorus decimating break.

Bury Your Dead - "Burn Baby Burn" from You Had Me at Hello (2001)

5/5. The more hardcore of metalcore is still going f***ing strong from the 1990s/2000s to the present day. Apparently, this track has a demo version that's twice as long.

Wolves at the Gate - "Weight of Glory" from Eulogies (2022)

4.5/5. Nick Detty's vocals shine as he screams about battling the darkest times of the world. New guitarist Joey Alarcon has made sure the band's fans' faith isn't lost. I'm glad to add this banger to the playlist! Once again, Christian lyrics can fit so well in the heavy metalcore fire. A gym workout can end up being a fight to the death between man and machine. It almost has the same impact as Polaris' "Landmine".

Memphis May Fire - "Cowbell's Makin' a Comeback" from Memphis May Fire (2007)

5/5. Memphis May Fire had more of a Southern metalcore/post-hardcore sound in the beginning. While Matty Mullins would always be the heart and soul of the band from the debut album onwards, former vocalist Chase Ryan Robbins has more spunk. I'm a little surprised someone with a voice sounding so young is already a father, and he left the band to prioritizing his parenting duties. Cowbells are more common in hard rock/glam metal, a path that, unfortunately, a similar metalcore band Black Veil Brides ended up taking. This song and EP is quite underrated. Maybe add a little a bit of piano there? I don't know... And if you're wondering where the h*ll the cowbell is, it's right at the midway point. No chance for Chase to ever make a comeback...

Monuments - "97% Static" from Gnosis (2012)

4.5/5. I can't believe I never thought about checking out this band and album until recently. Here we have some djenty power, with vocals that are both pure and raw despite sounding closer to Rage Against the Machine. This shall give the playlist a greater kick.

LIMBS - "Spirit Breaker" from Coma Year (2022)

4/5. The chorus near the one-minute mark shall get you pumped and jumping. I would recommend this song for any fan of Architects and Currents. It's quite g****mn interesting, and while I love the heavy verses, the clean vocals are wonderful in the chorus and bridge. Once again, we have some f***ing well-done metalcore here. I wonder how many people thought this was a song by Spirit Breaker called "Limbs". No matter how much confusion this might cause, the formula of heaviness and cleanliness is bound to win some new fans.

The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Clip the Apex... Accept Instruction" from Calculating Infinity (1999)

4.5/5. This one has impeccable tightness with guitars of tangling destruction, then just when you think the band has settled their sound into sanity, the sound rises into an amp-ruining wall of noise.

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Go Greyhound" from Danza II The Electric Boogaloo (2007)

4.5/5. This mathcore band has made another insane riot, all the way up to the lovely ending, apparently from the film Flowers in the Attic. This f***ing chaotic sh*t can hit you like a truck then revive you. There should be more guitar shredding though.

Car Bomb - "Garrucha" from w^w^^w^w (2012)

5/5. This highlight sounds so easy in the even-time patterns, yet emphasized by the grinding machinery of the percussion, crushing riffs that are already crushing.

Bloom - "Sink Into the Soil" from Sink Into the Soil (2022)

4.5/5. Sometimes metalcore can be more of a way of life than a temporary phase. I can hear the raging melody of Counterparts.

Rorschach - "Blinders" from Protestant (1993)

5/5. One of the best early metalcore breakdowns occurs here.

Knocked Loose - "Mistakes Like Fractures" from A Different Shade of Blue (2019)

4.5/5. Absolutely killer violent hardcore/metalcore with relatable lyrics. The bass at over the 30-second mark I would give a thumbs-up to. It's like a more brutal take on Slipknot's "Psychosocial". Anyone brought here by that Spongebob "GARY!" video?

Unearth - "No Reprisal" from Extinction(s) (2018)

4/5. This one tones down the mayhem in favor of shining melodic riff power. The heavy momentum is elevated through blast beats and a groove pace.

Within the Ruins - "Ataxia IV" from Halfway Human (2017)

4.5/5. Quite odd how this instrumental would be deemed "explicit", but whatevs. The "Ataxia" tracks are epic djent-core journeys, and this is probably the best of them all. Over the one-minute mark is what sounds like a brief take on the Tetris theme. The band's 7-string guitars are tuned quite low. The final two-minute section begins reminding some of Infected Mushroom, and it reaches a chilling climax at the last minute that starts fading out. That final section definitely fits well for a boss battle. It's a shame the band didn't continue the "Ataxia" series in their new album Phenomena II. The piano is a bit out of place, which brings the score a half-star down from perfection.

August Burns Red - "Reckoning" from Death Below (2023)

5/5. The second 8-minute epic of the new August Burns Red album. I know you metalcore fans wanna hear Underoath vocalist Spencer Chamberlain unleashing his vocals as furious as early Bring Me the Horizon. Those make the best moments of this playlist!

Ice Nine Kills - "Farewell II Flesh" from Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2 (2021)

5/5. Of course, we have one more song to celebrate the spooky month of Halloween, the longest INK song at 5 minutes since the debut's "Family Unties", based on Candyman, with soothing yet eerie piano as the story of the Candyman is introduced. After layers of dramatic atmosphere, more layers come in thanks to the other instruments that create metalcore riffing from the guitars. Then after all those strings, heaviness, and growls, cue more bee noises to end the album and 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 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 review summary:

Falling in Reverse is one of the least liked bands in rock/metal, maybe even the world. All the hate is pointed towards frontman Ronnie Radke. Now as I've said before, I'm the kind of person who doesn't put direct association between art and artist. Just because someone is considered a total d*ck doesn't mean their music is automatically dogsh*t. Though exceptions can be made for those known for more serious stuff like murder and Nazism (Burzum's Varg Vikernes would qualify in both categories). Some music you can enjoy without thinking too much about one of the band members and what they've done, but we live in a world where people can easily put you down for something you like, which is what this site is supposed to prevent. With that said... I F***ING LOVE POPULAR MONSTER!!! That's right, I said it! Anyone can hate this album and the band, but personally, I find no reason to give it a thumbs-down, and that's my true opinion. I can witness a lot of talent from Radke and co. with their respective roles. 3 quarters of the album was already pre-released as singles, but they certainly shape it all up, and a good feeling was already made from the millions of streams some of the singles has earned. This proves that no matter how shunned a band can get, they can sweep the globe. A good metaphorical meaning behind the title of this monstrously grand album, Popular Monster. Even a rap metal track can expand into something climatic and epic. And when there's a metalcore track striking down, it strikes down HARD. And the more oddball tracks here, such as a country metal hoedown and an emotional strings-only cover of a Papa Roach hit, are actually pretty good. Popular Monster may not be for a lot of music listeners, but it certainly opened my ears to the talent for Falling in Reverse. It's honestly quite a unique album in the metal and hardcore realms. This experimental alt-metal style is something done in different ways by bands like Sleep Token and Bad Omens, yet Falling in Reverse step in with a more diverse mix. If anyone doesn't want anything to do with this album or band, they have their own ways. Just know that one man's sh*t is another man's treasure. One of modern alt-metal gold!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Prequel", "Popular Monster", "Ronald", "Watch the World Burn", "Zombified", "No Fear"

For fans of: Jeris Johnson, Bad Omens, Linkin Park

https://metal.academy/hall/534

https://metal.academy/hall/533

I've done my review, here's its summary:

By the mid-2000s, djent was still starting off low-key. We have the originator, Meshuggah, and Sikth made their entrance with their djenty progressive metal sound. Named after an instrumental from Cynic's debut Focus, Textures was determined to give their music the many aspects and layers including djenty guitars. And it all starts with their debut Polars, their only album with talented ex-vocalist Pieter Verpaalen. RIP... There's no underestimating the complexity of this music. As often done by Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan, heavy aggression and soft relaxation are covered in different grounds of sonic emotion. In the short tracks and the 18-minute title epic, there's everything including minimalistic riffing, clean vocal harmonies, and the deathly djent of Meshuggah. Practically all you can ask for from the band. Polaris would've been as glorious as their subsequent albums if not for that final overlong ambient track....

4/5

Recommended tracks: "Ostensibly Impregnable", "Young Man", "The Barrier", "Polars"

For fans of: Meshuggah, Periphery, Sikth

I completely agree on "Living After Midnight" as I've never understood the following that song seems to have amassed. I couldn't disagree more on "Turbo Lover" though as it's one of my all-time favourite heavy metal tracks. Still gives me chills up my spine to this day.

Hahaha I love this comment! I'd say that your review of "Turbo" is long overdue (-:

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Blue Stahli - "ULTRAnumb" from Blue Stahli (2011)

5/5. If anyone who's a fan of Blue Stahli and Celldweller tells me they're a fan of any one of those artists since they were in their 20s, I would believe them. This also qualifies for me, and I've only just became interested in Blue Stahli via his classic singles of strong fire, like this one.

Celldweller - "Switchback" from Celldweller (2003) (2024 Definitive Edition)

5/5. A classic released two decades ago and still sounds fresh in this Definitive Edition! The more material I find from Celldweller, the less likely I'm able to SWITCHBACK.

Ministry - "Alert Level (Quarantined Mix)" from Alert Level (Quarantined Mix) (2020)

4.5/5. Is there much difference between this version and the one on Moral Hygiene. I suppose this one is slightly better. "How concerned are you?"

Strapping Young Lad - "All Hail the New Flesh" from City (1997)

5/5. This one's a d*mn great hammerer! The legendary Gene Hoglan performs an intense drumming avalanche through this noisy cacophony whirlpool and the aggressive vocal cyclone from Devy, though his clean vocals help keep you in safe shelter alongside the keys. Townsend can really show us his insane vision of extreme industrial metal. He yells "ALL YOU ARE IS ALL YOU ARE!" in an uplifting chorus before more brilliant riffs and keyboards. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!

Pain - "Follow Me" from Cynic Paradise (2008)

4.5/5. Amazing song with the serene singing of ex-Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon. "No gold at the end of the rainbow..."

White Zombie - "Feed the Gods" from Feed the Gods (1994) (based on Rob Zombie's Past, Present & Future compilation (2003))

4/5. White Zombie made this song for the movie Airheads. Their music has been featured in shows and movies before, like Beavis and Butthead. Cool lyrics too!

Samael - "Into the Pentagram (new version)" from Rebellion (1995)

4.5/5. I love this remake more than the original! The guitars and beats are greatly paced. Excellent!

Acumen Nation - "Djentrify" from Territory=Universe (1996)

4/5. When I first saw the name of this song, I thought, "An early example of djent besides Meshuggah!?!?" Although it turned out not to be, it's still quite catchy.

Dodheimsgard - "Horrorizon" from Supervillain Outcast (2007)

4.5/5. This shall please the ears of any experimental industrial metal fan.

The Amenta - "Nihil" from Occasus (2004)

5/5. One of the greater highlights of The Amenta's debut actually sounds melodic without too much dissonance.

Painkiller - "Buried Secrets" from Buried Secrets (1992)

4.5/5. This one relies less on the d*mn saxophone plaguing this release and features guest appearances by Godflesh, both members with their metal instrumentation and all.

Killing Joke - "Slipstream" from Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions (1990)

4/5. This one has a more progressive spirit that makes up for the earlier bumpiness.

Nailbomb - "Wasting Away" from Point Blank (1994)

4.5/5. Right from the start, this track blasts through speedy riffing and Max's signature growls, "Carve your rights into your arm so that they don't get taken away". HOLY SH*T, that's the kind of raging hate you would expect from Arise. It has made me positive that the album is filled with more anger than I've ever heard before.

Aborym - "Harsh and Educational" from Hostile (2021)

5/5. Consider me educated more in the industrial metal world!

Dimension F3H - "Betrayer" from Reaping the World Winds (2003)

4.5/5. Anyone looking for some dark mysterious industrial metal on Spotify, here you go.

Bile - "Built to Fuck, Born to Kill" from Built to Fuck, Born to Kill (2014)

4/5. And how about some more f***ing killer industrial metal not for the faint of heart.

OOMPH! - "Wut (feat. Joachim Witt)" from Richter und Henker (2023)

3.5/5. This isn't really one of my favorite songs, but the chorus is one of the best I've heard in NDH.

Obsydians - "Slaughter of Decency" from Slaughter of Decency (2022)

4/5. Obsydians is another side-project with members of Sybreed, and they have collaborated with different musicians of the metal scene, this one being Dark Funeral vocalist Heljarmadr. Fear Factory, Mnemic, and Deathstars should be next! This is definitely like a blackened Sybreed, and it gets more brutal around halfway through. Cyber black metal can having f***ing great results. Not even Slave Design can beats this single's heaviness. Though it would've been great if Sybreed vocalist Benjamin Nominet could appear here with his vocals. You can also think about this like Samael gone Scar Symmetry.

The Interbeing - "Face Deletion" from Edge of the Obscure (2011)

4.5/5. One of the f***ing best songs from this band that I can't believe barely any people have heard of.

Illidiance - "Breaking the Habit" from Breaking the Habit (2019)

4/5. This kick-A cover of a Linkin Park hit has really done that song justice, though it would've been better if the vocals were louder in the mix. RIP Chester Bennington

Northlane - "Paradigm" from Alien (2019)

4.5/5. This fearless track has more of the heaviness and screaming that's definitely worth playing live. With a lot going on, hearing this song is much more of an experience than a listen.

Fear Factory - "Resurrection" from Obsolete (1998)

5/5. A superb melodic standout anthem with a mighty chorus and riffing.

Corrections House - "Drapes Hung by Jesus" from Last City Zero (2013)

4.5/5. The most unforgiving music and lyrics come straight with this epic. An ambient intro leads into industrial metal that gradually becomes heavier, plus some eerie sax, before the last bit of lyrical poetry at the end.

Lord of the Lost - "Ruins" from Thornstar (2018)

4/5. Finally, we end this playlist with this dark yet upbeat track, with many different moments to admire.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a slight drop in quality somewhere. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for 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 are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Trivium - "Kirisute Gomen" from Shogun (2008)

5/5. Now this is a pretty effective way to begin this playlist and the song's original album. It begins with an acoustic Japanese guitar intro that is the same melody as the chorus for the epic title track. Then a gong is hit, followed by taiko drums kicking in, and I was amazed by the guitar build-up leading to the song itself drilling in some killer thrashy verses with vocals alternating between clean and growling (for the first time used in a common basis since Ascendancy), and a memorable chorus.

Damnation A.D. - "No More Dreams" from No More Dreams of Happy Endings (1995)

4.5/5. One of only a couple surviving highlights of this Damnation A.D. album, this is one of the darkest and heaviest songs I've heard in early metalcore.

For the Fallen Dreams - "Stone" from Six (2018)

5/5. This explosive single is worth singing and screaming along to, especially in that massive chorus with layers of power from their heavy metalcore/hardcore sound. It is a true blessing to remind us about what metalcore used to be and revive the earlier scene.

Demon Hunter - "On My Side" from War (2019)

4/5. This one also keeps up the metalcore aspect with drilling guitars and drum kicks alongside Ryan Clark's rock vocals.

Annisokay - "Face the Facts" from Aurora (2021)

4.5/5. A strong banger from another underrated band!

Counterparts - "Bound to the Burn" from A Eulogy for Those Still Here (2022)

4/5. You're bound to find some sick metal/hardcore from this band, though it might take slightly more to convince me.

Caliban - "Moment of Clarity" from The Undying Darkness (2006)

3.5/5. One of the most thrashy metalcore songs I've heard, helped out by the guest vocals of Kreator's Mille Petrozza. Could've been better though...

Vein.fm - "Untitled" from Errorzone (2018)

4/5. Even at one minute and with no title, lots of strong emotion and anger can burst right out. Errorzone is an album that can go back and forth from Deftones to Converge, maybe even early Bring Me the Horizon.

Knocked Loose - "Suffocate (feat. Poppy)" from You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To (2024)

4.5/5. HOLY SH*T, what a brutal banger! It has as much impact as an uppercut to the jaw. Poppy unleashes her vicious screams greater than going Super Saiyan, the intensity reaching its high point at the two-minute mark.

Job for a Cowboy - "Entombment of a Machine" from Doom (2005)

5/5. My favorite track of the Doom EP, with some riffing and breakdowns I really enjoy, including that final devastating one at the end. The song also has rare audibility in bass and common usage of horror imagery in the lyrics.

Embodyment – "Swine" from Embrace The Eternal (1998)

4.5/5. This one swings through like a pendulum. Enough said!

Damaged - "Breathe Deep" from Purified in Pain (2000)

4.5/5. This one truly shows the extreme/melodic blend early deathcore has to offer.

Sikth - "How May I Help You" from The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out Wait for Something Wild (2003)

5/5. The EP version has a slightly greater edge, but the album version is still perfect all the same. At least the story of Rodney is still done justice in this f***ing brilliant song.

Converge - "In Her Shadow" from You Fail Me (2004)

4.5/5. This longer song is a calm yet soon experimental acoustic break going on for...6 MINUTES?! Not quite my cup of tea, but I'll go with it. This will help me relax before the heaviness of this playlist returns shortly later.

The Number Twelve Looks Like You" - "Remembrance Dialogue" from Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear (2005)

4/5. People who have listened to this revolutionary band may have heard them as early as in their middle/high school years, but I only started listening to them just a couple years before this comment. This might work as a funeral song. Even when it's soft, it can be quite powerful. The guitar tone and how chill it is brings it closer to AFI though. I'm glad #12 is still around and active.

Saviour - "Jaded" from First Light to My Death Bed (2013)

4.5/5. From the intro to the end, beauty and heaviness sound so good together.

Void of Vision - "Lifeblood" from Broken // Bones (2014)

5/5. Man I want more of the frantic chaos of this band!

Polaris - "All of This is Fleeting" from The Death of Me (2020)

4.5/5. Crashing through again is this deep track. Twisting things up well is an ultra-heavy breakdown after those frantic verses and dramatic chorus.

Memphis May Fire - "Only Human (feat. AJ Channer)" from Remade in Misery (2022)

5/5. Guest vocalists can give almost any song more life, in this case, AJ Channer of Fire from the Gods.

Ankor - "Prisoner" from Prisoner (2022)

4.5/5. I probably wouldn't have heard of this band or this insane song if not for my brother who enjoys this and finds it relatable.

Amaranthe - "BOOM!1" from Manifest (2020)

4/5. The heaviest and most innovative song in this Amaranthe song is more of a djentstep rap-filled track similar to Hacktivist with spoken vocals by Butcher Babies vocalist Heidi Shepherd. Harsh vocalist Henrik Englund does high-speed Eminem-inspired growl-rapping, which normally I'm not a fan of, but here brings wild technical force.

As I Lay Dying - "Burden" from Burden (2024)

4.5/5. As I Lay Dying had already suffered some tough setbacks. Not just frontman Tim Lambesis' imprisonment 10 years ago, but also, after their comeback album Shaped by Fire, 3 of the members left the band. Enter Unearth members guitarist Ken Susi and drummer Nick Pierce, and Miss May I bassist/clean vocalist Ryan Neff. Ryan's singing is perfect for the personal lyrics and crushing instrumentation. I especially enjoy the half-minute intro.

Miss May I - "Forgive and Forget (feat. Fit for a King)" from Forgive and Forget (feat. Fit for a King) (2024)

5/5. And now we go to Ryan Neff's main band Miss May I and check out their collaboration with Fit for a King as part of a 15th anniversary re-recording for their debut Apologies are for the Weak. This almost f***ing outshines the original!

Abbie Falls - "Parasite" from Hell is Other People (2022)

4.5/5. Anyone wanting to hear some brutal metalcore drumming is gonna have a lucky day.

Hollow Front - "Heritage" from The Price of Dreaming (2022)

4/5. Some killer anthemic sh*t right here to rebel against your enemies.

Aviana - "Transcendent" from Corporation (2022)

4.5/5. As the heaviness rises, we eventually get another wicked breakdown.

Becoming the Archetype - "The Sun Eater" from I Am (2012)

5/5. One of the best songs from the only Becoming the Archetype album without Jason Wisdom. The most of the brutality comes in throughout the last minute.

Wage War - "Basic Hate" from Blueprints (2015)

4.5/5. Let's jam on in this heavy glory! Play this amazing song hard and loud (though not deafening). Again the heaviest point at the two-minute mark.

Eighteen Visions - "Terrible Lie" from 1996 (2021)

5/5. This Nine Inch Nails cover is so f***Ing perfect, and my favorite in the rock/metal side of Eighteen Visions' cover album.

Chelsea Grin - "The Path to Suffering" from Suffer in Heaven (2023)

4.5/5. The brutal conclusion to Chelsea Grin's Suffer in Hell/Heaven series of albums has giving this playlist amazing closure.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a slight drop in quality somewhere. Anyway, 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 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 review summary:

Sybreed wasn't the only Swiss cyber metal band around. When the drummer for their debut Slave Design, Alex Anxionaz left the band, he formed his own. His band started out as a deathly industrial metal band called Etna, but then changed into Breach the Void with a sound closer to his former band. Sadly, both Sybreed and Breach the Void split up in late 2013, which is a shame because of how solid both band's debuts are. Breach the Void is a clear continuation of the direction Alex Anxionaz wanted to take on Slave Design, with its toolkit of crushing rhythms, clean/unclean vocals, and cyber synths. Many songs can almost be considered a pinnacle of modern industrial/cyber metal, the only slight problem is when the clean vocals sound a bit inferior to the guttural ones. Nonetheless, the band has some original talent in the solid offering that is The Monochromatic Era!

4/5

Recommended tracks: "Subversive Mind", "Customized Genotype", "Digital Structure", "Ruins", "Spirals"

For fans of: Sybreed, The Interbeing, Mnemic

Fixed

https://metal.academy/hall/528

I've done my review, here's its summary:

From June to July 2021, Eighteen Visions released 3 singles. The first one was an Alice in Chains cover, the second one was a Vision of Disorder, and the third was their own song. Then on the 4th week, all 7 other tracks came out together with those singles in a surprise-release looking back at different bands from the 90s, the cover album 1996! Personally, I think when they switch into Alice in Chains-style hard rock/alt-metal, it doesn't always work as much as their metalcore glory. Still they can blend beauty and chaos together well. With crushing drums, pummeling bass, searing guitars, and in-your-face vocals ranging from clean singing to bloodcurdling screams, there's barely any other cover album to hit you as hard as this. The album has two sides; the first one has their original title track for the album and 4 covers of songs by metalcore/hardcore bands, and the second has covers of songs from hard rock/alt-metal bands. Pretty much every song from both sides manages to outshine the original. With that, I can forgive 18V for their earlier attempts at grunge-metal. The only problematic cover is the one for that Damnation A.D. track, in which the original was dragged down by the painful vocals and lyrics. I dig 18V's cover a lot more than the sh*tty original, but the fact it's still that song prevents this from becoming a highlight. The album would've reached a perfect 5 stars if they had replaced that cover with a different one from a metalcore/hardcore band. Still I really dig the other 9 songs, and if there's anything to bring the band back to their early 2000s glory, this is that!

4.5/5

Recommended tracks: "1996", "D.T.O.", "Blanket", "Them Bones", "Terrible Lie"

For fans of: Atreyu, Knocked Loose, Vision of Disorder

A playlist I've made based on the above list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/134fsyMvVO10wgiXgW0896

This nomination has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/525

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Sybreed - "Bioactive" from Slave Design (2004)

4.5/5. Already blasting forward is the first and best song of its original album. Right there, you get to hear the members drive through sonic cyber/industrial metal without relying too much on electronics. Here we have the powerful drumming of Alex Anxionaz, showing a bit of Fear Factory influence, the gloomy vocals of Benjamin Nominet ranging from clean to harsh, the heavy guitar grooves of Drop, and the burning bass of Burn.

Pain - "Shut Your Mouth" from Nothing Remains the Same (2002)

5/5. A high-quality industrial dance-metal tune! I can play this song as many times I can and have spawn good memories. Peter Tägtgren is a true modern metal legend. And there are plenty more awesome anthems from this project where that came from.

Rammstein - "Sonne" from Mutter (2001)

4.5/5. The Mutter album's first single was written for boxer Vitali Klitschko, but he never used it. After doing a boxing match referee-like count to 9 then "out". The catchiest riffing can be found here, followed by a melodic chorus, "Here comes the sun." Probably the best song of the album and by the band!

Lindemann - "Golden Shower" from Skills in Pills (2015)

4/5. The lyrics are so ridiculous and potentially offensive, and yet I'm so intrigued, "Golden shower, let it fly, from your pretty c*nt!" Absolutely Rammstein!

Wolok - "Blotches" from The Bilious Hues of Gloom (2022)

3.5/5. Pretty good, but a little too much on the avant-garde black metal side.

Uniform, The Body - "Come And See" from Mental Wounds Not Healing (2018)

4/5. This one shows the vocal duo uniting greatly with the drumming of Lee Buford and the guitarwork of Ben Greenberg.

KMFDM - "Terror" from Nihil (1995)

3.5/5. This political-sound track thunders through with industrial metal guitar.

Static-X - "Take Control" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 2 (2024)

4/5. I can hear a lot of the Linkin Park nu metal era in this song. RIP Chester and Wayne

Deathstars - "Syndrome" from Synthetic Generation (2002)

4.5/5. Another blast from the cyber/industrial metal past! This can go well with the soundtrack for one of the Alien movies.

Celldweller - "Senorita Bonita" from Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head: Volume 02 (2012)

5/5. Man, this Latin-infused metalstep banger should've been twice as long! Celldweller and Blue Stahli are known as masters of electro-industrial rock/metal. This is truly a wonderful highlight of this playlist. It's practically a remix of Blue Stahli's "Shotgun Senorita" while being mostly different. There should be a mashup between those two.

Red Harvest - "Icons of Fear... The Curse of the Universe" from A Greater Darkness (2007) 

5/5. Another perfect standout, this one from the darker, more extreme side of industrial metal.

Killing Joke – "Millenium" from Pandemonium (1994)

3.5/5. This catchy track allowed Killing Joke a rare chance to hit the airwaves in the U.S.

Diabolicum - "The Wind Shall Slay" from The Grandeur of Hell (1999)

4/5. Dark music, dark lyrics... That's industrial black metal for ya!

Health, Lamb of God - "Cold Blood" from DISCO4::PARTII (2022)

4.5/5. The darkness comes further, in a blend of Health's electro-industrial and Lamb of God's groove/thrash metal.

Blue Stahli - "Catastrophe" from Obsidian (2021)

5/5. Honestly, I haven't heard as much Blue Stahli as Celldweller, and that shall change soon, considering how much further I'm allowing myself to go down the electro-industrial rock/metal rabbit hole. Menacing sludgy instrumentation are perfectly put together with soft fragile singing. This work of art and the album artwork are so METAL. Heaviness and melody are in perfect blend, just like many of my favorite metal songs out there. I need to rest of this album Obsidian and this project's discography. Nothing bad about some magical despair, huh? Especially from the skillful guitar and cool slow drums. Here's to a great industrial metal future!

Lord of the Lost - "The Look (feat. Blümchen)" from Blood & Glitter (2023)

4.5/5. This Roxette cover, featuring Jasmin Wagner, also known as German popstar Blümchen is arguably its original album's true standout! RIP Marie Fredriksson

Godflesh - "YOUR NATURE YOUR NURTURE" from NEW FLESH IN DUB VOL. 1 (2021)

5/5. Sometimes the more underground songs from Godflesh are the darkest and most haunting.

Corrections House - "White Man's Gonna Lose" from Know How to Carry a Whip (2015)

4.5/5. The dark effects bleed into this track with some perfect apocalyptic twists from the distorted sax. A true electro-industrial metal standout!

Greymachine - "Sweatshop" from Disconnected (2009)

5/5. Perhaps the album's best track for me. It's like Godflesh but slower and more mesmerizing! The rhythms and feedback never cease to amaze me.

Author & Punisher - "Beastland" from Beastland (2018)

4.5/5. It's almost surpassed by another 6-minute epic which ends its original album in beastly destruction.

The Amenta - "Rape" from n0n (2008)

5/5. Then we have the most twists in this oddly titled epic, which starts chaotic in the first 3 minutes, then quiets down before some doomy melancholy in the heavy riffs and melody. D*mn, what a soothing yet brutal way out!

Fear Factory - "Expiration Date" from Genexus (2015)

5/5. Perhaps the biggest stunner is this 9-minute epic, one of the most haunting and beautiful tracks by the band! Could this be "Resurrection 2.0"?!?

Neurotech - "The Messianic Symphony" from Symphonies II (2022)

4.5/5. Finally, the riffing tones and melodies in what can be considered "The Halcyon Symphony 2.0" is quite nice. Guitars are more prominent and play out better together with the electronic keyboards. Fantastic!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some drops in quality in the first half. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for 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!

OK, thanks Daniel.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of judgement:

https://metal.academy/hall/522

I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.

I've passed these two nominations uncontested Andi.

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Memphis May Fire - "Without Walls" from Challenger (2012)

4.5/5. Now this is how to start a playlist, with a heavy intro by one of the idols of metalcore before a greater idol band of mine...

Trivium - "In Waves" from In Waves (2011)

5/5 (maybe even 6/5). I know this is the 3rd time this glorious song is in a Revolution playlist, but let's face it, this will remain my ultimate favorite metalcore song today! It starts off with an Ascendancy-like metalcore breakdown with Matt Heafy repeatedly screaming the name of the song, then it leads to a melodic Crusade-like chorus. There's also a complicated solo in the middle, but other than that, the riffs are simple yet catchy. That's what I like!

Of Mice & Men - "Second & Sebring" from Of Mice & Men (2010)

4.5/5. Of Mice & Men's self-titled 2010 debut is nothing more than a post-hardcore album with barely any of the metalcore/alt-metal in subsequent albums. In saying that, there are a couple tracks in the album that I enjoy and they qualify as metalcore. This one, written in memory of unclean vocalist Austin Carlile's mother who passed from a aneurysm induced by Marfan Syndrome, takes on the melodic metalcore of his previous band Attack Attack!, specifically that band's debut Someday Came Suddenly, albeit without the autotune and trance-y dance-y synths.

The Ghost Inside - "Faith of Forgiveness" from Fury and the Fallen Ones (2008)

4/5. A memorable highlight, still performed live to this day, including their comeback show over a decade later.

Unearth - "Invictus" from The Wretched; the Ruinous (2023)

4.5/5. Then we have the thrashy blaster. The strong breakdown isn't highly hardcore, but it has the brutal-melodic blend of Shogun-era Trivium.

Betraying the Martyrs - "The Covenant" from The Hurt the Divine the Light (2009)

5/5. When I was in my teens, power/symphonic metal were the genres I enjoyed. Betraying the Martyrs is one of the first bands I've discovered since my move to modern metal genres to have symphonic elements. The lyrics of this concept EP are based on Genesis from the Bible. The death growls are so killer here.

Shadow of Intent - "The Migrant" from The Migrant (2023)

4.5/5. F*** YES, Shadow of Intent are really channeling their inner Lorna Shore in this new single.

Shai Hulud - "Two and Twenty Misfortunes" from That Within Blood Ill-Tempered (2003)

4/5. This song is obviously not the symphonic deathcore of the previous two tracks, but it certainly has the layers of a hardcore/metalcore symphony.

Veil of Maya - "Punisher" from Eclipse (2012)

4.5/5. "All they have is just, baowdit baodidawaow ranudiuh ranuhdiduh." A young man mocks Periphery in a hate video towards that band, and then Veil of Maya mocks that guy in return with one of the most kick-A riffs in djent, reminding me a lot of After the Burial.

Varials - "The Cycle of Violence: Chapter 1" from Scars for You to Remember (2022)

5/5. Mitchell Rogers is a total beast of a vocalist! At least compared to Travis Tabron from that other Varials song a couple playlists back.

Earth Crisis – "Stand By" (title swapped with "Ecocide" on Spotify) from All Out War E.P. (1992)

3/5. This track is not really as spectacular as the first two of this Earth Crisis EP, but it's part of a decent start of the band's journey vastly improved by their mid-90s material.

From Autumn to Ashes - "Every Reason To" from The Fiction We Live (2003)

3.5/5. Most people have discovered this band in the mid-2000s, but for me, it was only over a couple years ago. Are they good at what they do? You bet it shows! Those were the good times that I'm a couple decades late for.

Counterparts - "Compass" from The Difference Between Hell And Home (2013)

4/5. This one stands out well in the music and lyrics. "I am a compass, constantly spinning, constantly searching for the end." The drumming and riffing sound progressive, and the midsection breakdown touches down hard. The outro after a small break from heaviness has some absolutely chilling lyrics, ending with Murphy yelling the album title, "You're the difference between Hell and Home!"

God Forbid - "The Lonely Dead" from IV: Constitution of Treason (2005)

4.5/5. This one begins with headbanging riffs for a minute followed by a catchy lead. The lyrics serve good metaphors for after the virus, with people mourning all of the dead victims. Byron Davis continues his screaming while the Coyle brothers sing cleanly in the chorus while doing some great guitar work. Pretty cool post-solo riff! And that catchy lead riff returns again at the 4 and a half minute mark. Satisfying! The pretty piano outro was played by the Coyle brothers' dad Kevin Coyle. Those brothers really got their music talents from their Dad, did they?

Killswitch Engage - "My Last Serenade" from Alive or Just Breathing (2002)

5/5. I can't believe it took me so long to become interested in this band until finally last year. I think during the pandemic and its tail-end, I became more in the mood to find some bands to cure my part of that global depression. Thanks to that great boost, I'm able to appreciate masterpiece highlights like this one much more!

All That Remains - "Let You Go" from Let You Go (2024)

4.5/5. Another powerful comeback single from All That Remains! A little more over the place than "Divine", but still superb.

Frontierer - "Gower St." from Unloved (2018)

4/5. You don't have to go all-out death metal/core for brutality. Mathcore is its chaotic future! Though the drums are a bit compressed.

The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "If They Holler, Don't Let Go" from Worse Than Alone (2009)

4.5/5. #12 has made some of the most talented mathcore around, and this is one of my favorite tracks from their 2009 album. Glad they're active again after their temporary split between this album's release and their reformation 8 years ago. This song shall grab your attention from start to finish. Guitarist Jamie McIlroy left the band between the Here at the End of All Things concert and this album's recording, so the band became a 5-piece. The ridiculous diversity of their earlier material is front and center, almost competing with Between the Buried and Me. The only difference is, BTBAM dropped the metalcore part of their sound entirely after that, while #12 kept theirs while having some of that other band's progressiveness. Don't let go of this band!

Iwrestledabearonce - "Eli Cash vs. the Godless Savages" from It's All Happening (2009)

4/5. Iwrestledabearonce is another mathcore band gone too soon, this time with no chance of reforming. Later members vocalist Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Mike Stringer went on to form Spiritbox. Still there's a lot to love about the chaotic metalcore subgenre that is mathcore.

Osiah - "Seeds of Despair" from Chronos (2023)

3.5/5. If you thought Gojira could make "The Heaviest Matter of the Universe", this deathcore band can slam you to the ground like a gravitational sledgehammer. This track is one of the heaviest, most monstrous tracks I've heard in deathcore. In saying that, it can't beat the epic greatness of the earlier symphonic deathcore section. Still you don't wanna miss this d*mn heavy ending breakdown at the 4-minute mark that can shatter the world in half.

Signs of the Swarm - "Tower of Torsos" from Amongst the Low & Empty (2023)

3/5. Killer drumming in this decent deathcore track that I don't love too much but still can give it a thumbs-up.

Phinehas - "Communion for Ravens" from Dark Flag (2017)

3.5/5. We're back into the melodic side with a short soft intro leading into more headbanging heaviness. The lyrics are a bit confusing which brings the score down a bit.

Ankor - "Oblivion" from Oblivion (2023)

4/5. I'm so impressed by the vocal stylings of Jessie Williams, ranging between poppy singing, Beyond the Black-ish mezzo-soprano, and harsh growls. Even when it all sounds so serene, the guitars and drums can still be heavy. I need to thank my brother for discovering this band first.

Novelists - "Souvenirs" from Souvenirs (2015)

4.5/5. No journey is ever complete without... souvenirs! Novelists has a lot of them in metalcore, whether they're clean melody or djenty technicality. The latter is presented well in f***ing great riffing at the two-minute point. It's stories like this that can help inspire your own stories and universe, specifically your characters' deep heavy problems such as abuse or death. So insanely phenomenal! The vocals are so intense and have brilliant synergy with the lyrics. If I ever start my own band, I'll make sure to nail that heavy/melodic blend as much as I can. There's just a lot to enjoy and headbang to. And they say only Too Close to Touch has that kind of emotion...

Zao - "The Latter Rain" from Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest (1998)

5/5. This one's a greater step, another 6-and-a-half-minute epic! Though it's not the end yet...

The Devil Wears Prada - "Lord Xenu" from With Roots Above and Branches Below (2009)

5/5. This one would've closed the playlist in epic heaviness, but there's still one more epic left....

Norma Jean - "Sun Dies, Blood Moon" from Wrongdoers (2013)

4.5/5. That over 15-minute epic from Norma Jean's debut with The Chariot vocalist Josh Scogin may be their most ambitious achievement, but this one comes close. Beautiful music and poetic lyrics shape this track up to an almost perfect masterpiece. The most climatic part actually comes 6 minutes in that then pummels into a brutal collapse. And just when you think it's over, we have the final 6 minutes of sludgy doom. "Make my way through my designer home....."

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a couple drops in quality throughout. Anyway, 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 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 review summary:

Limp Bizkit is a band that has gained quite some hate over the years. From their name, to their nu/rap metal/rock sound, to the scathing vocal anger of vocalist Fred Durst, to their live performances causing violence in crowds (one show causing the death of a teenage girl)... The band even covered a George Michael single as their entry into fame. Basically they're like an extra-cheese-coated biscuit, and I can bite down on that biscuit more than those who give up after a nibble. Some of the rap metal tracks in this album, Significant Other, are quite pleasant, with anthems done better than most other rap metal bands in my opinion. They are leveled up by the guitar attack of Wes Borland and the rapping of Fred Durst, alongside melodic groove and harmonic singing, along with a few guest vocalists from the rap, rock, and metal scenes. Even I hesitated to call this album good, but I have to tell my true opinion. And what can I say? I'm an open-minded person....

3.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Just Like This", "Break Stuff", "Rearranged", "Nobody Like You", "9 Teen 90 Nine", "N2gether Now", "A Lesson Learned"

For fans of: Korn, Linkin Park, Eminem (not that a lot of us here have listened to Eminem, but the album definitely has some Slim Shady vibes)

That's a high-quality assessment of the album right there Vinny. I thoroughly enjoyed getting your take on it.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/520

A Spotify playlist I've made based on my The Amenta favorite tracks list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Ydu3jZFF1WMYduvlywQmR

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/514

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Gothminister - "Battle of the Underworlds" from Pandemonium II: The Battle of the Underworlds (2024)

5/5. Opening with uplifting ethereal strings is the title track of the sequel to Gothminister's Pandemonium, that becomes a true anthem of war, as the guitar/keyboard majesty is accompanied by the vocals of Bjorn and a female vocalist (Sandra Jensen?) to add to the theatricality. An epic beginning!

PAIN - "Same Old Song" from Dancing With the Dead (2005)

5/5. Same old song, but I never get tired of it, it's so awesome! I love the vocals of Peter Tagtgren. "You're welcome to my world, dark side of the universe." I prefer Pain rather than the death metal of his other band Hypocrisy.

Breach the Void - "Subversive Mind" from The Monochromatic Era (2010)

4.5/5. This song is so f***ing destructive, though it's toned down a bit by the clean singing. The band's drummer is Alex Anxionaz, from Sybreed's debut album Slave Design.

Deathstars - "Cyanide" from Termination Bliss (2006)

5/5. This one is a perfect hooker! Great rhythm alongside more of those deep dark vocals. They probably work better in studio than live and, along with the bass, shine more than the guitars that are still awesome. From the synth intro onward, you'll never get bored even after hundreds of listens.

Strapping Young Lad - "Oh My Fucking God" from City (1997)

5/5. This one will make you wanna scream that song title. It's one of the heaviest songs I've heard in my life, probably heavier than even Morbid Angel and Slayer combined! Lots of sounds and build-ups from different dimensions can be heard, not for the faint-hearted. Even the violins change the time signatures! F***ING BRUTAL!!!!!

Dodheimsgard - "Final Conquest" from 666 International (1999)

4.5/5. Another underrated gem, this one of industrial black metal.

Shadow Domain - "Give Up On Joy" from Digital Divide (2018)

4/5. Never give up on cyber metal and its digital power and glory!

Illidiance - "New Millennium Crushers" from Damage Theory (2010)

4.5/5. Illidiance's songs may be short, but they can squeeze all these perfect rhythms and epic melodies in that short amount of time. This is like a more cyber take on pop-ish melodeath bands like Blood Stain Child and Scar Symmetry.

The CNK - "Die HolzHammerMethode" from L'hymne a la joie (2007)

4/5. A bad-a** piece of French industrial/symphonic metal. Enough said!

Fear Factory - "Self Immolation (Liquid Sky Mix)" from Fear is the Mindkiller (1993)

4.5/5. The more atmospheric sounds in this "Self Immolation" remix have paid off well. The death metal aggression is in perfect flow with the techno groove, another remix saving the EP from being a total disaster.

Celldweller, Northlane - "Soul Parasites (Northlane Remix)" from Satellites (Remixed) (2023)

5/5. I can't believe how perfectly Celldweller and Northlane can come together. The energy f***ing rips through each band's new sound. There's a lot more heavy fire than some songs from Celldweller's first two vocal albums. Absolutely bad-a**! H*ll, I was a little nervous about how this remix would turn out before the first time I heard it, but I'm glad it turned out so d*mn well.

Bad Omens, ERRA - "ANYTHING > HUMAN" from CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] (2024)

5/5. Really peaking at the height of the Concrete Jungle album is Bad Omens' collaboration with ERRA. The guest appearances by that progressive metalcore band's two vocalists shine as beautiful as Noah's vocals. An absolute favorite of mine that should be heard by future generations!

Acumen Nation - "Coming Down" from Coming Down: The Bastard Remix Album (2002)

4.5/5. There are several different versions of "Coming Down" in this remix album, and this one's the amazing original.

Shining - "Need" from International Blackjazz Society (2015)

5/5. The Norwegian jazz metal band Shining is not to be confused with similarly named Swedish DSBM band. This is what I really need to jazz up my metal!

KONG - "Whorl" from Push Comes to Shove (1995)

4.5/5. Another piece of jazzy progressive industrial metal, but I prefer to get it from Shining.

2 Times Terror - "Ikävässä Paikassa" from Equals One Sudden Death (2010)

4/5. A high-quality climatic piece of dance-metal. The keyboards and guitars are in perfect union. It may be too accessible for pure metalheads, but it rules!

Fange - "Césarienne Au Noir" from Perdition (2024)

3.5/5. A darker, sludgier take on Godflesh. Pretty good, but I like Godflesh more.

Uniform, The Body - "Not Good Enough" from Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back (2019)

4/5. This one is all I want from this intense sound and more. It is a mighty monolith with post-punk-ish riffing.

Skrew - "Cold Angel Press" from Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1992)

4.5/5. This one is the best in both the song title and the song itself, even bringing back the horror film vibe in the vocals.

Comecon – "Ulcer" from Megatrends in Brutality (1992)

5/5. Well this is a little surprising, considering Comecon is usually a death metal band. However, the first two minutes have enough Skrew-like industrial metal to qualify for The Sphere. Then the rest of the song is grind-ish death metal. And I love it!!! Thanks for this, Daniel! RIP L-G Petrov

The Amenta - "Black God" from Plague of Locus (2023)

4.5/5. Amazing cover of a My Dying Bride song to close off this Amenta cover album. Though it would be great if they could cover one of the heavier My Dying Bride songs.

Godflesh - "Go Spread Your Wings" from Selfless (1994)

5/5. This 24-minute final epic is the longest Godflesh song and my favorite of the album, possibly of the band. It is a modern epic journey through Broadrick's tunnel of imagination, as drums and guitars pound along. This might surely beat the previous album's "Pure II" as Godflesh's ultimate epic!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some slight drops in quality throughout. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for 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 are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

War of Ages - "Famine" from Dominion (2023)

5/5. To start things off, I'd like to thank War of Ages for making awesome songs like this that shall shape up the future of melodic metalcore the way it's meant to. And thanks Kaleb Luebchow for the impressive drumming that posthumously appears on this album. RIP

Unearth - "The Great Dividers" from The Oncoming Storm (2004)

4.5/5. This one is a tough crusher with great riffs and decent breakdowns. The spoken-ish section in the last minute is awfully odd but it doesn't affect its original album's perfect score.

August Burns Red, Will Ramos - "The Cleansing" from The Cleansing (2024) 

5/5. This epic clearly shows the band's relentless heaviness from their earlier days with drummer Matt Greiner firing away with blast-beat machinery. That's one of two nearly 8-minute epics in the Death Below album that are the band's longest, not including the closing epic of their 2005 debut, and it's full of stylistic transcendence. The original version didn't have a guest vocalist like some of the other songs did, but here we have the vicious vocals of Lorna Shore's Will Ramos to make any deathcore fan's day.

Attack Attack! - "Stick Stickly" from Someday Came Suddenly (2008)

5/5. You know what this one, the ultimate Crabcore anthem! Those guys can impressively play their respective instruments while squatting like crabs in that music video.

I Prevail - "Body Bag" from TRUE POWER (2022)

4.5/5. I Prevail is more of an alt-metal band, but they've made occasional turns into metalcore fire. Think my brother who likes this band will like this one?

Bring Me the Horizon - "It Never Ends" from There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret (2010)

5/5. Bring Me the Horizon seem to describe a war that never ends, but then in another single 10 years later, "the end has arrived". They've really "said it once! Said it twice! Said it A THOUSAND F***ING TIMES!!!"

Shai Hulud - "Reach Beyond the Sun" from Reach Beyond the Sun (2013)

4.5/5. Shai Hulud knows how to get the more hardcore fans pumped. They have inspired many of those fans and allowed them to find what music is supposed to be like. They certainly need more recognition and perhaps the guest appearance by Jonathan Vigil of The Ghost Inside in one of the other songs in the album helped out with that. The drumming is great, though ex-member Steve Kleisath (also formerly of Strongarm) would made it slightly better. The band has some of the great passion I've heard from a metalcore/hardcore band, with an attitude of toughness instead of suffering. Vocalist Chad Gilbert is also the founder of New Found Glory. All in all, an amazing song!

Knocked Loose, Motionless in White - "Slaughterhouse 2" from You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To (2024)

5/5. With this sequel to a song from the latest Motionless in White album, it's time to "BREAK DOWN THE WALL AGAIN!!!" The breakdowns are so brutal, especially the one over the one-minute mark after a small beat and Bryan Garris screaming "LET IT GO!!!" (NO he's not singing that Frozen song).

Jeris Johnson - "Here's to the Years" from Here's to the Years (2024)

4.5/5. Last year, Dragoncorpse united deathcore and power metal together. This year, Jeris Johnson showed the world that melodic metalcore, power metal, and medieval folk can co-exist with each other in this fun tune. If this single had its own clans, they would be both The Guardians and The Revolution, maybe enough folk for The North.

The Ghost Inside - "Split" from Searching for Solace (2024)

5/5. This is one of the heaviest and most hardcore tracks the band has done to date. I mean, listen to Architects, Hatebreed, or the aforementioned Knocked Loose, and you might find a lot that song has in common with any of those bands.

Annisokay - "The Cocaines Got Your Tongue" from Aurora (2021)

4.5/5. If you're listening to this song via one of those videos that only has the song name in the title, you might think this is a band named The Cocaines, and the name of the song is "Got Your Tongue". Lol. Anyway, this is like a more hardcore Papa Roach.

Underoath - "Moving for the Sake of Motion" from Define the Great Line (2006)

4/5. This is probably the biggest highlight of its original album, with sick riffing and atmosphere to enjoy! Spencer Chamberlain grieves over his relatable faults.

Balmora – "An Angel’s Final Prayer" from With Thorns of Glass & Petals of Grief E.P. (2023)

3.5/5. A pretty good attempt at reviving the deathly melodic metalcore of Darkest Hour and Prayer for Cleansing, though not that strong.

After the Burial - "Berzerker" from Rareform (2009)

4/5. I once thought After the Burial was pretty awesome band, with 5-star songs like this one. But now I've subtracted a whole star from that perfect score because I've since realized how repetitive a bit of the riffing is. Also I heard this was in one of the Saints Row games.

Dal Av, Jackson Rose - "Billie Eilish" from Billie Eilish (2022)

3.5/5. I wouldn't say this is the best cover I've heard, but I still love these "metalizing" covers of pop/hip-hop songs and how f***ing hard they hit.

ZOMBIESHARK!, Viscera - "Keyboards for Insects" from I Will Destroy You, Myself, and Everything I've Ever Loved. (2020)

4/5. Imagine if a cybergrind band like Genghis Tron or The Locust went metalcore. That certainly makes this more tolerable than all those grindcore bands out there for me.

Of Mice & Men - "Earth & Sky" from Earthandsky (2019)

4.5/5. This one has true power in the chorus. With that and its heavy verses, it's the ultimate standout of its original album!

As I Lay Dying - "The Truth of My Perception" from Shadows are Security (2005)

5/5. An awesome song to love from this masterful melodic metalcore band.

Killswitch Engage - "Always" from Disarm the Descent (2013)

5/5. One of the best songs from this band, as well as one of the first that I've found, via a music video on TV. See, fury isn't always everything in metalcore...

Chelsea Grin - "Recreant" from Desolation of Eden (2010)

4.5/5. ...Unlike this band! Alex Koehler could really growl and scream without damaging his voice. And I can also say that about new vocalist Tom Barber (ex-Lorna Shore).

Shadow of Intent - "The Shaping Sickness" from Inferi Sententia (2014)

4/5. You can consider this a blend of the bands Fleshgod Apocalypse and Gravemind. But the problem is Ben Duerr's vocals here, like what's up with that?!

Dragoncorpse, Nick Miller, First Fragment - "I Live... AGAIN!" from I Live... AGAIN! (2024)

4/5. And of course, Dragoncorpse took the epic deathcore sound much further into power metal, even featuring Unleash the Archers bassist Nick Miller. From beginning to end, it's a wild ride through two metal genres once thought impossible to combine. If DragonForce or Into Eternity went deathcore, that's it right there!

Moments - "Break the Chains" from Hopes & Dreams (2015)

4.5/5. Excellent lyrics in this killer headbanger. Enough said!

Monuments - "Nefarious" from Nefarious (2023)

5/5. God, this slaps! Monuments made this song for the comic book series Godslap by YouTuber Cr1TiKaL.

Car Bomb - "Finish It" from w^w^^w^w (2012)

4.5/5. This articular song showcases drastic fury alongside a couple comedic sounds of "WOO!!!"

Cult Leader - "God's Lonely Children" from Nothing for Us Here (2014)

4/5. Sludgy noise-mathcore from a new band by most of the members of the band Gaza formed after their split-up.

The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Weekend Sex Change" from Calculating Infinity (1999)

3.5/5. This interlude is kind of a nice summarizing sound collage.

Inchaos - "My Gallaxy" from My Gallaxy (2022)

4/5. Djenty metalcore with oriental instrumentation and female singing. Interesting!

Afterglow - "Like a Wave" from Believe in Nothing (2022)

4/5. A motivational banger like this needs more attention, especially at the breakdown that starts the last minute. I would recommend this for anyone working out! This nicely killer song shall please my metalcore heart.

The Last Ten Seconds of Life - "As the World Turns Over" from Soulless Hymns (2015)

3.5/5. We're now heading into the darkest deadliest part of the playlist saved for almost the last, DOWNTEMPO DEATHCORE (my last playlist to have this section). This song (and album, I guess) has recently made its return to Spotify. I'm guessing it was too brutal for some Spotify streamers. The vocals sounds so monstrous!

Black Tongue - "Black Fawn Temple" from Nadir (2018)

3/5. This can be considered the midway interlude of the downtempo deathcore, being just an atmospheric spoken-word interlude that doesn't get heavy until the end.

Humanity's Last Breath - "Bearer" from Ashen (2023)

3.5/5. Then it greatly segues to this f***ing sh*tload of brutality that will take a long time to get over.

Frontierer - "Dusk" from Orange Mathematics (2015)

4/5. But the playlist is not over until this final mathcore track that is the ultimate closing epic of chaos that then fades out into ambience.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some slight drops in quality throughout. Anyway, 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 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 passed this nomination uncontested Andi.

These two nominations have now been posted in the Hall of Judgement Andi.

https://metal.academy/hall/512

https://metal.academy/hall/513

I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.

A playlist I've made with my favorite songs from those essential releases: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1la4JNdjrAXncqO9Szn2u7

A playlist I've made with my favorite songs from those essential releases: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3MwevI05ua7UhQmrvkKQaT

You know you're in the right clans when you actually struggle to come up with 10 bands you truly love outside of them. Here's my shot at it...

Faith No More (Gateway)

Iron Maiden (Guardians)

Black Sabbath (Guardians)

Opeth (Infinite)

Arcturus (Infinite)

Mr. Bungle (Infinite)

Meshuggah (Infinite)

Godflesh (Sphere)

Ministry (Sphere)

Red Harvest (Sphere)

What better way to commemorate the 20,000th Metal Academy post with a new album from one of my outside-world friends who's a talented metal musician? No it's not Danny Ultrawiz, he's been out of the metal picture for years now. It's my new friend Arezz who goes by the name "Rust". He made his own album titled U Suk! It's a really awesome work of art inspired by classic speed/thrash/first-wave black metal bands. I think it would be really helpful if any of you can please check out that album and spread the word about it. With all you guys' help, maybe he can gain enough exposure to have more fame and confidence and even join this site, and it would all be thanks to me and fellow supporting Metal Academy members. Here it is:

Also available on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/34ZKHMMeM0IAf6uHH1Bsk5

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/507

This is actually the first time I've listened to a full Of Mice & Men album. I've heard singles from the band before and enjoyed some of them, ("Bones Exposed" and "Echo" specifically) and was interested to see how well this band could hold an entire album together.

Once it was finished, I realized why Of Mice & Men have been a singles band. The singles "Castaway", "Indigo" and "Warpaint" are decent, but the remainder of Tether is quite boring actually. It isn't bad, but this band has their feet firmly planted and watered in alternative metalcore and this record does not do much of anything in forcing it to stand out. It feels very redundant of The Devil Wears Prada's Color Decay from 2022. Some of the atmospheric interludes sound good, but the execution can be tedious. I noticed it mostly during the opening verse of "Warpaint" where the vocals are a harsh scream, while the instrumentals are mellow and synthetic; they do not mesh well at all. 

Nothing about Tether makes me want to listen to it again, but if it came on, I wouldn't be bothered by it or skip it on sight. This feels like fast food metalcore; it's quick, easy and tastes good for only a moment, but you know its bad for you and I find myself looking for something with a more cultured palette. 

2.5/5

OK, thanks Daniel.