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Being the contrarian that I am, I must admit that Ascendancy was never my favourite Trivium record of the 2000s. Personally, it was The Crusade and Shogun that always topped my list. Those records always had slightly more edge than their most successful and breakout album from 2005. That is not meant to serve as an insult to Ascendancy because while the album does sound patchy at points and also takes forever to end, this is the kind of melodic metalcore that does more than your standard hardcore album of the era.

When I think of this time frame of melodic metalcore, names like Killswitch Engage, Bullet for my Valentine and Parkway Drive inevitably come up. Trivium fall into the category with bands like Shadows Fall; following the trends of mainstream success, but with a nostalgic flare. My major criticism of this new wave of hardcore music is that songs are not constructed well, as they alternate back and forth between a quasi heavy metal section and a slow, brooding chugging breakdown. It transforms the album from Iron Maiden worship into an almost fully realized modernization. Trivium will exploit that detail here on Ascendancy almost to the point of being insufferable. Songs like "Pull Harder on the String of Your Martyr" and "Ascendancy" have some excellent grooves for about two-thirds of their length. Then during the bridge, the tempo and style drastically change so that the guitar players can wail for a while, before concluding with a return to the original form. Ironically, these deviations don't bother me as much as they would if they were on a modern metalcore record. "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" starts off nostalgia farming with two riffs back-to-back that are just "One" and "Fear of the Dark" before becoming something else entirely about halfway through. The initial whiplash is perplexing, but Trivium allows that groove to simmer and burn instead of hanging it out to dry when the guitar solos conclude.

I must say that this riffing is fantastic. During a time when melodic metalcore was at a peak in the collective mainstream, there were few acts that could devise riffs like Trivium. Not only could they crank up the intensity on a whim, but they also knew that slowing down giving a reprieve would allow those solos to bit even more impactful. In a genre where tempo has gotten progressively slower over time, Ascendancy is a nostalgic trip back to the genre's thrash roots. Bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains could write better hooks, but Trivium are no slouch in this department either. I mean, one listen to "Dying in Your Arms" affirms that. And the album doesn't overindulge in its production. All of the records key aspects are pristine and precise; you won't find any symphonic or synthetic elements to bog down the mixing and overwhelm the listener during its thrashier segments.

This is just a really good album. Ascendancy represents a side of melocore during the mid 2000s that wanted to crossover, instead of being relegated to the kiddie pool. Many metalcore bands of the time were completely fine with playing Warped Tour, while Trivium were playing on MTV2 with Chimaira, Arch Enemy, In Flames and Lamb of God. Trivium got their recognition and ballooned into more progressive sounds later on Shogun and beyond. As its name suggests, Trivium really ascended to the top of the metal world around this time, and for good reason.

Best Songs: A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, Drowned and Torn Asunder, The Deceived, Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr

Well, guess I listen to deathcore now.

This is not surprising given the sudden rise in popularity of genre over the past four years. When the legacy media showered Lorna Shore with praise in 2022 and named Pain Remains their album of the year, it brought in a bunch of new ears into a genre that had been stuck in 2012 for too long. And a budding scene spearheaded it back into the forefront as bands like Signs of the Swarm, Mental Cruelty and AngelMaker enter the publics field of vision, while other, older bands like Fit for an Autopsy and Whitechapel's Hymns in Dissonance revive their older sounds.

Since Lorna Shore are releasing their new album later this year, and I will undoubtedly be asked to talk about that, we’ll save the more in-depth discussions for another day. But Shadow of Intent were a band that I always liked from a distance. Chris Wiseman has proven to be a solid composer of melodic deathcore in the past. The question now becomes “how long can they keep this up without changing their personality?”

Well with the way things are going in the new deathcore scene, it’s hard to imagine SoI (Shadow of Intent) needing to change their sound. While all these new bands are trying to chase the Lorna Shore plateau, SoI are essentially making melodic death metal with a punk twist. The first track, “Prepare to Die” begins the record with some very strong foundations before the vocals enter and bring all the pieces together. On the flipside, “Feeding the Meatgrinder” sounds like SoI trying to make an old school death metal classic. “Flying the Black Flag” shows those deathcore roots a little too plainly; whether it be the rapid-fire vocal delivery from Ben Duerr, or the out-of-place breakdown that closes the song.

Imperium Delirium does have its fair share of obtuse moments, but most of the time those shifts in pace are very well executed. The percussion lays a lot of groundwork here, where a guitar can play the same riff over two very different percussion grooves and can produce two very different reactions from the listener. “Infinity of Horrors” and “They Murdered Sleep” are both early album standouts for that reason. As the album progresses, “Beholding the Sickness of Civilization” continues this trend in the best way on the album. I’ve always enjoyed when the band tries to be a bit more progressive; whether on “The Dreaded Mystic Abyss” or here on “Imperium Delirium”. Meanwhile, the instrumental track “Apocalypse Canvas” doesn’t really do much for me; its inclusion on the record may bring fond memories of “The Dreaded Mystic Abyss”, but it’s played over a very pedestrian melodic deathcore groove and feels like a wasted opportunity.

One thing that I can give Imperium Delirium a ton of credit for is how it does not follow the status quo; either within the modern deathcore trends, or Shadow of Intent’s typical texture. Melodic deathcore might seem like a counterintuitive concept, and even then, SoI are not satisfied. This album has more variety than previous releases and somehow more technical. The Dream Theater progressive techniques have been put on the backburner and replaced with more variety in songwriting, and they are also unashamed to have a little fun, paying homage to their influences.

In the end, I really enjoyed Imperium Delirium. As a melodic death metal album, it is heavy as hell but never feeling like its simply going through the motions of that genre, as it draws inspiration from the old school. As a deathcore album, Imperium Delirium’s breakdowns are filthy without feeling like whiplash. For a genre that I once admitted to “not getting” and treating with bad faith, Shadow of Intent are (for now) the lone deathcore band that I really enjoy and keep coming back to. When it is pedestrian, it’s still pretty good, if a little derivative. But when SoI tries something new, they hit the mark with flying colours.

Best Songs: They Murdered Sleep, Prepare to Die, Beholding the Sickness of Civilization, Imperium Delirium, Feeding the Meatgrinder

Do I even have to write a review of this?  Now this album is listed as a metalcore and sludge release on various websites, and I'm a bit into both, not enough to join the clans, though.  I really liked the idea of sludge metalcore, and even use the tag "sludgecore" in my charts to describe the combo.  You'd think Xibalba would be a shoe-in for a favorite band, but I wouldn't know it from this debut.  The same overused guitar tone, the same decent level of heaviness, the same shouty vocals and the same type of songwriting take up the majority of this fairly boring self-released debut.  I found myself wondering why any of these songs even bothered to go into the five minute range.  I'm really not sure how this band got such good reviews with this debut, but I really believe that so much more could've been done with this album.  I would even go as far as to say I prefer the End So Far by Slipknot.

This ongoing symphonic deathcore journey of mine has led me to many epic has led me to several masterpieces of epicness and brutality. The more I discover, the more I understand the style's greatness. The Breathing Process has a couple awesome releases that I wish I had discovered earlier instead of recently. They've gone through many changes in lineup and location since forming in the early 2000s. At the time of Samsara's release, they had 7 members including 3 guitarists. As with their previous album Odyssey (un)Dead, Samsara has their usual blend of symphonic deathcore and blackened melodeath. Two glorious releases separated long apart, like Romeo and Juliet!

After being signed by some record labels for their first couple albums, Samsara was released independently in 2018, on my country's independence day, August 31. Lots of independence! The album includes a limited edition digipak for digital purchase. For this album, the band didn't just record themselves performing, they've also done all the mixing and engineering. The end result is an epic organic experience.

Just like how their first two albums opened, "Et Hoc Est Infernum" is an ambient intro with sorrowful orchestration and piano. The actual opening song "The Traveler" is a long heavy start to this dark adventure. Blackened tremolos, deathly riffs, and rapid blasts assimilate into an extreme combo. You can also hear some smooth guitar melodies and keyboard atmosphere. More of those symphonics appear in "Into the Night", one of my favorite tracks here. The guitar melodies and breakdown brutality are so delightful. "Supervoid" is more brutal than anything they've done before, delivering the breakdowns and growls of deathcore faster than light or a black hole.

In contrast, another highlight "The Conscious Observer" starts off melodic. However, the guitars and growls are still around, perfectly balanced with the melody. I also love the midsection guitar soloing that's a nice pleasant break from the blackened chaos. "Servile" opens up a heavier dimension of deathcore, more in the brutal side as opposed to the symphonic blackened side. The latter sound continues to strike in "Dethroned".

"The Nothing" has more of the band's earlier symphonic black metal insanity, keeping you engaged all the way up to its outro. Next is the more mellow "Sungrazer", and even then, it still has merciless heaviness and speed. The blackened blasts sounds so kick-A, and if anyone has barely heard that in earlier albums beforehand, they would think the drummer is more machine than man. The bass grooves flow well with the riffing by the talented guitar trio. The astonishing heaviness and synergy is what any metalhead can wish for. "Absolute Truth" has more memorable progressive structure. If Make Them Suffer continued their earlier epic blackened deathcore phase, this is that!

With all this epic brutal fury at hand, Samsara is a 10-track beast that I'm glad to discover and add to my symphonic deathcore recommendations list. There are many melodic moments, as much as the brutal ones, creating something crushing and emotional. The Breathing Process have proven themselves to be a brilliant band that should be for anyone into both symphonic deathcore and melodeath. Don't sleep on it, spread the word!

Favorites: "The Traveler", "Into the Night", "The Conscious Observer", "Sungrazer", "Absolute Truth"

With their second album Odyssey (un)Dead, The Breathing Process add more complex talent to their anthems, with different tempo variations. And HOLY F***, what a memorable leap compared to their debut! There's more emotion without losing any brutality, the thing I once feared but enjoy a lot now.

No matter how beautiful Odyssey (un)Dead can be sometimes, The Breathing Process seems lost and almost unheard of in the metal world. It's sad because their technical madness is quite underrated. No metalhead should miss out on this symphonic deathcore/melodeath chaos of machine gun blast beats, ravaging rhythms, and even background symphonic keys to give the intensity some atmosphere. This album has all that and then some!

"Hours" is a prophetic intro, and I say that because of the spoken sample, "Me, I service the machinery of death so that people can eat. If that makes me evil, then so be it." Then the instrumentation rises into dark pounding fire. The band's original sound already reaches its height in the speedy "Grimoire". They unleash their complex skills in not just the guitars and vocals, but also the keys, bass, and drums, in a prime example of their sound. And there's more of this wild ride in the next track... "Leveler" has some of the best keys here, sounding epic and spacey. That kind of makes the monkey jungle outro a bit unfitting, though I digress. "Vultures" introduces a new aspect to their sound, female singing. Beauty within the heavy beast! Still there are different twists and turns as the song goes on, until the sweet chords and grooves fade into melancholic piano and bass. Epicness supreme! The intergalactic blaze of "Pantheon Unraveling" really burns up. Smooth bass grooves hit alongside raging blasts, guitars, and synths. This shows that something graceful can come out deadly as well.

One interlude to tone down the intense chaos is "Starless Eternal". This short track can have a bit of progressiveness and allow you to imagine a starless darkness conjured by the keys and drums, building things up before the next song... The title track has some d*mn brutal talent. The progressiveness shines within the blend of heaviness and emotion. Already sounding original in the brief mechanical intro, "Metamorphosis" is also filled with absolule g****mn fire. Anthemic rage pours from the chords, vocals, and icy keys, making perhaps the most powerful highlight of the album! "Hordes" has more complex brutality, especially in the chaotic final third.

"The Living Forest (Part I)" has searing blasts and haunting keys, closer to the earlier symphonic black metal darkness, though there's also a technical breakdown. "Wind Ritual" is the intermission before the second part, basically female clean-led blackened death-doom. "The Opaque Forest (Part II)" rips things apart while whispers, growls, and singing fills the vocal air. "Decaying (Form)" caps it all by summarizing everything in its first half, alternating between soft and blasting sections. And what a tearful outro!

The 6 members of The Breathing Process came together to work on this epic underrated creation. Odyssey (un)Dead might just be my favorite album for these earliest days of symphonic deathcore, and I would certainly be up for more of this band. If you wanna hear epic deathcore's true beginning besides Winds of Plague, let's f***ing go!

Favorites: "Grimoire", "Vultures", "Odyssey (un)Dead", "Metamorphosis", "The Living Forest (Part I)", "The Opaque Forest (Part II)", "Decaying (Form)"

I am not super familiar with a lot of metalcore, outside of a few big names like Converge and Trivium and I have only very recently tried to explore it further. I find a lot of it to be very samey, with little to differentiate a lot of the bands, but Earth Crisis certainly are not one of them. Destroy the Machines sounds very much to me like a straight edge band that has discovered Sepultura's Chaos AD and thought "We'll have some of that". I like quite a few straight edge bands, even though they can be annoyingly preachy, and Chaos AD is a great record, so that combination works really well for me.

Vocals can often be a personal bugbear with metalcore acts, but Karl Buechner has a raggedness to his voice that makes it sound less shouty and forced than most and that is definitely a plus. A lot of more modern metalcore feels like it has moved away from the punk side of the equation, but Earth Crisis are most definitely authentic when it comes to their punk credentials, which gives the album a looseness that allows it to breathe rather than the constipated tightness of more recent metalcore orthodoxy. The riffs are great, even pretty groovy at times, yet still contain a lethal agressiveness that lets everyone know exactly just how pissed off these guys are. If more metalcore sounded like this then I would most definitely be a bigger fan.

HOW?!? How did I not discover this awesome modern metal band earlier?! Remember what I thought of Becoming the Archetype's debut Terminate Damnation? Hope for the Dying's most recent album Legacy basically continues the progressive melodeath/metalcore sound of that album but with more symphonic/neo-classical elements. Many people who enjoy this band have started off with Dissimulation or Aletheia, but my first encounter with Legacy makes me wants to check them out for the first time soon.

While there are some similarities to Terminate Damnation in terms of the sound, flow, and track lengths, there's only one interlude that is the intro. That's OK, because the rest of the album stands out as is. Before we get to that, I'd just like to point out the album cover. It may not be by Dan Seagrave, but it still has that epic Game of Thrones vibe.

So "Aurora" is a nice orchestral intro that lasts for a minute. "Setting Sun" fits greatly with its title, setting the album's tone in stone. The haunting keys shine greatly alongside the heavy guitars. The best place for progressive diversity is "Flame Forged", one of my favorite tracks here. Then we have the relentless "Narcissus" that continues its blend of heaviness and melody from beginning to end.

However, its abrupt transition into "Nemesis" is a bit jarring. My perfect 5-star rating still stands as that next track brushes aside that misstep with heavy dissonance. Lyrics like "I was a slave to my own demons" and deathly growls by Becoming the Archetype frontman Jason Wisdom makes that track another standout. I also love the guest gutarwork by Elisha Mullins (The Burial, Miss May I, War of Ages) including the Van Halen-esque divebomb at the end. "Trenches" is another fantastic dish of heaviness and symphonics that stays speedy until its slower ending section. "Wretched Curse" lets you rest in a slower tempo for the first couple minutes then speeds back up again.

After the previous track's brief soft moment, "Wander No More" has searing guitars to rip you apart. My ultimate favorite track of the album is the 9-minute title epic that really packs some punches. A smooth two-minute bridge comes in midway through before some blazing soloing out of nowhere. Then it ends with soft strings. The last bit of triumph comes in "Adamantine" which is an excellent summary of this glorious literal hour. And finally some soft piano to end it all.

As brilliant as Terminate Damnation is, Legacy is another huge deal of modern epicness. Every layer is absorbed through your ears into the brain, and you'll be able to experience this unique creativity in no time. You can expect headbanging metal sections, soft orchestral bridges, and different time signature changes. Just like Terminate Damnation, this offering is a standout in the Christian metal scene that can please both Christians and non-Christians. If I thought Mechina's Progenitor was the best album of 2016, that award might just be passed over to this album. There's still hope for Hope for the Dying to come back with something fresh to maintain their legacy!

Favorites: "Flame Forged", "Nemesis", "Trenches", "Legacy", "Adamantine"

As my symphonic deathcore expedition continues, I've just encountered this band from metal's motherland Finland, Assemble the Chariots. With their storytelling symphonic melodic death metal/core sound, they're like a more conceptual Shadow of Intent and Lorna Shore. I think of all the releases of this genre I've explored so far, this might truly be the most saga-filled one yet!

Although their full-length debut Unyielding Night was released a year before this review, 2024, they've actually released a series of EPs dating back 15 years prior. With their sign-in to Seek & Strike records, it was time to unleash their epic storytelling deathcore to the world.

"Aquilegia in Peril" begins it all with that cinematic blend of symphonics and narration. Then "Departure" launches into metallic blasts that blend with the epic orchestration. The riffing and harsh vocals add to this intriguing mix. "Admorean Monolith" has some powerful bass groove alongside highly diverse metal aggression. "As Was Seen by Augurers" fires away with drumming impact. The screams and growls alternate with great unpredictability. "Shimmering, Pulsing Glow" is another string/narration interlude.

The ominous melancholy is decimated by the furious "Evermark". Absolutely brutal growls and intense riffing there! Introducing "Reavers March" is the usual savage battle between metal and orchestra. I love the impressive shredding! "Ephemeral Stream" is a different story, with soft piano and cleans by Milma Laitinen for something calm while still dark. "Emancipation" blasts forward again like a machine gun (no Kelly). As we have more of the demonic harsh vocals, we also have some operatic cleans by Nitte Valo (Dreamtale, ex-Battle Beast). "Keepers of the Stars" is a catchy headbanging highlight with kick-A drums and leads. "Empress" has more screaming chaos.

"Last Line of Defence" is one more interlude, to get you geared up for the final battle of this story. Warhorns begin the war in "Galactic Order", getting you excited with the theatrical orchestration, crushing metal, and charging vocals. "Equinox" is the grand ending epic where the ultimate climax occurs. The final bit of energy is used wisely, all the way up to the glorious end. That's the kind of closing epic that I enjoy!

Unyielding Night is probably the most ambitious and conceptual album in all of symphonic deathcore. Many different layers can be found in the deathly fury, the symphonic orchestra, and a voyage of a concept. You gotta appreciate the time it took for this to be made. The long wait was worth it. Here's to the next part of the Ephemeral Trilogy!

Favorites: "Departure", "Admorean Monolith", "Evermark", "Reavers March", "Emancipation", "Keepers of the Stars", "Equinox"

I was first introduced to the band God Forbid at Mayhem Festival 2009 when myself and some of my more metal friends took the trip across the border from Ontario to Michigan. We had been to Mayhem Festival the previous year when they visited closer to home, but this time we had to do some cross border shenanigans. They played the same stage as Trivium and All That Remains; both bands I was quite familiar with ahead of time. I thought "oh cool a new American metalcore band to dive into. Then I listened to the music and was immediately turned off.

Don't get me wrong, I do think that GF (God Forbid) had talent, but one listen to Gone Forever and you could tell that this band wasn't performing at full capacity. They could write solid hooks and the overall compositions were thoroughly constructed, but to expand these concepts beyond the initial honeymoon phase, God Forbid transforms into a painfully generic melocore band. Like those bands who played Mayhem Festival with GF in 2009, they would use decent song structures, breakdowns did not serve as interjections, and they could write an above average chorus. Unlike Trivium and All That Remains, this consistency does not pan out for an entire album. "Antihero" and "Force-Fed" start the album quite strong, but by the time we get to "Soul Engraved", "Judge the Blood" or even earlier songs like "Precious Life" you can see that the well runs dry fast.

And it isn't helped at all by the clean vocals. If they had ditched the clean vocals entirely, Gone Forever could have been an above average 2000s melocore record. But GF's clean vocals are so sheepish and non-committal. It's the kind of raspy singing you expect to hear out of Rob Flynn. Similar metalcore bands would have clean singing also, but those vocals were a clear counterpoint to the harsh screams; whether it be dual vocal acts like The Devil Wears Prada or Alexisonfire, or the rare vocalist that could do both by themselves (i.e. Howard Jones, Matt Heafy). On Gone Forever, GF are trying to cash in on a trend to get popular, but can't even do it correctly.

If Gone Forever sounded closer to an Unearth album like The Oncoming Storm or III: In The Eyes of Fire without any clean vocals, we might be telling a different tale. That still wouldn't change how this album loses momentum halfway through, but at least it would be slightly more tolerable to listen to. God Forbid fall into the singles band territory, where their best songs are the ones promoted by the record label and radio. After those however, you won't miss much.

Best Songs: Antihero, Washed Out World, Living Nightmare

From Seattle, Botch was known for contributing to their development of the noise-powered mathcore genre in the late 90s. The band would release two albums before splitting up in 2002, though they would reform two decades later for a new single and reunion tour. Botch shared their hybrid sound with fellow mathcore pioneers Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan, and would plant the seed for later bands like Norma Jean and Every Time I Die. During Botch's 20-year split, the members would go on in different bands like Minus the Bear, These Arms are Snakes, Roy, Russian Circles, and Sumac.

This unique ambitious sound can take on a variety of different influences such as Helmet and Black Sabbath, putting them together into their own. You can hear it clearly in The Unifying Themes of Sex, Death and Religion, a compilation of demo EPs released before their two albums. It spawned an extended re-release in 2002, entitled Unifying Themes Redux, with more previously unreleased tracks. Whichever release you get, expect some complex high-energy hardcore chaos...

The frantic "God vs. Science" showcases the metallic chords of guitarist Dave Knudson. "Third Part in a Tragedy" has some of those hardcore jumps that Norma Jean would later have. Then slowly they turn, step by step, "Inch by Inch"... Some slight industrial from Nine Inch Nails is added to the metallic hardcore that can be heard in Eighteen Visions. They've actually covered "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff, turning an opera song into a mathcore track. A little too much of a joke, but I can accept it. Then we slam into "Closure", which is from a various artists compilation. A true trail of noise and destruction!

"Contraction" adds a little more melody to the hardcore, though not as much as The Plot in You would in the 2010s. Then on "Ebb", Knudson paints his guitar notes on the bass grooves of Brian Cook and the screamed vocals of Dave Verellen. "Stupid Me" is kinda stupid in the cliche chanting. The drama is lost by sounding laughable. "In Spite of This" is the 5-minute epic with killer riffing. They never need to go Meshuggah levels of djenty to sound this heavy.

I suppose I can one day check out the extended Unifying Themes Redux, but as much fun as I had with the original, hearing a lot of this for 70 minutes might be wearying. Still you can witness how well Botch can do their music, giving you a great complex time....

Favorites: "God vs. Science", "Third Part in a Tragedy", "Closure", "Ebb", "In Spite of This"

Another 2010s metalcore band that I have no remembrance of during my metal purge of the decade, and another who started out as deathcore before transitioning to a lighter shade of hardcore. Bands like Wage War and Make Them Suffer are near the bottom of the barrel in this regard and left me with a poor first impression entering Shrine. But what I was given was actually a really solid piece of 2nd wave melocore. This album is groovy; it has some really good riffs, the percussion is decent and not overwhelming in the overall mix, and while the vocals can be hit-or-miss, I really enjoyed the harsh vocal delivery of Scott Kennedy. Songwriting is closer to groove metal/melodic death metal most of the time, but Shrine employs breakdowns in a classic 1st wave melocore fashion; where the breakdown is a key component to the song and in most cases, is the foundation behind either the main chorus or a bridge. Texture wise, as mentioned before, the groove/melodic death metal palette means that Bleed From Within sound closer to a band like Orbit Culture as opposed to The Devil Wears Prada. But without the inclusion of those migraine inducing Inception sound effects as Orbit Culture did on Descent, that makes Shrine the superior album by a long shot!

After a while, the album does get rather tedious and starts to become more bland as Bleed From Within start to run out of unique ideas for this particular brand of melocore. But I do really enjoy the intensity of the album; a decent balance of aggression and melodic presence, which is seldom seen in mainstream metalcore these days...even more so if the band is one of those "deathcore turned metalcore" bands like Bleed From Within have become. So I do like this. It won't be a mainstay in my listening rotation, but I'll keep it around as a heavier change of pace, while also being a solid melodically driven record.

Best Songs: Sovereign, Flesh and Stone, Stand Down, I Am Damnation

I think now's a good time for me to fill you in on a brief history of Fear of Domination. The Finnish "shock" industrial melodeath band was formed in 2006 by vocalist Saku Solin, bassist Lauri Ojanen, and guitarist Jan-Erik Kari. These 3 original members would carry on with the band while the other two, guitarist/keyboardist Marko Salmikangas and drummer Jaakko Arteli would leave early on. It was Lauri who came up with the band name, stemming from one of the first (and best) songs they've written, similarly to how the more popular Finnish metal band Nightwish got their name. Since then, many lineup changes would occur, most notably the addition of female vocalist Sara Strömmer, originally a live member but has since joined the band full-time, performing co-lead vocals alongside Saku.

VI: Revelation is the second album with Sara and would end up being their last with her. On the same month as its release, December 2021, she started taking time off for maternity leave and ultimately left the band to focus on family life. That's too bad because I consider her one of the most energetic female vocalist modern rock/metal besides Linkin Park's new lead vocalist Emily Armstrong. At least we can still hear her cleans and screams for one more album. As for the music, while it still has that heavy energy they always have, their sound is no longer industrial melodeath. It's more like trance-metalcore in a similar vein to Amaranthe...

"Exitus" is where the band makes their entrance by tearing things apart with the usual electro-trance beats and heavy/melodic blend with a massive chorus. Now that's the starting track I wish the previous two albums had! "Dive Into I" has energetic groove. And don't forget the catchy melodic chorus! "Inner Lies" starts with the sample that begins Strapping Young Lad's "Home Nucleonics" ("The beat starts here"). The song is a shredtastic highlight with more of those heavy verses and melodic chorus.

"Formless Ones" has soft melancholy without sacrificing the heaviness. "Rust" has heavier strength in the riffs and vocals, along with more of those dance-y beats. The chorus would certainly be suitable for a dance party, while the music continues to have that wall-smashing power. "Manifest" punches through in the music and vocals.

"Amongst Gods" has more straight rhythms. Massive chords enhance the melodic chorus, alongside the synths and vocals. "Home" is still heavy in the guitars and vocals but they experiment with unusual aspects like film-score orchestra and rapping. "The Greatest Harmony" has good heavy groove. The sing-along chorus adds to the variation. "They All Want Me to Die" is so heavy and trance-y in the instrumentation, fitting well with the vocals including a bit of choir singing at the end. The perfect ending storm!

I'm aware that experimental industrial-ish trance-metalcore isn't for everyone. So it's best to take small steps with other bands before getting here. And in the end, you'll have a f***ing whale of a time. Rock on and party on....

Favorites: "Exitus", "Inner Lies", "Rust", "Amongst Gods", "They All Want Me to Die"

There are so many questions I ended up needing to ask just before writing this review. Did vocalist Devin Duarte really get outed as abusive, as a reason for leaving the band? How the f*** did I not notice this earlier? And how can the best bands of epic deathcore end up with a sh*tty member, usually a vocalist? This is ridiculous as h*ll. And since death metal/core is often about violent lyrics, it's not long until people start taking those lyrics more seriously and make the genre much less popular because of that. I mean, I try to distance myself from high-level violence and gore, but that doesn't mean the whole world should just because some innocent bands condone it when they don't. Also this album Hunger, the last one with Devin Duarte, was released on the same day as albums by bands whose lead vocalist's career is marred by controversy; As I Lay Dying and Linkin Park. However, I still enjoy those albums. And I find some greatness in this Worm Shepherd album too. I can still separate art from artist in most cases.

So this album Hunger continues Worm Shepherd's epic deathcore sound with more deathly elements than in previous releases. It has some aspects from Lorna Shore's albums such as the emotion of Pain Remains, the darkness of And I Return to Nothingness, and the drama of Immortal, both in the music and kinda in the behind-the-scenes. Abuse allegations aside, Duarte still sounds as strong as ever with his vocal variety.

"The Anguished Throne" can be considered a symphony of destruction, and I don't mean that Megadeth song. Strings and piano float around alongside Duarte's wonderous cleans. The heavy instrumentation then goes absolutely insane with the return of his brutal vocal filth. Hope you're all hungry for some more symphonic blackened deathcore on the house! The shorter title track launches into djenty rhythms in the riffing and drumming, as well as vicious vocals. The crazy brief soloing also makes this song f***ing perfect. Next track "He Who Breathes Fire" has Duarte breathing out brutal fire. Orchestra and metal continues their powerful blend, and the feral screaming just annihilates.

"The Whistles in the Cold" starts with chilling orchestra that leads to more of the impressive fast instrumentation and vocals. The track is as cold as the title suggests, especially in the furious riffing. "Of Ruin and Banishment" has the most of the heavier side of deathcore, with nothing but pure loud chaos. There's also some spacey riffing and blazing drumming, performed by session members Harry Tadayon and Nahuel Lozano, respectively. And HOLY F***ING SH*T, the vocals are absolutely wild, practically rivaling with Lorna Shore's Will Ramos. "Six" is a soft orchestral interlude, a nice break from the chaos. Then "Illuminate Oblivion" has dark instrumentation and emotional cleans singing lyrical poetry. It's not long until the metal returns with the usual crushing chords, drums, and screams, all the way up to the brutal haunting end.

"A Harrowing Dawn" has that "harrowing" vibe in the piano and orchestra, like the aftermath of war, but that doesn't last a full minute before more of the heavy firepower from the riffs, drums, and vocals. Chaos continues to rise from the abyss until an interesting acoustic outro. "The Waters of Lethe" has more deathly vengeance to balance out with the Two Steps From Hell-like choir and symphonics. The screamed vocals stand on the line between the orchestral waters and metal flames. "And at the End of Fear, Silentium" is one of the best track titles I've seen in all of metal. The track itself is one of the most glorious tracks I've heard in symphonic blackened deathcore. Chaos and triumph reign all over. The soloing is some of the best I've heard from last year, probably greater than even DragonForce's solos! Evilness and grief continues to last until the end, with a final epic orchestral melodeath march rising into some blackened blasts and screams once more, and finally resting in mournful piano. Man, what an ending!

All in all, Hunger is the symphonic blackened deathcore album fans of the genre need when they're tired of Lorna Shore. Worm Shepherd has once again done an amazing job blending orchestra and metal together. And again, despite all this drama surrounding Devin Duarte and his subsequent departure, his vocals still impress me. This is for anyone up for epic loud bangers. And by the end of listening, you'll be hungry for more forevermore!

Favorites: "Hunger", "The Whistles in the Cold", "Of Ruin and Banishment", "Illuminate Oblivion", "And at the End of Fear, Silentium"

Worm Shepherd had their way of triumph with their second album Ritual Hymns, but this epic deathcore band from Massachusetts would end up losing half its lineup. Only two founding members remain, Devin Duarte on vocals and Tre Purdue on guitars, both determined to continue their blend of orchestral beauty and metallic brutality.

This epic blackened deathcore style has been popularized in this decade by Lorna Shore. It's a brilliant mix because I can get the symphonic black metal elements of Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir without going heavily satanic and it shows that deathcore doesn't have to be entirely brutal. And here we are at Worm Shepherd's EP The Sleeping Sun! The guitars and orchestration appearing together are so mesmerizing, and while Leo McClain is out, temporary replacement Alex Nourse nails the drumming precision.

The opening epic "The Frozen Lake, Pt. II (The Ruined)" is the sequel to the debut's "The Frozen Lake". It starts off with slow doomy deathcore then speeds up gradually, save for a couple breakdowns and soft breaks. And there's more of their slam side in "The Broken Earth" while having some symphonic magic. "The Tortured Path" is just straight-up downtempo deathcore demolition. The best place for atmosphere and melody is the highlight "The Dying Heavens", all the while having blackened brutality. Purdue's guitar talents reach high levels of strength there. "The Parting Sea" throws in some melodeath from Be'lakor and Disarmonia Mundi albeit in a slower crushing pace.

Worm Shepherd continues their symphonic blackened deathcore in their very own And I Return to Nothingness, although it can't beat the glory of that Lorna Shore EP and Ritual Hymns. Worm Shepherd would continue with a different lineup for live shows and next album Hunger. Still, two heads are better than one as the two main members can easily pull off both the blackened and downtempo sides of deathcore well. So get ready for a half-hour haunting rage under the sleeping sun and the blood moon!

Favorites: "The Frozen Lake, Pt. II (The Ruined)", "The Broken Earth", "The Dying Heavens"

Let's be honest, Worm Shepherd was formed with the intention of following Lorna Shore's stylistic footsteps. I know I said that about a lot of epic blackened deathcore bands, but this band might be the real deal. There's just so much you can find that isn't already heard before in a Lorna Shore album, and they formed on January 31, 2020, the exact day Lorna Shore's Immortal was released. It's clear how much of an impact Worm Shepherd has gotten from Lorna Shore, though they still hold their own ground...

Worm Shepherd was formed in Massachusetts and released their debut In the Wake ov Sol independently just less than a year after forming. Then they were signed to Unique Leader Records who re-released their 9-track album with a newly recorded 10th track.

"Accursed" kicks things off in clean acoustic ambience which makes a majestic transition into the band's symphonic blackened deathcore sound with tremolo riffing, blasts, and beastly vocals. Drummer Leo McClain was only 17 at the time and he's quite a professional behind the kit. And I also enjoy the guest vocals by Alex Koehler (ex-Chelsea Grin). A true epic blackened deathcore standout! The title track is darker in the music and more varied in the vocals. Neo-classical chords drift through the brutal filth. The breakdown brings the chaos to full circle. "Ragnarok" is the 7 and a half minute epic that is oddly placed early in the album instead of the end. A symphonic intro leads into more technical chaos. The breakdown is absolutely destructive with no melody in sight.

"Wretchedness Upon the Gates" starts off with loud face-blasting deathcore. Midway through, background xylophone leads to another brutal breakdown. Also there are some guest vocals by David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm. "The Emptiness Between Stars" starts off smooth and ambient then unleashes the slower downtempo deathcore before ending with the same ambience as before. Darkness rises from the void! "The Frozen Lake" also starts soft, with some piano and spoken vocals. Then the screams and growls appear alongside the precise guitars and drums that reach its darkest point at the midsection.

"Aether" is the first of two short 3-minute tracks filled with nothing but rage and hate. Some harmony appears from the guitars that are mostly dissonant. "Loathe" is the other short 3-minute track that continues to rage with heavy drumming and relentless vocals. Thick guitar speed leads to a slow powerful breakdown. Closing the original album is "The Crimson Moon Unwithered" in which choral vocals are annihilated by the usual wicked growls as the usual blackened deathcore sound strikes. The guest vocals by A Wake in Providence's Adam Mercer are really cool. As of this review, he just left that band, and Worm Shepherd vocalist Devin Duarte also quit. It would be awesome if they switch bands. Anyway, as much as that track has a lot to end upon, it's nothing compared to the haunting bonus track. "Chasm Dweller" is an epic blend of crushing riffing and melodic melancholy, even lightening up a bit for some cleans. An epic blackened deathcore highlight of chaos and sorrow. Really should've been in the original album!

It's great hearing how well symphonics can go with blackened deathcore. And I'm still impressed by their young drummer Leo McClaim and his masterful skills. In the Wake ov Sol is a really solid start to their sound perfected in subsequent releases. If you're not into this sound, this well-constructed offering should convince you to give it a try....

Favorites: "Accursed", "Ragnarok", "The Emptiness Between Stars", "Loathe", "Chasm Dweller"

I first gave this Drown in Sulphur album some listening and a review shortly after its release over a year ago but drifted out of it shortly after because I wasn't ready for a lot of the new wave of epic deathcore, apart from Lorna Shore. Upon revisiting this Italian deathcore band, like d*mn, I was mind-blown by the high-quality production that my ears somehow missed some of in the first listen. This can convince any metalhead dismissive of deathcore to give it a try!

Dark Secrets of the Soul is where the band is finally joining the symphonic black deathcore league of Mental Cruelty and Lorna Shore. You can find all the melodies, blasts, and breakdowns you can ask for, even some throwbacks to their 2010s downtempo deathcore era, all in well-crafted epicness and brutality.

For the intro "Adveniat Regnum Tuum"... I don't know what the f*** that was, but I won't let that affect the rest of the album's perfection. I still love the first actual song, "Eclipse of the Sun of Eden". A crushing modern blackened riff commences in this track with spectacular growling vocals. "Buried by Snow and Hail" levels up the orchestral elements in the usual brutal speed of deathcore.

As always, "Unholy Light" has pulverzing modern deathcore breakdowns. "Lotus" is the closest thing we have to an actual deathcore ballad, plus the inclusion of cleans and melodic guitar soloing. The acoustics are a bit like mid-90s In Flames. Beautiful! The emotional title track rages on with orchestral ambience alongside killer riffs and growls.

"Say My Name" is not a Destiny's Child cover, thank greatness. It satisfies me as another perfect heavy banger. "Vampire Communion" is the atmospheric interlude to get you ready for the finale. See, that's the interlude we need instead of whatever the f*** that earlier intro is. Final track "Shadow of the Dark Throne" sums up everything this album has in the usual symphonic blackened deathcore triumph and drama. A true spine-chilling ending for only the bravest and/or darkest souls.

Drown in Sulphur's second album is a true masterpiece of darkness and beauty. I recommend taking a break from the likes of Mental Cruelty and Lorna Shore for a while and checking out this underrated band and album. The reign of epic deathcore continues!

Favorites: "Eclipse of the Sun of Eden", "Buried by Snow and Hail", "Lotus", "Say My Name", "Shadow of the Dark Throne"

My ongoing quest for epic deathcore has led me to different bands of that style. Drown in Sulphur is another one of those bands, and one of the more blackened. It's strange how despite those extreme metal elements, the Metal Archives still consider it "too deathcore" for inclusion.

Formed in Milan, Italy, the band released a couple EPs before drummer Domenico Tamilia fired all his bandmates and they went on to form Defamed. Domenico continued his band with a different lineup and started taking on a more mature and varied sound, beginning with their debut full-length album Sulphur Cvlt! Their earlier downtempo deathcore is now fragments of a new blackened deathcore sound, adding in some progressive sludge almost reminiscent of early Mastodon into their compositions.

There's no need for me to describe the first 5 tracks when they all follow that killer formula; "Essence", "Descendent Sunrise", "Blessed End", "Vivant Tenebrae", and "The Crawling Chaos". All of these rule, but the best tracks are when the deathcore and black metal influences truly collide, such as "As Above So Below". As well as "The Sleeping Abomination" which is the best song here. The lyrics strike with their dark universal concept. The title track has more of the blackened deathcore blasts, riffs, and screams, hinting at the symphonic direction of Lorna Shore. "Everything Has Been Read" travels back and forth from Egyptian melodies to a bit of the Finnish melodeath of Norther.

An album of 9 songs with each one have an averge 4-minute length may be a mundane aspect, but that's brushed aside when they all have lots of variety. While the idea of breakdowns in deathcore is getting old, this band can make sure those breakdowns are as impactful as they were in the genre's peak era. Blackened deathcore is a hybrid of genres which, despite not intriguing me 10 years before this review, intrigues me now. Consider me a member of the epic deathcore cvlt!

Favorites: "Essence", "Vivant Tenebrae", "As Above So Below", "The Sleeping Abomination", "Sulphur Cvlt"

Clearly the symphonic blackened deathcore well has not yet run dry. Just a year after Drown in Sulphur released their second album Dark Secrets of the Soul, they follow it up with a masterpiece of Vengeance! In between the releases of the two albums, the band left Scarlet Records, hence the independent release of Vengeance. Some of the most creative bands are the unsigned ones like Mechina and Shadow of Intent, so I sense great development for Drown in Sulphur in their new offering.

I checked out Dark Secrets of the Soul when it was first released, but I wasn't heavily into epic deathcore at the time apart from Lorna Shore. Drown in Sulphur really lives up to their new album's name. No emotional ballads, just ultra-heavy deathcore bangers with melody from the riffing and background orchestral synths.

"Underworld" is an ominous intro with narration. Then we have the memorable "Faithless", one of my favorite tracks in the entire album. It strikes from practically everywhere, and you'll want more of that epic deathcore action. The title track is quite vengeful, proving that The Revolution clan has more than just the melody of For the Fallen Dreams and Trivium. You can hear some soloing in "Seed of Hate" to please any metalhead, even the purists.

Next song "Silence" is another well-developed standout, striking with more of those epic melodies and a perfectly brutal breakdown. Crossing over into melodic metalcore territory is "Scarlet Rain", having more of that soloing and even some glistening clean singing. I enjoy when bands break through the deathcore boundaries to show that the genre isn't just brutal all the time. Yet another favorite! Then "Veil of Deception" starts off with some acoustic-ish guitar that's almost like Amorphis' "My Kantele" then blasts off into more of Lorna Shore's brand of epic deathcore with some slight technicality from Coroner.

Speeding things up is the incredible "Absentia", only slowing down at the end for one of the darkest breakdowns of the year. Perhaps my favorite here! Next up, "Morningstar" combines deathcore brutality with some dark melody from Insomnium and even Powerwolf. "Inferno" has another one of the most intense breakdowns to end this haunting highlight and, of course, this album.

Vengeance is one of the heaviest, most vengeful albums I've heard so far this year. I don't know if it will be surpassed by Lorna Shore upcoming album, but we'll see. Greatly recommended to all fans of deathcore, specifically fans of the epic kind!

Favorites: "Faithless", "Silence", "Scarlet Rain", "Absentia", "Inferno"

If I can give I Hope We Make it Out of This Alive any bit of credit, it would be that the gothic texture of the album is given ample amounts of time to breathe. That is to say, while this album is primarily deathcore in nature, the album also has plenty of slower moments that allow the symphonic textures to actually have a dynamic impact in the compositions. So many symphonic deathcore artists in the modern day just don't understand that the strings and metal foundations do not work well together, since the guitar, vocals and drums are so overpowering. So the sections are all important in some way.

What does that mean though? It means disjointed songwriting, unbalanced mixing and a penchant for atomic drops. Since this is deathcore, I'm neither surprised or overly critical; this is just normality in the genre. That still does not make it very good! Individual songs are indifferent to connectivity and being memorable and instead focus on texture to lure the listener in. This makes its appearance through the atomic drops, unnatural transitions out from doom-y breakdowns to tech-death bridges, and melt your face off breakdowns. Some of these sound good individually, but as part of a full song, so much of this album just fells empty. It has the progressive problem of being too overly indulgent. I wish that more deathcore bands would make symphonic deathcore like this....y'know without the death metal part.

Best Songs: Summit of Dragons, Things Betwixt, For Whom the Banshee Cries

I've made this discovery and review shortly after doing the same with Cryptopsy's The Unspoken King. Humanity's Last Breath are professionals at brutal tech-deathcore and can execute it better than Cryptopsy could in their flopped-down 2008 album. Humanity's Last Breath's Ashen is one of the darkest heaviest albums of modern metal!

The amount of downtuned riffing and time-signature unorthodoxy can bring Meshuggah and Ion Dissonance to the minds of many listeners. This complex chaos also has the doomy atmosphere of downtempo deathcore and some melody dragged out into haunting levels. If this is what this whole "thall" thing is about, consider me hooked! Lots of violent experimentation make this a true apocalyptic gem.

From the intro, "Blood Spilled" would have you think the band has joined the epic deathcore league led by Lorna Shore and Shadow of Intent. But instead of symphonics, we have the out-of-this-world trench-deep-tuned guitar riffing of Buster Odeholm and Calle Thomér with its ambient crawl. The chorus of "Linger" stomps through, memorable with its blend of brutality and accessibility. Melody and dissonance stab through each other as if they're fencing without those protective suits alongside the rhythms and beats. Complexity makes its leap in "Lifeless, Deathless". While the vocals are always welcome, it can pulverize as an instrumental just as well. The drumming by Klas Blomgren never overtakes the guitarwork. "Withering" also has great flow in the drums and guitars, all leading to a breakdown so simple and ravaging at the same time.

"Instill" has some background choir in great harmony with the tremolos and blasts borrowed from black metal. So much beauty and brutality without having to rely so much on polyrhythms. Then there's more of the intense soundscape of "Labyrinthian" with its grim yet crushing attack. The Meshuggah influences are plain to hear within the destruction of djent and its Stewie Griffin-like brother thall. Chugging like a thall train is "Catastrophize", having some catastrophically memorable downtempo deathcore, from the beat to the breakdown. "Death Spiral" kicks through noise and melody, even inching towards Gojira-like territory of heavy prog-death that isn't highly melodic.

The band continues their breakneck cutthroat action in "Shell". The riffing explodes into hellfire, as different sounds cover sludgy mosh-worthy breakdowns. All in fascinating rhythms! Next track "Passage" has more devastating leads and riffs, leading into another doomy bridge. I have no problem with the synth interlude "Burden", the calm before the final storm... "Bearer" is truly one of the heaviest most apocalyptic tracks of djenty deathcore. A massive f***ing sh*tload of brutality that will take a long time to get over.

Ashen can certainly get Humanity's Last Breath recognized as a band that can make anything dark and brutal. From the cover art to the music including the riffing. It is a soundtrack to the destruction of the universe, all in djenty downtempo deathcore chaos and grace!

Favorites: "Linger", "Lifeless, Deathless", "Instill", "Catastrophize", "Shell", "Bearer"

Having mentioned Cryptopsy in a thread a day before this review, I decided to check out one of that band's albums. And in one of the oddest moves I've made in this site, the deathcore devil made me choose their own "St. Anger" album. If I was into brutal tech-death, I would've picked one of their first two albums (Blasphemy Made Flesh or None So Vile), but alas, I wimped out. But despite how sh*tty The Unspoken King is, my rating is only a half-star less than Morbid Angel's Illud Divinum Insanus...

Besides infecting their brutal tech-death with proto-symphonic deathcore (the latter I still enjoy), there are a couple things that have set fans off. First, the widely praised Lord Worm was replaced by Matt McGachy. I'm sorry but his vocals are f***ing horrid. As much as I like the high screaming that can also be heard in deathcore bands that I enjoy, his sounds strained are on the verge of collapsing. He also sings clean vocals which are fine but I can understand why longtime fans hate it. Though they're not as out of place as that other thing, the use of keyboards that I'm OK with anywhere but here. Winds of Plague had done it better with their debut album that year.

The short opening blitz "Worship Your Demons" has some nice riffing not too far off from Job for a Cowboy. However, their attempt at mixing brutality and dissonance ends up falling flat on its face. "The Headsmen" is pretty solid, one of only a couple songs I like here. "Silence the Tyrants" finally adds in some melody and keys which Winds of Plague and Fleshgod Apocalypse would build upon with their albums next year. However, those are better off in those bands, NOT HERE. "Bemoan the Martyr" has more brutal-sounding melody, though it's all ruined by the d*mn cleans and keys. "Leach" continues that sh*tshow despite starting off thrashy. The worst of it all has to be "The Plagued" which sounds like a badly-designed attempt at a tech-death Korn, probably worse.

Then we have a greater trio, starting with the not-so-far-out "Resurgence of an Empire". Next track "Anoint the Dead" is a far better blend of brutality and dissonance, tearing down the walls the way technical deathcore is meant to. "Contemplate Regicide" is less reliant on electronics. The less said about the final two tracks though, the better.

See, I would've loved The Unspoken King a whole lot more if it was made by a band who's professional at playing deathcore, rather than a longtime brutal tech-death band. Alongside that, there really could've been a better vocalist or the idea of using keyboards more subtly. You can't change anyone's minds about this being Cryptopsy's worst album. If the band was thinking "Everybody else is doing it, so why can't we?" (just like the title of The Cranberries' debut), this bullsh*t is why....

Favorites (only two I even slightly like): "The Headsmen", "Anoint the Dead"

Graphic Nature was formed in 2018 to add another aggressive modern dimension to the ever-expanding UK metal scene. They began releasing singles in 2019, and the singles they've made when compiled in two short EPs. It wasn't until 2022 when they started performing shows with other well-known bands (the wait partly due to the pandemic) and recording a full-length album, A Mind Waiting to Die.

The album's release date was pushed from late 2022 to early 2023 to avoid competition with Slipknot's album The End So Far. Still there were several singles from Graphic Nature's album released in advance. And once the full album dropped, it was time for listeners to enjoy the full experience...

The intro "404" welcomes you to this brave new world. "Sour" punches through with heavy drumming, riffing, and Harvey Freeman's frantic vocals, pounding you down like a thousand baseball bats. The F-bomb is dropped as the breakdown explodes from drum 'n' bass to brutal djentcore fury. Next up is one of the singles, "Into the Dark", which is a bit disjointed but has an ultraviolent breakdown. Strange didgeridoo aside, "Killing Floor" is a total ravager, with not much techno from the rest of the album.

Listeners won't object to "Sleepless" with its heavy music and lyrics of anguish, "I'm dying to leave this Hell". It's not meant for easy listening, instead for tearing things apart. Furthermore, "White Noise" has relentless guitars that fit well with the lyrical narrative, "Just give me some space to hide, somewhere else that isn’t my mind". Then we have a breakdown full of hardcore hellfire than can get the live crowd moshing. Another interlude "90" is short but might not age well for my metal mind. Second single "Bad Blood" fires away in hyper rage. The heavy guitars and slight turntables are not for the faint of heart. After that, things get a bit draggy in "Twisted Fear".

"Headstone" also seems to lose some steam. Next track "Deathwish" is another solid aggressive piece, though a bit of the high quality has fallen. Next up, "A Twin" is an emotional electronic interlude-ish track with spoken vocals and atmospheric keyboards. It reminds of how Linkin Park's first two albums each have a penultimate track like that. Closing track "The Downpour" strikes with brutality and emotion, "I lost it because I trusted you". The best saved for last that shall leave listeners wanting more!

A Mind Waiting to Die is a relentless start to Graphic Nature's nu metalcore adventure. Everything's so heartful and intense at the same time. The heavy aggression is only for those who are prepared and experienced, both of which I already am....

Favorites: "Sour", "Killing Floor", "Sleepless", "White Noise", "Bad Blood", "The Downpour"

Adding symphonic black metal elements to deathcore is something that has been done for over a decade, but this kind of sound has been popularized by Lorna Shore and several other bands have been following their lead. I'm sure Worm Shepherd have been following that band's footsteps since before the "To the Hellfire" boom, having formed on the day Lorna Shore's Immortal came out, and releasing their own album In The Wake Ov Sol later that year. And now comes their second album, Ritual Hymns!

Worm Shepherd has a little more maturity than other bands in the epic deathcore league. The writing is tighter and darker. The guitars and keyboard orchestrations are in an awesome balance, the latter they know how to use wisely in their brutal sound for a perfect experience of death and glory.

The opening title track is a solid grand example of that band. The atmospheric keyboards are quite effective while letting the heaviness shine. It's like a bridge between the Lorna Shore tracks "Immortal" and "Welcome Back, O' Sleeping Dreamer"! Then we have "Ov Sword and Nail", another crushing highlight. The breakdown and vocals are balanced out with occasional small experimentations like the bass intro. When each member has their own moment, it shows that the vocalist isn't always the leader, unlike other deathcore bands. "The Raven's Keep" would've been as much of a highlight as the first two tracks, but its early fadeout is kind of a small issue. Small enough to still maintain the album's perfect score. The song itself is one of the more blackened tracks here with its rapid pace.

More ideas roll in through "Chalice ov Rebirth" including another b*lls-out breakdown. As great as that is, I feel like there could've been slightly more momentum in the track. I feel like the inclusion of guest vocals by Lucca Schmerler in "Blood Kingdom" is a bit odd, though it doesn't affect much. Abuse allegations aside, his vocals rule in the band he was once in, Mental Cruelty. The symphonics shine the best in "Wilted Moon". That epic highlight is almost a redux to the Lorna Shore track "And I Return to Nothingness".

We have more monstrous vocals in "A Bird in the Dusk", from vocalist Devin Duarte and guest vocalist Scott Ian Lewis (Carnifex). Despite being hard to tell apart, it adds quite a difference to the usual delivery. "The River Ov Knives" has some cool occasional cleans. If anyone thinks clean singing only belongs in melodic metalcore/emo bands like Black Veil Brides, they're dead wrong. "Winter Sun" can almost be a deathcore tribute to the band Wintersun with its blackened symphonic power metal-ish guitarwork. It might just be the strongest epic deathcore album ending track!

Ritual Hymns is another true definition of symphonic blackened deathcore. You really gotta enjoy the tight serious writing. While Lorna Shore hasn't done anything new since their album Pain Remains released later this year, Worm Shepherd is still active, and I look forward to exploring more of this band's material and the epic deathcore realms!

Favorites: "Ritual Hymns", "Ov Sword and Nail", "Wilted Moon", "A Bird in the Dusk", "Winter Sun"

I gave the new Mental Cruelty album some listening and a review shortly after it first came out. I enjoyed the Lorna Shore-esque brand of epic deathcore, but I thought the symphonic black metal side was a little too much. Fast forward a couple years and my tolerance has grown immensely. I now find Zwielicht an awesome offering that's like Lorna Shore but more depressive, melodic, and blackened. The lyrics have a lot depth and death in them, and that's something modern extreme metal fans shall love!

Stepping in on vocals is Lukas Nicolai, replacing Lucca Schmerler after Lucca's firing due to sexual abuse allegations. As brutally good as Lucca is (despite the allegations), Lukas is a total powerhouse when it comes to growls and screams. He has even added an uncommon aspect in deathcore, clean singing.

"Midtvinter" is a dark ominous intro to get you ready for an epic journey. "Obsessis a Daemonio" is a total blaster which you might think it's Dimmu Borgir on steroids. At over the 3 and a half minute mark, Lukas attempts some clean power metal-like singing like some of the male guest vocalists of Avantasia. The earlier neoclassical soloing has its comeback in "Forgotten Kings" in clear prominence.

One of the most Lorna Shore-like songs here is "Pest" which is a brilliant highlight. Lukas is quite talented, though he can't surpass Will Ramos. No one can beat the epic deathcore vocal king! Then we have the slow-ish "Nordlys" which is kind of a brutal deathcore take on the more dramatic Scandinavian melodeath bands out there. "Mortal Shells" combines many elements of the band's previous albums to make one of the most diverse highlights in the album. Sinister guitar and vocals drifting through along with the crushing drumming for a powerful experience.

The title interlude is a German-sung Nordic folk piece than can easily fit well in an Elder Scrolls game. "Symphony of a Dying Star" has riffing and soloing sounding much closer to the epic melodeath of Insomnium and Wintersun. Greatly exemplifying the black/death metal drumming and guitarwork is "The Arrogance of Agony". The epic finale "A Tale of Salt and Light" has the symphonic death metal/core of Ex Deo and early Betraying the Martyrs to make one of the most glorious deathcore tracks ever!

How would I consider Zwielicht? F***ing awesome, that's what! This is symphonic melodic blackened deathcore with sharp riffing and mystical atmosphere freezing away the earlier brutal hellfire. Not to mention those fast blasting drums and Lukas' wide-ranged vocals. Their best work besides Purgatorium, maybe slightly more!

Favorites: "Obsessis a Daemonio", "Pest", "Mortal Shells", "Symphony of a Dying Star", "A Tale of Salt and Light"

Ever heard the idiom "When Hell freezes over"? It is based on the eternal fires of Hell, and normally it's used to describe something that can never happen. The idiom fits well here in so many levels, yet the event really does happen. People who thought the deathcore hellfire wouldn't mix with the freezing cold of symphonic black metal were proven wrong by a new legion of bands. While Lorna Shore would take the throne of popularity, Mental Cruelty would bring the blend further.

Formed in Germany in the mid-2010s, Mental Cruelty really pushed extreme to the extreme with their string of releases from 2016 to 2019. Their sound had the technicality of Rings of Saturn and the brutality of Signs of the Swarm. From A Hill to Die Upon onwards, this style filled with breakdowns and blasts have taken a more epic blackened turn.

The chilling intro "Avgang" already hints at the new direction with an acoustic folk melody and background electric strums. Then the first actual song "Ultima Hypocrita" fires away with a fantastic metal blend of epic beauty and extreme brutality. This is the true start to their new symphonic blackened deathcore era, and I especially love the blazing soloing. "Abadon" still has some heavy slam while not losing any of the orchestral epicness. This epic brutal mix just works so well!

The meat ends up barbequed in "King Ov Fire". And again in "Eternal Eclipse", going savage with their symphonic deathcore. "Death Worship" has nothing worth complaining about at all, having destructive growls drilling into your ears like a surgeon.

"Fossenbrate" is a mellow interlude with sounds of nature. Then the forest is burnt down into the RuneScape wilderness in the title track, filled with blasting fury. Next track "Extermination Campaign" continues the destruction of everything. The melodic/symphonic grandeur as bleakness to the apocalypse. The 7 and a half minute final epic "The Left Hand Path" has the last of this epic blackened deathcore fire, packing it all up with the gigantically packed track.

Extreme metal can sometimes have some grandeur, which is what makes Mental Cruelty so unique and special. Even though abuse allegations towards Lucca Schmerler would cause him to be out of the band the following year, the music of the band he was in shouldn't be forgotten. Savor it all!

Favorites: "Ultima Hypocrita", "Abadon", "Eternal Eclipse", "Extermination Campaign", "The Left Hand Path"

Mental Cruelty's debut Purgatorium is filled with lyrical blasphemy and gore, brutal riffing, and vocals ranging from low growls to high shrieks. Despite all that violent rage, I actually love it. And we have more of this crushing German deathcore quintet's sound in Inferis!

This is the soundtrack to the hellish Land of the Dead that the album title translates into. Pure brutal deathcore lasting slightly longer in total length than Purgatorium. Oh I forgot to mention that Purgatorium has guest vocals from Duncan Bentley, Diogo Santana, Ben Mason, and Daniel Burris. In Inferis, guests include vocalists Dickie Allen and Jason Evans (from Infant Annihilator and Ingested, respectively) and guitarists Jack Simmons and Marco Bayati (from Slaughter to Prevail and Desolace, respectively).

The album's title intro lurks in like a horror movie. Then the first song "Planet of Misery" opens with rapid drumming, dark guitar chords, and death growling. The top-notch production puts everything in front, thus making the slam-deathcore slam hard onto the surface. We also have some soloing energy before a brutal breakdown. "Blood Altar" marks another one of my favorites here, adding killer variation in the riffing and vocals. Once again, it ends with a downtempo breakdown to remind some of Osiah. Next up, "Tormentum" is another destructive track, with Dickie Allen's guest vocals towards the end.

"Priest of Damnation" annihilates with fast riffing and the technical leads of Within the Ruins. "Mundus Vult Decipi" has Jack Simmons' guest guitarwork. The riffing and overall instrumentation are absolutely insane. The sludgy breakdown and the long audio sample that comes before it really brings the track up to highlight status. The odd track out here is "Cosmic Indifference", which could've had some better improvement, but not much worth considering a standout.

"God Hunt" makes up for that with its massive riffing and Jason Evans' guest vocals right before the pulverizing breakdown. "Human Evisceration" was re-recorded from the Pereat Mundus EP. F***ing incredible strength and speed there. The "outro" "Monocerotis" ends with the last bit of brutal technicality, even hinting at the later blackened era.

Inferis can very well be the soundtrack for exploring the darkest depths of Hell. It's so stellar yet absolutely dark, continuing the atmospheric brutality of Purgatorium. Fans of Mental Cruelty and other deathcore bands (including the ones the guests are/were in) might enjoy this as much as their debut. The strength of the band keeps growing, and while they'll start taking on a more melodic epic direction in subsequent releases, the brutality is still around for heavier listeners to be pleased!

Favorites: "Planet of Misery", "Blood Altar", "Mundus Vult Decipi", "God Hunt", "Human Evisceration"

You don't often expect me, someone who often tries to avoid the gorier sh*t from death metal/core, to find an album like this perfect. But in my honest opinion, it is! As far as slam-deathcore goes, this is that style at its best. Part of the reason is how short it is compared to their later 10-track albums. In 32 minutes, you have 8 tracks, or 6 if the two-part suite isn't separated and one track didn't have its intro a separate track, all giving you extreme brutality in a moderate amount.

When an awesome deathcore album comes out in the beginning of the year, fans of the genre will surely be pleased for the rest of the year. That must be how epic cyber metal fans feel when a Mechina album comes out on New Year's Day. Anyway, expect a lot of breakdowns and blasts in Mental Cruelty's debut Purgatorium!

The title suite begins with the solid "Chapter 1: The Rotting World Above". An ambient intro fades into neoclassical shredding followed by fast heavy riffing. Nothing seems redundant at all. The other part "Chapter 2: Rise of the Antichrist" is one of the most technical tracks by the band. That relentless charger is like a more brutal Within the Ruins! "Vicarius Filii Dei" continues the heaviness with occasional pace changes.

Heading further into the deathcore side, "Father of Abomination" has more hardcore riffing and closes with a slamming breakdown. "Genesis (Lies From the Beginning)" is the interlude that might work a tad better when embedded to the next track. "The Venerable One" has more of the top-notch vocals and riffing.

Slows things down while staying heavy is "Immortalizing Purgatory". It's quite solid and interesting when it can naturally from slow to fast and maintain the relentless chaos. Finale "The Incantation of Human Annihilation" is filled with heavy riffing. This brutal standout is mostly instrumental, only having some vocals in the first half. Quite a heavy way out with all its might!

If there's anything that can be considered the epitome of slam-deathcore, Purgatorium is that. And this is before they added more variation in their later albums by adding in symphonic black metal elements. This solid masterpiece is for any and every deathcore fan!

Favorites: "Purgatorium" (both chapters), "Father of Abomination", "The Venerable One", "The Incantation of Human Annihilation"

Mental Cruelty has always been a deathcore band. However, there are two different styles they fall in; brutal slam deathcore and symphonic blackened deathcore. The 2010s era lies within the former. The blend of slam death metal and deathcore the band perfected in their debut album Purgatorium can also be heard in the EP Pereat Mundus. The more hardcore-sounding riffing, screams, and breakdowns steer the band's sound right on the line between the two subgenres. And I actually love this sound as much as their later era! The brutality can go all-out nuts without having to have the total gore of other slam-death bands.

"Oppressionis Potentia" is the most f***ing brutal way to start, like THE SH*T. It's a massive start to this band and their earlier era. "Master of the Void" is also something not to be missed out on. It continues this brutal slam deathcore bordering in on downtempo deathcore. The powerful riffing and demonic growls take you to a f***ing dark realm. Then "Human Evisceration" keeps up the brutal hellfire. F***ing incredible strength and speed on this one, with more of this vocal insanity.

"Excruciation" is another solid brain-blasting banger. It features guest vocals by Dennis Schuler of Gutrectomy. The one track I have a problem with is "Seed of Evil", mainly because it's too short. A bit of an anticlimax there.

So what makes this EP great? Nice brutal riffing, heavy slamming drumming, and vicious growls. Lucca Schmerler has performed some of the most intense harsh vocals around. It's a shame we can't take him too seriously because of the abuse allegations that would get him fired in 2022, but of course, I can sometimes separate the art from artist. Pereat Mundus is a superb start not for the faint of heart!

Favorites: "Oppressionis Potentia", "Master of the Void", "Human Evisceration"

In the late 2010s, A Wake in Providence released a couple amazing brutal deathcore albums, the first of which with the legendary Will Ramos of Lorna Shore. And a year before this review, 2024, the band released their new album I Write to You My Darling Decay, which I thought was a good symphonic blackened deathcore album though a bit too pompous. Their 3rd album Eternity is the perfect balance between those two sounds! And it came out a week after Lorna Shore's masterpiece Pain Remains.

This incredible release is A Wake in Providence's first one released via Unique Leader Records. It continues to impress me in the epic side of the deathcore realms which stands half a galaxy apart from the brutal side.

"An Odyssey Through the River (Overture)" continues the aspect of melodic intros, this time adding in clean singing by D'Andre Tyre, making this almost sound like later Katatonia. That is until the heavy instrumentation and growls smash through the second half mercilessly. "The Horror ov the Old Gods" doesn't light up one bit, maintaining furious drums and vocals with occasional sharp turns in tempo. "We Are Eternity" is filled with symphonic black metal-ish deathcore chaos. The riffing and breakdowns pound to the f***ing max. "Siamo Legati Dal Terrore" has more of that punishing speed in the blasts. The different vocal styles fit well for the rapid energy and occasional slower stomps. The structure is quite complex without going all-out progressive.

"The Hunt ov the Wraith (First Movement)" starts a trilogy of movements that I call the "Eternity Suite". The chorus is so powerful and melodic in all this dark drama, with searing guitar leads. Next up is "The Book ov the Eldritch (Second Movement)" in which ominous orchestrations lead into brutal destruction the blasts and growls. "The Court ov the Trinity (Final Movement)" very well summarizes this trilogy with lots of exciting moments. In all honesty, this trilogy really should be performed in a live setting in its entirety. No separating the tracks!

"Weep into the Abyss, for It Hears You Not..." is another interlude, this one allowing you to hear just small piano so calm before the final storm. "Vicious Attenuation" is for those who can be fully prepared for a 5-minute final ride with barely any stopping until the end. The technical instrumentation appearing front and center is something you can't ignore, and it's all worth ending this perfect offering.

A Wake in Providence has shown the world how much they stand out amongst the deathcore scene, with Eternity sealing that deal. The songs are nicely long and creative. Although Will Ramos is currently with Lorna Shore instead of this band, both bands have made a masterpiece that month, so everybody wins. A potential classic for eternity!

Favorites: "We Are Eternity", "Siamo Legati Dal Terrore", "The Hunt ov the Wraith (First Movement)", "The Court ov the Trinity (Final Movement)", "Vicious Attenuation"

Whenever you see the word "Blvck", spelled with a "v" instead of an "a", you know they're about to take a more blackened direction with their sound. Similarly to Mental Cruelty at that time, A Wake in Providence was still in their heavier, more brutal era, only this time, they're starting to hint at their later epic blackened deathcore style to come...

A Wake in Providence continue to rise in the American deathcore scene, and with this album The Blvck Sun || The Blood Moon, they're starting to make their move out of their earlier downtempo-ish deathcore sound for something a little different. The aggression has a subtle dash of symphonic black metal. While it's often considered their debut record, I believe that status should go over to Insidious Part II. Anyway, get ready for some slamming riff-fury and atmospheric anthems!

"I, Adversary" is another ominous instrumental intro. It starts soft and atmospheric then rises into deathcore heaviness with the first ever vocals from current member Adam Mercer. It segues to "Sworn Adherent" with more of the brutal percussion. "The Impure" continues the impure deathcore sound with some technicality from Pestilence.

"A Cataclysmic Eternal" levels up the metal intensity. "Oblivion" is a sludgy anthem that includes blazing drumming. What makes it more of a highlight is the occasional clean singing by guitarist D'Andre Tyre as well as guest vocals by Mark Poida (ex-Aversions Crown). More crushing breakdowns appear in the brutal "A Laube de L’enfer". And even more so in "The Blvck Sun". The drumming is simplistic while staying brutal. Mercer is a beyond talented vocalist, and his growls and screams are in great display there.

The band takes things to more ethereal tranquility in "The Finite Infinite" while balancing out with the album's usual brutality without sounding too forced. "Discipuli Autem Tenebris" has more of that balance, as the riffing from guitar duo Jordan Felion and D'Andre Tyre and the pummeling percussion of Anthony Dipietro make another strong standout. Guest appearing in "The Blood Moon" is CJ McMahon (ex-Thy Art is Murder). The 6-minute finale "Behold Thy King" perfectly channels their inner Tom Barber-era Lorna Shore, leading up to an eerie ending to this ultra-heavy experience.

Ok, the comparisons between this band and Lorna Shore have been done to death, but you can't deny the sound A Wake in Providence have in The Blvck Sun || The Blood Moon. There are some differences as much as there are similarities. The band has gotten a bit stronger and would reach their highest peak in Eternity. Still, this 2019 offering is another aggressive soundtrack to a journey through Hell, and it shall help deathcore shine brighter and darker than the Blvck Sun!

Favorites: "The Impure", "Oblivion", "The Blvck Sun", "The Finite Infinite", "Discipuli Autem Tenebris", "Behold Thy King"

It was a little tough deciding where to start my review journey through the rest of A Wake in Providence's material, but ultimately I decided to start with Insidious Phase II. It's a re-recording of their 2015 Insidious EP, extended to a full-ish album. And it has the one and only future Lorna Shore vocalist Will Ramos!

The lethal heaviness can crush your skull and ooze through your ears and brain. It expands the boundaries of this deathly genre that is deathcore. Complex and heavy as h*ll with all its punishing aggression. A Wake in Providence know how to go technical, brutal, and atmospheric all at once. This dark offering fits right in with its name, something as insidious and bleak as Death himself.

The atmospheric intro "Doom" begins it all on an eerie note that would have listeners on the edge of their seats. Then the straight searing "Seeker" kicks off with the vocal dynamics of Will Ramos, hopping through different vocal styles so seamlessly. "Black Mass" is a 6-minute epic with great drumming flow from Anthony Dipietro. I enjoy the alternation between Ramos' growls and the screams of Dickie Allen (Infant Annihilator, later Nekrogoblikon). Nothing ever sounds weak there! Ramos has that monstrous intensity that would continue to stun listeners 5 years later in his time with Lorna Shore. Absolutely insane!

"Euthanasia" has more of Dipietro's brutal drumming in synergy with guitar duo D'Andre Tyre and Jordan Felion to pulverize your head and the music oozes into your brain. The guitarwork really grinds up then slows down in an almost doomy pace (Doomcore?!). The instrumentalists all make a crushing invincible force, with their work striking like a spine-breaking jackhammer. The title track continues the speedy riffing in conjunction with brutal breakdowns to get listeners hooked, alongside the guest vocals by Bryan Long of Dealey Plaza. We have some more eeriness in "Bane", as the band strikes as another standout in the deathcore scene. They never have to go mainstream to sound so good. Wait, did Ramos just do a Knocked Loose-style "ARF ARF" towards the end?!? D*mn, he can do anything with his vocals!

Insidious Phase II includes two tracks that weren't in the original Insidious EP, starting with new song "Ov Hell" featuring Spite's Darius Tehrani. Not the best track, but it doesn't affect the album's rating. On the other hand, "Psycho", an earlier previously non-album single, stands out greatly with guest vocals by Shadow of Intent vocalist Ben Duerr, and that wouldn't be the only time he appeared in A Wake in Providence track.

There's no escape from the darkness and destruction of this offering within your brain. Insidious Phase II has some of the heaviest deathcore that doesn't cease until the end. And it's quite amazing hearing Will Ramos before Lorna Shore. The beast awakens!

Favorites: "Black Mass", "Euthanasia", "Bane", "Psycho"

Not as bad as reviews on other websites might suggest. Shrapnel are a U.K. thrash band who have decided to go more mainstream with their fourth studio album, In Gravity. For starters, this is a huge departure for the band since it contains next to nothing in true thrash texture. This is much closer to mid 200s metalcore/post-grunge than anything in the bands previous discography. As someone who was not aware of Shrapnel before In Gravity, this actually doesn't bother me since I can view this album from a neutral position. Perhaps the album gets a bad reputation by putting two of its slowest songs, "In Gravity" and "Amber Screams" right at the top. The record does include some faster grooves and has some pretty solid ones too, such as "Breaker" and "Follow The Cold", but those seem to be the outliers in an album that is much more subdued than previous efforts.  The vocals sounds like a cross between Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy and Machine Head's Rob Flynn. And the instrumentals can be fun at times; as mentioned previously, some of the grooves are quite solid on the album, but they are at their best when they break away from the standard thrash or even nostalgic metalcore mold.

All that being said, this album fumbles the songwriting hard. As a former thrash band, I cannot say that I'm surprised. Some of the tracks on this record are painfully put together and have no real sense of direction. Even though I do like "Breaker", something about the final chorus feels off; almost like its missing a buildup to the chorus instead of just jumping right into it out of the bridge. Same can be said for "Guardian". "So Below" is arguably the worst culprit of disastrous songwriting, where the verse and chorus riffs do not coalesce together at all. They feel like two different songs that have been sheepishly thrown together in an attempt to save time, or to simply save the riffs from becoming forgotten B-sides. While I do appreciate the change in direction for Shrapnel on In Gravity, they lost their sense of identity, and showed the listener just how forgiving we (as listeners) are towards poor songwriting when the riffs are ferocious.

Best Songs: Breaker, Follow The Cold, Absolution

The first new release from Bleeding Through in almost a decade, and my first exposure to the band since 2006's The Truth is a fun romp of death tinged metalcore. Bleeding Through are comfortable doing what they do best and Nine is a very comfortable slab of unapologetic 2000s melodic metalcore. But the band is also not so focused on the past that they cannot see what is going on in the world of deathcore at the moment, so they go the extra mile and add some bombastic symphonic sections. Some of them sound really good, others not so much. Personally, I found the symphonic elements of Nine to distract and become less impactful as the album continued. 

Song wise, Nine has some decent choruses. Songs may be a little predictable, but at least Bleeding Through bother to add or subtract from the formula every once in a while to keep it fresh; whether that be adding a sung chorus, taking away a breakdown in favour of a more traditional bridge, or adding a guitar solo break. It keeps the album fresh, while also retaining the identity of the band in a way. I think that the band are stronger when playing more groove oriented tracks rather than the face melting thrashers, with "Path of Our Disease" standing out. The guest features are okay, with "War Time" sounding like a modern Shadows Fall song with I thought was pretty cool. Overall, the album is a little formulaic by Bleeding Through's standards, but they do enough to keep it engaging through a full listen. It has a couple standouts here and there, but the rest just sounds like modern metalcore slop to me.

Best Songs: Dead But So Alive, Path Of Our Disease, Emery

....Be honest with me here: does this review surprise you in the slightest?

Deathcore is such a tough genre to dissect since it borrows from two of the most frustrating genre's (death metal & metalcore) to create a new hodgepodge of sound. Some bands can do it well, while most others fail spectacularly. The main reason for these shortcomings come from a place of disregard for memorable songwriting in favour of sheer brutality. Like with Whitechapel last week, they were an act that could balance intensity with songwriting, but a long layover between releases means that someone has to come along and make quality deathcore.

Enter Shadow of Intent, a Connecticut based band that blended deathcore with both the melodic sounds of death metal from both Scandinavia and the United States, but also turned out to be incredibly influential in the rise of symphonic deathcore, anchored recently by Lorna Shore. While the bands first two albums are quite solid, there is a lingering feeling of timeliness to them; like if you don't play video games (Halo specifically), you will be left completely in the dark by both Primordial and Reclaimer. A band like Slugdge or Alestorm have become remarkably dull as they hold on to gimmicks far too long, but SoI (Shadow of Intent) dropped the theme from the previous releases and made something all their own with Melancholy.

You cannot really criticize SoI for leading the listener with false expectations on the opener "Melancholy". Everything you need from a symphonic deathcore band is here: string intros, palm muted guitar chugging, blast beats, varying levels of vocal range, and of course, breakdowns. But it also has a chorus, solo and the breakdowns stay in turn with the material that precedes it. It is nice to hear a breakdown for once that does not feel like it's disassociating from the rest of the tune. The clean singing during the chorus is a little offsetting; they remind me a lot of Cattle Decapitation's Travis Ryan and is the sort of nasal delivery that I will never understand its appeal.

"Oudenophobia" is the albums "ballad" so to speak. Not that such as thing can really exist on a death metal album, but the slower groove really stands out among the rest of the album. I found it to run a little stale as if it was an obligation rather than something put on the album with a lot of passion. The clean singing during the songs chorus does not sound quite as nasally as it has earlier on in the album. "Embracing Nocturnal Damnation" is a quick and brash change of pace as the main riff has tiny little influences to bands like Vektor and Revocation and embrace this bands technical side as well. I think having these songs back-to-back is a deliberate choice to put on explicit display the bands wide range of musicianship.

I would be remised if I didn't mention the ten-plus minute "The Dreaded Mystic Abyss"; my introduction to the band. As a progressive snob, as well as not a huge deathcore fan, this song surprised me in many ways. While I do think, after multiple listens, that "The Dreaded Mystic Abyss" is a little bit too overindulgent and does not stick the landing as originally thought, I still cannot deny the bands dedication to the idea. If there was ever a point on an album to be overindulgent, this would be the place to do it. After eight tracks of varying degrees of death metal, deathcore and symphonic metal, a ten minute guitar solo with style changes and two excellent grooves feels good. This is the kind of stuff that I meant when I reviewed Parasomnia so poorly last month. The ten minute, epic, progressive guitar solo becomes far more impactful when your band hasn't littered the entire album with it up to that point. If "The Shadow Man Incident" was an outlier, as "The Dreaded Mystic Abyss" is here, Parasomnia might have had a better fate. Instead, Dream Theater are dead, while SoI impress me with their vast array of sounds and styles. Unfortunately for the band, "The Dreaded Mystic Abyss" is not actually the albums last track, and returns to something more traditional with "Malediction" and really isn't that good to begin with, so it ends the album on a really weak note.

I think it was Daniel who pointed out in a Lorna Shore review a few years ago that the symphonic elements in deathcore sound remarkably cheesy, and at some points on Melancholy I can certainly hear that. I feel like the beauty in a record like Melancholy would be better presented through passages of silence, instead of littering every moment not filled with guitar, drums and voice with a string orchestra and choir. Some of them sound really good, and SoI sound even better when the symphonic elements are complimenting the death metal foundation. It does have its moments of being too much, but some of that can be mitigated by the more melodic death songwriting. This is a harrowing album that has many sparkling moments, but coalescing them into a whole can be tricky, especially when you consider the genres that are being merged here.

Best Songs: Gravesinger, Underneath a Sullen Moon, Dirge of the Void, The Dreaded Mystic Abyss

You always remember your first right?

My introduction to deathcore was This is Exile in 2008. Having not listened to anything heavier than Machine Head or Lamb of God at that time, I felt isolated by that album at first; even to this day, I'm still perplexed by it. Perhaps it was because of lowered expectations by the other similar bands from that time that This is Exile became my foundational deathcore album that I compare all others to.

In the years since, Whitechapel have gone on some wildly different directions. They created an alternative death metal album with The Valley and then doubled down and added progressive techniques with 2021's Kin. But in 2025, I could tell that something was up. For starters, Whitechapel have changed their nameplate back to the original, a moves that typically marks a rougher shift in tonality. "A Visceral Retch" was promoted in preparation for the new album and my hardcore friends lost their minds. And then those same friends bombard me while I'm on vacation telling me "IT'S THE ALBUM OF THE YEAR!" so I guess I'm caving. What do I think of Hymns in Dissonance?

"Prisoner 666" begins very ominously, before an explosion of sound hits your ears with a riff that is all too reminiscent of "The Saw is the Law". As the album carries on, it becomes apparent that Hymns in Dissonance is not trying to be Whitechapel status quo. While this album might be listed exclusively as "Deathcore" on RateYourMusic, that is not to say that the progressive metal from the last two albums is not present here. Listen to those choruses on "Prisoner 666" and "Hymns in Dissonance" and tell me that power chord accompaniment isn't inspired by Ne Obliviscaris or the recent Job for a Cowboy record Moon Healer.

It's apparent within the first two tracks with extended runtimes as well. A shade over five minutes might not seem like much to the progressive metal snob, but to a hardcore fan, this is heaven. And it is of course a very good thing too when the songs are well composed also. I enjoyed how the "breakdowns" on songs like "Diabolic Slumber" are presented and executed; like with Spiritbox just last week, breakdowns are connected to the material preceding it and makes these songs feel complete. Whereas songs like "Hymns in Dissonance" leave a lot to be desired with their outros. The back half of the album is far less progressive following the "Ex Infernis" interlude and, while a fun listen, leaves me with little to talk about. Very heavy deathcore feel, but brought into the modern era.

The album closer "Nothing Is Coming for Any of Us" confirms what I already suggested earlier in this review. Hymns in Dissonance is not Whitechapel remaking This is Exile in 2025. This is an album that has taken the lessons of those progressive albums like The Valley and Kin as well as the state of deathcore in the current day, while also adding some of the classic Whitechapel sound that made them such a household name in the scene nearly twenty years ago. The first half of the song uses the "breakdowns but slower" technique, while the second half turns into a instrumental feature. I'm not a fan of either of these two parts to be honest, but it is quite the change of pace from the run of songs that led up to this moment, and I appreciate the ambition.

Perhaps the record would be better with a cleaner production. Now, I should expect less given this is a Metal Blade production, but even the earlier Whitechapel records produced through this label didn't sound as overblown as this. Part of that likely comes from the instrumentation, which contains three separate guitar players. The reasoning has always been so that Whitechapel can play these songs without compromising during live sets, which is fine. But whenever the band has one of those patented vocal breaks, every single time the instruments return the mix warbles from the intensity and volume. It does get slightly better during the back half of the record, but it still creeps its head during every breakdown.

That mixing is what's gonna hold this back for myself and likely many others. Because on songwriting alone, Hymns in Dissonance is quite good. Whitechapel haven't sounded this angry since the self titled album and they've managed to merge it with their more progressive songwriting of the 2020s. Phil Bozeman has one of deathcore cleanest vocal deliveries, but even I had a harder time than usual trying to hear the words that were being said. If you want a real hardcore thrasher, I can see why you might consider this as your album of the year; this is very much the opposite to Lorna Shore's Pain Remains.

As for me, I can't hate this, but I don't love it. Hymns in Dissonance is the kind of record I hoped Moon Healer might be with its aggression. There are flashes of excellence here, but they are harder to see through the dark clouds.

Best Songs: Prisoner 666, Diabolic Slumber, Hate Cult Ritual, Mammoth God

BREAKING NEWS: Architects are heavy again.

This really shouldn't be news to anyone considering how poor Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit was. I had low expectations for an Architects album already and then Sam Carter and company dropped the biggest non-effort I've heard this side of the 2020s. It was right up there with Bastille as my worst albums of 2022 and for good damn reason. It was a record that promised accessibility, but butchered whatever character Architects may have had. Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit did not sound like an Architects album, but rather a procedurally generated alternative metalcore album that could be replicated by anyone.

The issue is not that Architects are going back to a heavier sound. What matters is will Architects actually sound like Architects? And so, The Sky, the Earth & All Between does show signs of improvement. Segments of "Elegy" and "Brain Dead" show the band embracing more of a hardcore sound. "Whiplash" and "Everything Ends" are closer to the mainstream accessible sound the band has been playing with for the last couple albums, while "Evil Eyes" has some decent hybrid action going on. The biggest issue with this album is that it lacks consistency; I like "Evil Eyes" and the opener "Elegy", but then the album hits you with "Broken Mirror", which I swear just sounds like a rejected Bring Me the Horizon song. 

The back half of The Sky, the Earth & All Between is so safe that I don't really have anything to say about it. The Amira Elfeky feature on "Judgement Day" could have been a bright spot for this record, until the main riff enters and it reminds me of AI generated metalcore again. The worst part about it is that none of these songs have anything ear catching; whether that be a catchy chorus, guitar solo, or compositional change of pace. They all do the same thing and a record that started off with potential gradually loses that momentum in quick fashion.

Now, I understand that it is unfair to criticize The Sky, the Earth & All Between by comparing it to Holy Hell, the band's 2018 record that served as a farewell/lament to their bandmate, Tom Searle. I really question just how much weight that must have carried because while this album does certainly sound like Architects, it also does not contain the same passion. And even then, this album is showing signs of a group desperate to stay relevant, and will incorporate as many modern trends into their music to do so. Some of them work, while others just...don't. Perhaps it is poorly outlined expectations by people like myself that an artist does not need to completely revamp their sound every album. Sleep Token are Sleep Token, and they do not need every 2010s metalcore group mimicking their style to maintain relevancy. Instead of being good at just one thing, Architects' The Sky, the Earth & All Between includes The Sky, the Earth & All Between, and isn't really good at any of it.

Best Songs: Elegy, Brain Dead, Evil Eyes

The Valley and Kin were a different stylistic affair from the deathcore sound Whitechapel is known for. That's actually what I like about some deathcore bands, when they make their sound more than just that genre. Of course, I also enjoy their more brutal earlier albums that I wouldn't have the leeway to listen to like 10 years ago. The quality for that sound ended up dropping in the mid-2010s. But now they're back in their earlier form, cranking up their speed and heaviness in new album Hymns in Dissonance.

There's nothing but ferocious brutality and the occasional thrashy chaos and groove breakdowns, and maybe a few cooldowns. It even sounds massive with the guitar trio performing in superb synergy. Get ready for a pulverizing experience like no other!

Ominous melody starts "Prisoner 666" before firing up in reckless chaos. But it's the title track that really stands out amongst the rest. The chorus name-drops several of their earlier songs, and the breakdowns sound almost as djenty as Meshuggah while staying brutal. Their roots really are back! After "Diabolical Slumber" begins soft and eerie, it straight away blasts through as usual. Another brutal yet memorable is the crushing "A Visceral Retch".

"Ex Inferis" is an unnecessary interlude, but not too bothersome. "Hate Cult Ritual" is another memorable track to get the crowd moshing. "The Abysmal Gospel" is much more intense. Anyone complaining about modern deathcore not having the right kind of brutality, wake up and hear that "gospel"!

"Bedlam" is another heavy Meshuggah-ish track in the riffing. Then we get to the epic climax of the album, beginning with "Mammoth God" which has cleaner melody while staying ultra-heavy. "Nothing is Coming for Any of Us" has strong atmosphere to go with the brutality. The mixing rules as the drums, bass, and guitars drop down like falling bricks, allowing you to hear the riff-wrath deathcore fans really want.

Hymns in Dissonance isn't entirely perfect due to that odd interlude, but the album has potential to be a deathcore classic for generations to come. It just might make my top 10 albums of 2025 so far. Whitechapel are back to their old savage ways!

Favorites: "Hymns in Dissonance", "A Visceral Retch", "Hate Cult Ritual", "The Abysmal Gospel", "Nothing is Coming for Any of Us"

Spiritbox have returned with their second full length album following The Fear of Fear EP from 2023. The first thing that strikes me on the new record is how much heavier this is than Eternal Blue. The promotional singles for this record did not leave me with much hope. The promotion for Tsunami Sea was showing signs of this band continuing down the more accessible path with "Perfect Soul" being thee prime example. While not a bad song, it does sound eerily similar to some of Eternal Blue's weakest songs. 

So having been on vacation for the last week, I've had the chance to listen to this record freely for longer than most, and I was quite impressed with the result. This is by far the best project that Spiritbox have released since the 2017 EP. Even though the record does still implement many of the talking points that I've previously mentioned (most notably the "musical grab bag"), Spiritbox have claimed an identity and they are sticking to it throughout the entire album. The bands hybrid personality has become apart of their unique sound and that carries into the songwriting itself. This album has such a eclectic palette of song styles, song compositions and directions. And while some of them don't work (i.e. "Crystal Rose"), other songs like "Keep Sweet" and "A Haven With Two Faces" are very good.

Tsunami Sea is adding a few more electronic and industrial elements, which is new for the band and plays into that "grab bag" personality the band is presenting for themselves. In a way, this album can be seen as some kind of culmination of taking Iwrestleabearonce and making it accessible. On their own, none of these songs scream progressive or event avant-garde, but as a whole, Tsunami Sea does so much to change up from track-to-track that it gives off the passing impression of a progressive metal epic.

"But Saxy" I hear you moan, "what about the breakdowns? This is metalcore after all and you are a notorious hater of breakdowns." And while that may be true, it is only because modern metalcore bands do not know how to include breakdowns into a tune; insert a percussion buildup, a vocal break where the title of the song is shouted, band returns with a breakdown groove that is not connected to the chorus. And while Spiritbox do employ this mechanic here, it is breakdowns like on "A Haven With Two Faces" that make me think this band really are metalcore geniuses. The pure bliss that was felt as Courtney LaPlante sings "I watch as it floats backwards to me" and the seamless recurrence of the main band is the highlight of the album for me. 

Like I said off earlier, I think Tsunami Sea is the best Spiritbox record since the debut EP. The songwriting has improved tremendously, the album has a great variety of song styles, both in their aural presentation as well as the physical compositions. LaPlante's vocals are tremendous their range and delivery, and while the compression of the mix is a questionable choice, I feel like it adds to the groups dynamics during the records softer moments, as the heavier moments can sound tremendous at times. Like with all metalcore, the best waves are the ones that make you savor them.

Best Songs: Fata Morgana, Keep Sweet, A Haven With Two Faces, No Loss, No Love, Deep End

It is with Architects' new album The Sky, the Earth & All Between that their earlier metalcore roots are in a stand-off against their recent alt-metal sound. I'm just glad they didn't lose most of their metal like they did in the dreaded Here and Now...

If I were to rank this album with the rest of their 2020s era so far, I say it's as good as For Those Who Wish to Exist, maybe a few points higher, and better than The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit. Still those 3 albums can't beat the great Holy Hell and the glorious mid-2010s era before that. Producing the album is Jordan Fish who had just departed from Bring Me the Horizon. His production skills give this offering more meat to bite down on.

Opening track "Elegy" is an epic track to kick things off, with their alt-metalcore sound going soft to hyperfast in no time flat. "Whiplash" is another f***ing ground-breaking banger to make sure the band isn't dead. "Blackhole"is another f***ing h*ll of a headbanging single with some of the greatest vocal intensity from Sam Carter. Adding to the perfection is the drumming by Dan Searle. That shall get the live crowd going! But then everything changes with "Everything Ends". It's a poppish song that lowers some of the quality. Nonetheless, the guitar melodies have great variety, sounding dark and uplifting at the same time.

"Brain Dead" cranks the metalcore speed back up with pit-inducing riff storms. Electronicore duo House of Protection steps in with vocal fury to make things more intense. And there's more to explore in the tracks that aren't previously released as singles... "Evil Eyes" concludes the second half of the album with the band's typical blend of aggressive verses and serene choruses, all the way up to its ending throwdown. "Landmines" has a sonic duel between synths and drums. Nothing is overused, and the mighty chorus rules along with the vocal distortion in the verses. "Judgement Day" features Amira Elfeky in this more industrial track. Her vocals work out nicely behind Carter for a perfect chorus. That shall boost up the album quality a bit!

"Broken Mirror" is a more brooding song. Carter sings nice and soft before rising into his usual screams. It's so emotional and almost a power ballad that you're bound to get your lighters up. Just remember to turn them off before the heavy bridge so you don't set the place on fire while headbanging and moshing. "Curse" is another banger that apparently is in the soundtrack of WWE 2025. So f***ing underrated, with choruses that sound like the choruses they're meant to be. Plus a bit of Bring Me the Horizon vibes here and there. "Seeing Red" is the first single, released as early as late 2023, proving that the band hasn't lost any of their earlier heaviness in this awesome highlight. Lots of raw rage from beginning to end with gang vocals by the Choir Noir. Ending it all is "Chandelier" (not a Sia cover) that once again starts calm and peaceful before rising up in climatic heights. Some screamed vocals and guitars remind you that the band is still what they're known for, and it all ends as you look forward to more.

The Sky, the Earth & All Between, I would put in the highest part of the 3.5 star tier, and consider it the album metalcore fans wanted after Holy Hell. New aspects are brought to the band's usual sound in album #11. They might just reach have more live opportunities come up. A good offering for anyone who likes it loud and soft and all between...

Favorites: "Elegy", "Whiplash", "Blackhole", "Evil Eyes", "Judgement Day", "Seeing Red"

Killswitch Engage are one of those rare old breed of bands that understand the importance of delayed gratification. They have never been a band that have forced an unnecessary number of albums out the door in order to maintain relevancy in the ever changing metalcore world. And as a result, whenever Killswitch Engage release a new album, it's always welcome with praise and admiration, even if it is just the band on autopilot.

This time around, the album This Consequence has a five year window since Atonement, which I reviewed back in the day. When I reviewed it, I thought it was okay, but far too predictable. Howard Jones making guest appearances was memorable, but couldn't hold the album back from mediocrity. This Consequence meanwhile has some modulation from the typical KSE (Killswitch Engage) formula. The songs "Aftermath" and "Forever Ahead" nicely compliment each other in the track order with warmer textures and more melodic singing. While "Collusion" and "The Fall of Us" coalesce into heavy overload; with "The Fall of Us" in particular beginning with a black metal adjacent riff, before returning to some stronger death metal riffs during the verses. 

It isn't all sunshine for KSE. I for one was very disappointed by the overall sound of this record. The compositions are good, but the engineering just holds back on so many fronts. The first, and most obvious one, is the underdeveloped the low end of the mix. "The Fall of Us" is a perfect example of a song that desperate needs that strong foundation, when the lead guitar is tremolo picking. While the rest of the mix is slightly better, its only because the rhythm guitar remains present during the choruses of "I Believe" and "Broken Glass". KSE really needs to bring back that booming foundation that was so present on The End of Heartache or As Daylight Dies.

All of this said, I do believe that This Consequence is the best KSE since the return of Jesse Leach. It sounds like KSE, but it also sounds developed and the progression of Killswitch Engage as being more than just THE melodic metalcore band. They have the potential to add more influence into their music and have it sound pretty good as well. If they could do that with better mixing, This Consequence would be fantastic. But it is still quite the solid piece of melodic metalcore in the 2020s.

Best Songs: Aftermath, Forever Ahead, Collusion, Broken Glass

As far as the 21st century metalcore scene goes, Killswitch Engage is one of a few bands to stand out big and bring the scene to light. It's this blend of heaviness and melody that makes it so appealing to open-minded listeners such as myself. They started off massively strong in their first couple albums then just kinda dipped a bit in the era of Howard Jones. Not saying he's a bad vocalist at all, just that the albums he was in ended up being part of the lower half of ranking list. Then when Jesse Leach returned, the band's earlier power made its comeback too, reaching its greatest height in years in Atonement. And now comes their highly anticipated new album This Consequence!

The greatness of their music continues to stay strong here. This Consequence shows the band diving further into their earlier ruthless roots while staying catchy. And with its short total length of 35 minutes (almost reaching the 2000 debut's total length), it's clear they're thinking "F*** quantity, it's all about quality." The album contains their most brutal songs yet while not losing too much melody. The vocals are filled with majestic emotion that make great contrast with the extreme side.

"Abandon Us" straight-up attacks with heavy twisted riffing without ever needing an intro. After Leach bellows out the verses, he sings the choruses in melody and drama. A mighty flawless start! "Discordant Nation" gets you hooked with thrashy speed. "Aftermath" has deathly rage while balancing it out with mainstream melody.

With "Forever Aligned", Jesse Leach still has his vocal strength just like in those kick-A first two albums. The music is amazing including the harsh vocal verses. This catchy banger shall age well. I also hear a bit of a modern Soilwork vibe. I enjoy the chorus despite a slight issue with Adam D.'s cleans, probably would've been better with Howard Jones there instead of Adam. The outro is so beautiful too! "I Believe" has more upbeat accessibility. "Where It Dies" has the earlier midtempo heaviness. Then "Collusion" battles against worldwide corruption with f***ing heavy riffing from Adam D. who even performs p*ssed-off growls alongside Jesse in the bridge. So brutally awesome!

"The Fall of Us" fires away with blazing blasts and guttural vocals to blast you into the wall behind you. "Broken Glass" might as well as appear in the Atonement II EP because of the unusual sludgy pace and occasional blasts. "Requiem" closes the album with another highlight to remember. Summarizing all the band has to offer in their new album, this shall please the crowd for many generations.

In an age where bands don't sound as triumphant as they did in their prime of, say, 20 years ago, Killswitch Engage continues to rule. This Consequence has helped paved their endless road of success and victory!

Favorites: "Abandon Us", "Forever Aligned", "Collusion", "The Fall of Us", "Requiem"

It's not often a live album gets a perfect score, at least one from me. But the two-CD offering is so awesome, I don't need to get the Blu-ray version. It's basically two of the best Killswitch Engage albums and an encore in a high-quality livestream concert. I might just be up to also checking out (Set This) World Ablaze if not just a DVD release!

The technical production here impresses me more than most other live albums. Apparently, there's something going on in the intermission, but I won't spoil the fun of just the CD edition by checking it out. Just listening to the songs make this a pure live experience in the comfort of my own home. With this awesome two-album setlist, it might just blow away their weakest but still amazing releases like The End of Heartache and KSE V.

The first track and single of Atonement, "Unleashed" already has what's to come in this offering. Then "The Signal Fire" lights up the heavy fire, and Howard makes a small but amazing comeback in the second verse with his massive screams. The drums and guitars are so fast and furious with intense variation. Next song "Us Against the World" can provide motivation and strength for you to fight against different challenges. In the majestic highlight "The Crownless King", Killswitch Engage continue bringing back some of the earlier heaviness. Chuck Billy of Testament has brought forward enough fury for this song to have potential in the DOOM soundtrack.

"I Am Broken Too" still shows the band intensifying their sound while mostly having melodic emotion. "As Sure as the Sun Will Rise" follows that motive with more brutality in the verses. We also have the catchy "Know Your Enemy" with more hardcore yells. The mid-tempo "Take Control" shows the band having the pleasure of reinventing the wheel without breaking the original wheel.

"Ravenous" doesn't lose any melody yet they still have their metal heaviness. "I Can’t Be the Only One" has the power to inspire you to be brave enough to battle against your personal issues. "Bite the Hand That Feeds" is a killer way out of this album.

To start their 2000 debut part of the setlist, everything everywhere all at once kicks through in "Temple from the Within". Without an intro, the instrumentation hits you non-stop. A great mid-paced start to this perfect experience! A good thrashy track, "Vide Infra" has more spoken/shouted cleans to fit with the screams. The brutal blasts of "Irreversal" level up the intensity, defining the sound to expect in the album.

"Rusted Embrace" has some awesome vocals here. "Prelude" is quite g****mn good for an instrumental. It's too bad not a lot of the more serious metalheads give the earlier material like that track more appreciation. It segues to "Soilborn" which is really solid.

Next track "Numb Sickened Eyes" is a killer track worth listening to. However, its ending a bit annoying and I feel the need to skip it. Still it doesn't affect the album's perfect score that's still staying steady. "In the Unblind" has more effective mixing. The powerful screaming, guitar soloing, and drumming is a great reminder of the album's strength. The outro track "One Last Sunset" is replaced by "Just Barely Breathing", in which the slow acoustic outro is a bit out of line, but the rest of the song is still crushing.

All in all, an awesome top-notch show for those wanting a couple incredible albums by this band in its best live quality. It once again proves that while Howard Jones is still one of the greatest vocalists around, Jesse Leach has the throne with his name engraved in stone!

Favorites: "The Signal Fire", "The Crownless King", "As Sure as the Sun Will Rise", "Take Control", "I Can’t Be the Only One", "Temple from the Within", "Irreversal", "Rusted Embrace", "In the Unblind", "Just Barely Breathing"

As with many other metalcore/melodic metalcore bands having been active in the past 25 years, Bleeding Through continues to stay true to their sound. They expand their horizons on the fast brutal side to make a heavy offering out of their aptly titled 9th album Nine!

It seems like they haven't lost much of their steam after really slowing their pace between albums. Nine is their first album in 7 years, a slightly longer gap than between The Great Fire and Love Will Kill All. They were still active before Nine though, releasing an EP titled Rage in 2022. And they have more of that rage in their ninth album, one of their most furious releases to date. Even that meme-worthy (two paths) cover art is filled with darkness and fire.

"Gallows" starts with a sample of Saruman (Christopher Lee) from Lord of the Rings saying "We have only to remove those who oppose us" then blasts off with the unique drumming fire and screaming fury that's what make this band so unique. "Our Brand is Chaos" has their usual chaotic brand of metalcore that made it big in This is Love, This is Murderous, throwing in their earlier blackened aspects and visceral lyrics. "Dead but So Alive" erupts into thrashy chaos, evolving into blazing soloing and the vocals of Brandan Schieppati and keyboardist Marta Demmel together in the chorus that makes an epic standout imprinted in your mind.

Next song "Hail Destruction" rips through face-tearing destruction until the 3-minute mark when everything halts then slowly makes its way back up for the searing soloing of guitar duo John Arnold and Brandon Richter. With all that, it almost comes close as the ultimate highlight for me. "Lost in Isolation" has more harmonic soloing crashing in, here courtesy of Doc Coyle from God Forbid and Bad Wolves. Other things to note are the ravaging drums and riffing, along more of the chorus dueling between Brandan and Marta. All of that surpass the previous track as the ultimate highlight of melody and intensity! The album has an intermission, with the slow piano/soprano vocal interlude "Last Breath". Then "Path of Our Disease" might just be the most "blackened Hatebreed" song I've heard since Underoath's first two albums.

"I Am Resistance" continues that speedy fury alongside the raging vocals of Comeback Kid vocalist Andrew Neufeld. Another special standout! Then "Emery" has more emotion while staying intense. The chorus throws back to their only full-on ballad "Line in the Sand" (The Truth). "War Time" is a violent banger with background vocals by Brian Fair (Shadows Fall), and the lyrics fire away as well. "Unholy Armada" has the last of the violent storm then ends with harmonic soloing as darkness gives way to light.

In a time when bands get more melodic for the sake of commercial success, Bleeding Through fight back against the trend by keeping their raw and vicious sound intact. Let's hope the band can continue making one album per year or two just like in their earlier days. We need more of the raging darkness!

Favorites: "Dead but So Alive", "Hail Destruction", "Lost in Isolation", "I Am Resistance", "War Time"

2023 was quite a year for the return of early underground melodic metalcore/deathcore bands. Prayer for Cleansing and Undying reformed a couple shows (no word on if any new albums are on the horizon), and Dawn of Orion (raise your glass!) and Plague Thy Child (lower your glass...) have each re-released pretty much all their earlier material in one album. Dawn of Orion's album A Celestial Ballad contains all 3 of their releases plus a few unreleased tracks.

Now I'd like to talk about the demos for a brief moment. 1997's Twilight Eternal is more death metal-oriented, and it might remind some more of Deicide than Morning Again. Sweet roughness! 1998's On Broken Wings blends those two bands' sounds for something nice, but its more polished production falls flat. So it's not that great...

Anyone who has read my review For the Lust of Prophecies Undone already knows what I think of its songs, but I'll say them again here; "As the Bloodred Moon Rises" greatly exemplifies that riffing, filled with true early melodic deathcore. This is the kind of darkness not even In Flames and Soilwork have dived into, having starting to go their own mainstream route in the early 2000s. "A Widow's Covenant" has a bit of technicality added to their riffing, hinting at what The Faceless and Betraying the Martyrs would have a decade later. "Creation's End" sounds like what may be the creation of the deathcore we know from bands like Carnifex and Whitechapel, and the melodeath of Disarmonia Mundi. "The Passing of Idols" starts off with a bit of thrash/groove before having more of the deathly sound.

The instrumental "To Hunt the Ethereal Sun" is the song vocalist Myke C-Town uses in his YouTube video outros, specifically that ethereal acoustic intro. The blend of acoustic/electric guitar reminds me a bit of Kalmah, though all that's missing is the symphonic keys and neoclassical shredding. The release ends with two re-recorded songs from their Twilight Eternal demo, which we will talk about once we get there, starting with "Thy Divine". The other one, "The Ancient Promise" can certainly start a moshpit at the beginning with its hardcore riffing and breakdown.

The 3 unreleased tracks must've been from an unknown unreleased demo or the recording sessions of their debut, starting with a different edition of the title track of the demo "Twilight Eternal" which hints at the melodeath sound later found in Insomnium. "The Liar's Broken Rhyme" has the best of the early metalcore of Morning Again and the melodic metalcore of Atreyu, Killswitch Engage, and Trivium in the vein of those bands' early material. "For Every Crack, a Hollow Smile" is a bit hollow, but it's still good.

Now we come to the On Broken Wings EP, and "Sown Into Flames" exemplifies the early metalcore of Converge blended with melodeath that would take true from in Neaera. You want heaviness in the title track? The midway breakdown has it all. "For Dying Eyes" continues the mix of melodeath/deathcore before As Blood Runs Black made it cool.

I mentioned how rough yet killer the Twilight Eternal demo is, but now it's become a battle of which track is better, with the title track starting with an unneeded audio sample from the horror film The Prophecy. Now "Thy Divine" I like better than in the debut album, with the thrashy intro riffing sounding nice and raw. "The Ancient Promise" is slightly less that its debut album counterpart but I still like it. Then "Gates of Emptiness" ends it all with the best metalcore riffing and growls of the entire compilation.

So of all of these tracks in A Celestial Ballad, most of the songs from sections 1, 2, and 4 are pretty great. Most of section 3 (On Broken Wings) are decent but could've been better in the production. If anyone wants early metalcore and death metal fused together in a way that really hits the spot, there you go....

Favorites: "As the Bloodred Moon Rises", "Creation's End", "To Hunt the Ethereal Sun", "The Ancient Promise" (1999), "Twilight Eternal" (previously unreleased), "The Liar's Broken Rhyme", "Sown Into Flames", "Thy Divine" (1997), "Gates of Emptiness"

Of course the moment Undying reach the highest peak in their sound ends up being their swansong release. I'm not too worried since they've reformed two decades after this album At History's End. Plus there are other metalcore bands that I enjoy, so you won't see my interest in the genre fading out anytime soon.

Metalcore bands like Undying have really touched the hearts of people who were around my age (mid-20s) or younger back then. As always, Undying provide their melodic metalcore sound that was only in the early stages of popularity. There are some things different in At History's End compared to the previous album. More direct melodies, more hardcore riffs, and more poetic lyrics, the latter recited by female vocalist Logan White, replacing Timothy Roy. It's the best you're gonna get from this band!

"Reckoning" has the best of many bands past and future, including late 90s Cave In, The Ghost Inside, Killswitch Engage, and Omnium Gatherum. A brilliant start to this offering! Taking their anger out on the perils of humanity is "Lament". Then "Teratisms" starts slow before having a more thrashy sound to remind me of Sylosis' demo EPs.

"By Turns" sounds like it could've given 36 Crazyfists the idea to go metal/hardcore next year. Logan White's views against a society of injustice to women covers "As Above". You gotta admire her lyrical spirit!

There is one interlude in this album, "Arrangement for Invisible Voices", filled with nothing but piano and strings, which made me a little bored just like the interludes in the previous album. Without it, At History's End would've been perfect. "For the Dying" once again sounds like the spawning point for later bands from the hardcore of Architects and The Ghost Inside to the melodeath of As Blood Runs Black and Sylosis. Final highlight "The Age of Grace" pumps you up with the intensity of Morning Again.

At History's End really should've had as much love and recognition as the more mainstream bands out there. Still it's fine staying underground. Now that the band has reformed recently, they now have time to create a new part of their melodic metalcore evolution and maybe hit that perfect 5-star mark. Their history shall be ongoing!

Favorites: "Reckoning", "As Above", "For the Dying", "The Age of Grace"

One year after the original demo release of Undying's EP This Day All Gods Die came their debut full-length The Whispered Lies of Angels. Again I hadn't gotten around to listening to this band the first time I've heard of them. Not enough hooks? Maybe... But now I hear that it's great enough to get me hooked! For the most part, anyway.

It's interesting how some of the most influential bands besides the popular ones are the bands that split up after less than 10 years, and it took the talk of the early melodic metalcore town to get this band recognized. Similar to other bands like Darkest Hour, Undying take the road of adding At the Gates-ish riffing. However, more often than not, things slow down close to the doomy melancholy of My Dying Bride. With all that said, they still have the hardcore rage, with more melodic leads and breakdowns than solos.

A much better opening song than in the EP, "Echoes" has the guitar, vocals, and drums roll through in melodic passion. Fantastic start! However, "Tears Seven Times Salt" is an odd unnecessary interlude. Fortunately, "The Company of Storms" brushes that aside with some deathly melodic metalcore not too far off from Upon a Burning Body's demo years. Things get a little underwhelming in "Fallen Grace" in which, despite its short 3-minute length, the melodic near-end bridge of the track goes on for a little too long. The rest of the song before then is still good though.

"The Coming Dark Age" is OK, but here they just rely a little too much on melody, jostling its balance with the heavy side a bit. "Born Again" has more of the hardcore sound later mastered by early Architects and the melody later mastered by Black Veil Brides. Same with "A Desert in the Heart" having a bit of the ambience of Silent Planet.

"Formal Absences of Precious Things" is another useless flow-killing interlude. "Of Masks and Martyrs" is one more original song, have some of the melody later that Betraying the Martyrs would later have, while not going the epic deathcore route of course. The beautiful hidden cover of "The Cry of Mankind" by My Dying Bride is a solid ending to this offering. This is as close to doom metalcore as we're ever going to get, and I didn't even have to increase the playback speed to 2x!

The Whispered Lies of Angels came from an era when melodic metalcore was not yet the norm. I can hear how much it affected the scene greatly. Not much wrong except for a couple odd interludes and a little too much melody in a couple songs. At least that will be fixed one album later....

Favorites: "Echoes", "The Company of Storms", "Born Again", "Of Masks and Martyrs", "The Cry of Mankind"

Undying is a band that I've come across a few times in the past several years yet hadn't gotten around in actually checking them out. Why? I have no idea. Let's fix that... Melodic metalcore had its start in the late 90s when bands in the American hardcore listened to Gothenburg melodeath and decided to add elements of that to their sound. Darkest Hour may have their reign, but Undying is a more underrated example, and their D-flat tuned heavy and melodic sound would carry over to Prayer for Cleansing, a band that includes former members Tommy Rogers and Paul Waggoner who would go on to form the more popular and progressive Between the Buried and Me.

Their first release, the EP This Day All Gods Die was recorded in 1998 and released as a demo, though it would get an official CD release in 2001. The idea of blending hardcore with melodeath was new and unheard of when the EP first came out in the underground. Gothenburg fans would certainly be pleased about their favorite metal style spreading into America. The hardcore side gives it that grit you don't often hear in In Flames. Strong rage and sweet melody are just what the doctor ordered.

The chilling synth "Intro" is almost like a continuation of the hidden outro in Children of Bodom's Something Wild, almost as if this is an alternate timeline where that band continued that album's D-flat tuned blackened melodeath sound and mixed it with metalcore. The title track seals that deal, but it doesn't impress me that much. There's not much variation in the drumming compared to the other songs. "Lay This Life Down" is filled with melodic darkness while battling it out with the hardcore rage. That's the kind of rage the more popular melodeath bands wish they had!

"Fire of Life" digs deeper into adding variety. The blend of slow and fast sections scream Prayer for Cleansing, while the former has the same slow dread as My Dying Bride, whom the band would cover one of their songs in their next release. More of those melodies and tremolo are in "When the Heavens Shed Tears". Finally, "For Liberation" is 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.

This Day All Gods Die is not the best start for Undying, but still good. Their later releases would have a more complex melodic turn that would pave the way for the more popular American melodic metalcore bands. Heavy darkness has been given more melodic light....

Favorites: "Lay This Life Down", "Fire of Life", "For Liberation"

Another early deathcore album... And wow, what a boost in quality compared to that Plague Thy Child EP! Just like that band, Dawn of Orion was a practically unknown band from around 25 years ago that had no chance in making it big. At least one of the members ended up being more well-known, vocalist Myke 'C-Town' Jamison, having started his own YouTube channel and even used one of Dawn of Orion's songs as the outro for his videos. I'll tell you what song that is when we get there...

Dawn of Orion was an early deathcore/metalcore band, the way Plague Thy Child had done it two years later, but Dawn of Orion is the real deal here. There's a lot of deathly riffing blending heaviness and melody, inspired by At the Gates, and this was years before the rise of melodic metalcore.

First song "As the Bloodred Moon Rises" greatly exemplifies that riffing, filled with true early melodic deathcore. This is the kind of darkness not even In Flames and Soilwork have dived into, having starting to go their own mainstream route in the early 2000s. "A Widow's Covenant" has a bit of technicality added to their riffing, hinting at what The Faceless and Betraying the Martyrs would have a decade later. "Creation's End" sounds like what may be the creation of the deathcore we know from bands like Carnifex and Whitechapel, and the melodeath of Disarmonia Mundi. "The Passing of Idols" starts off with a bit of thrash/groove before having more of the deathly sound.

The instrumental "To Hunt the Ethereal Sun" is the song Myke C-Town uses in his video outros, specifically that ethereal acoustic intro. The blend of acoustic/electric guitar reminds me a bit of Kalmah, though all that's missing is the symphonic keys and neoclassical shredding. The release ends with two re-recorded songs from their Twilight Eternal demo, starting with "Thy Divine". The other one, "The Ancient Promise" can certainly start a moshpit at the beginning with its hardcore riffing and breakdown.

I wouldn't say For the Lust of Prophecies Undone is the best melodic deathcore album I've heard, but it's a solid offering of face-tearing aggression. It's lightyears better than that Plague Thy Child EP, and a great way to begin this dark deathly side of the metalcore scene. This band shall be commended for this fascinating discovery....

Favorites: "As the Bloodred Moon Rises", "Creation's End", "To Hunt the Ethereal Sun", "The Ancient Promise"

Today I decided to explore another very example of deathcore. Plague Thy Child was a short-lived band whose only well-known release was a split album with metalcore band The Common Man. Plague Thy Child's 2001 EP has been given a 2023 official re-release that includes a 2000 demo.

The sound is basically early deathcore/metalcore, with deathly riffing, blackened screams, and hardcore breakdowns, almost like what Embodyment would've had if they didn't abandon their deathcore sound at the time. In theory, that all sounds cool, but sadly it's f***ed up by the demo production that makes most of it a mess. Despite that, "Autumn" combines that brutal sound with dark melodies, sounding quite beautiful. Everything else though is too bland or unclear. An actual re-recording of this sh*t is in order....

Favorites (only one I like): "Autumn"

Knocked Loose need to calm the fuck down and learn how to write some actual songs. That was my gut reaction to the first full play through of You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. Despite having the track Don’t Reach for Me already on my workout playlist, the full album did not possess the same level of immediacy for me. After multiple listens, I have tempered my initial reaction somewhat. Whilst I cannot pretend to be overly enamoured with the record, I can acknowledge that there is more here than just the furious ranting I heard upon my first listen.

As bizarre as it sounds, the album needs to be listened to fully understand it. Being fooled by the spurious nature of the tracks into thinking that this is just music to batter your head into with little need for focus or attention was a mistake for me. The sub-genre tag that Saxy mentioned of “beatdown metalcore” certainly fits the billing mind. There is little covert activity over these ten songs and the delivery is as rampant as the sub-genre billing suggests. For me at least, that level of consistency needs to be recognised. Picking up such a level of intensity and rarely letting it falter makes for a challenging listen, but it also shows a lot of heart. Listen enough times and you will hear the variety in the tracks though and be able to see beyond the slamming fury of the band overall. They are brief, but there are lulls in the chaos (actual pacing in fact) that somehow do not detract from the primitive intensity of the record.

This is not to say that YWGBYST is not without its flaws. I cannot cope with more than thirty minutes of those vocals, no matter which day of the week it is. They are without doubt the most one-dimensional aspect of Knocked Loose and soon get into “grating” status as they dominate the record far too much. This is a shame, as Knocked loose have much better qualities in the instrumentation itself. But the solid percussion and jarring riffs just get trodden on all too easily by those vocals which are too memorable for all the wrong reasons.

I guess there’s no real surprise to any of the Metal Academy regulars that I am not in love with Knocked Loose. If they genuinely could write more material like the closing track on the record, then we would probably get along better at least. Oh, and change vocalist of course.