Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies
I don't know very many people who put Dragonforce in their big four, but I do admit that Inhuman Rampage is an underrated album. Most power metal fanatics tend to see it as a change of pace from the more melodic sound just so they can say they're the fastest metal band on Earth. Personally, I think there's still plenty of melody in that album.
Absolutely agreed! Inhuman Rampage is my favorite DragonForce album and the one that has the song that got me into metal, "Through the Fire and Flames".
An excellent loopy instrumental trip of early industrial metal:
The first metal album from one of the pioneers of industrial metal is a good part of my early years review tour! Here are my thoughts:
It is good to diversify every few years, whether it's your music taste or your band's style. After a couple synthpop and EBM albums, Al Jourgensen refreshed his Ministry project with a metalized sound. A hellbent atmosphere of vocal distortion, booming drums, and heavy keyboard-guitar hybrids fill the air, along with solid bass presence. These songs range from heavy to trippy, and many of them have a good amount of samples, a common industrial aspect, but what I prefer in industrial metal is savage percussive heaviness. Anyone with a slightly more open mind than mine should give The Land of Rape and Honey a try and love its mood. That mood is what Ministry needed to nail the metal path they would take. And you can hear the catchy riff power coming not just from the guitars. Then after you finish this, you can progress to the more metallic Mind....
4/5
Sanity Allergy is slightly weaker than Slab's debut with the only highlights for me being a couple upbeat tracks like this one:
The nearly unknown second and final album in the initial run of Slab!, Sanity Allergy is still not as exciting as I would hope for the first ever metalized industrial band. Sure there are heavier grooves and menacing slabs of beats, guitars, and vocals, but not a lot of it is good. I prefer the upbeat tracks in this one like the instrumental "Son of Sloth" with the sheer action to remind some of later electronic acts like The Crystal Method. The other upbeat highlight is the catchy "Cancer Beach" especially in the bridge, yet not a lot of other people have heard of it, let alone like it. Any industrial rock/metal fan can go ahead and try this album and look out for any chance of a new album coming out in the future. If you want just upbeat fun though, then just grab those two highlights and skip the rest.....
2.5/5
Industrial metal's perfect "Big Bang" moment:
The Sphere was created and turned on with the first ever album to fuse to industrial rock with metal. Slab's Descension is not really super good, but it's highly underrated compared to more popular bands like Ministry. Slab! seemed to have built their sound from industrial-ish rock bands Swans and Big Black. The Big Black influences are especially apparent in the opening track "Tunnel of Love", my favorite of the album and the perfect start to the industrial metal genre. However, the rest of the album isn't really as promising as the opener. Though "Dolores" and "The Animals" have great potential. One of the two bonus tracks "People Pie" is another great highlight despite a more poppy sound. All in all, a kinda poor album while a decently respectable beginning, for anyone up for a similar vibe to Godflesh and Trust Obey's Hands of Ash (might check out that album later)....
3/5
That's quite a lot to submit here, Rexorcist. How about we start with 10,000 Days and work our way down those releases one by one? Also, progressive metal is in The Infinite, not The Guardians, which is why I didn't say Fear Inoculum that's already in that clan.
That's interesting, Rexorcist. I used to listen to Solstafir before my move out of black metal (which they only had in their EP and debut), and Kold was my favorite album from them. This album's sound, while staying firmly in post-metal, I saw it as a mix of atmospheric and straightforward moods, though not as mellow as much of their subsequent material. Actually, now that I think about it, a few of these tracks are too straightforward to be worthy of the post-metal tag. I decided to revisit this album after nearly a year of abandoning it to see if it works well as just post-metal. So before I declare Judgement Submission Day on this album, here's how I would tag the genres in the 8 tracks:
1. 78 Days in the Desert - ambient instrumental post-metal with some heavy/black metal instrumentation
2. Köld - post-ish progressive metal
3. Pale Rider - straightforward post-metal similarly styled to the intro track
4. She Destroys Again - post-punk with instrumentation rising to heavy/black metal
5. Necrologue - stoner rock/post-metal
6. World Void of Souls - ambient instrumental post-rock later rising to metal (with some spoken narration)
7. Love is the Devil (and I am in Love) - straightforward post-ish hard rock
8. Goddess of the Ages - ambient/progressive/post-punk/metal/hard rock, basically summarizing all they had in the album
So this album is still post-metal in its majority, often mixing straightforward with ambient, and having influences from heavy metal, black metal, progressive metal, hard rock, and post-punk. Lots of rock and metal genres, though still firmly rooted in post-metal, so no need for any changes. Of course, everyone has a right to an opinion as long as it's accurate to the sound. Good to have you back in my life, Kold!
I decided to give this album a listen and a review for a couple reasons: 1. To tag along in the stenchcore ride despite this release sounding otherwise. 2. I'm a fan of Neurosis (both a bit of their crust punk era and a lot of their post-sludge material) and Godflesh, the latter's debut coming slightly after this offering from Saw Throat.
Sore Throat was known as a classic band in the crust/grindcore scene, delivering avalanche after avalanche of short fast tunes. Their over 40-minute single-track concept album Inde$troy is essentially an 8-part ambient industrial sludge epic with barely any of their crust/grind roots. And it's not the best album of that style either, but it's enjoyable in a few parts that I would specifically point out being the long ambient intro and outro, and the standard hardcore heaviness of the "Air" section. Basically those highlights take up half of the album with absolute power. The ambient sections work out as an easy-listening soundtrack to the apocalypse of a dystopian society. Yet the in-between-sounding parts don't do well for me. Anyway, if you're looking for an earlier, more ambient/industrial attempt at a grindcore band's sludge epic than Pig Destroyer's Natasha, here you go...
3/5
I always think of my own spirit animals to be the rabbit (representing my mild side) and the bear (representing my wild side). A few years before I joined the Metal Academy, I was a soft melodic bunny who enjoyed power metal and melodic progressive metal (the two genres you adore, Rexorcist), but thanks to a YouTube pen-pal of mine, I decided to transform into a metalcore/extreme progressive metal-loving bear. Since joining the Metal Academy, a few of the other members encouraged to bring back that melodic power metal bunny side of me, but after a couple years, that ultimately did not work out. I decided to convert my bunny side into alternative metal, which I've actually tested out a few bands of that genre before beginning my true metal interest with power metal.
Anyway, so my spirit animal for The Gateway is the rabbit for hopping into wider influences. My spirit animal for the Revolution is the bear because of how wild and rebellious they can be. And my spirit animal for The Sphere would a cyborg rabbit-bear hybrid. I agree with the spirit animal ideas for your clans, Rexorcist, those animals fit them quite well! Now what would the remaining 3 clans' spirit animals be? Probably sloth for The Fallen, lion for The Horde, and raven for The North. I don't know, we'll let members of those 3 remaining class decide what their spirit animals would be...
Good luck, Daniel!
1. Gateway playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: ALL 21)
2. Guardians playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 6)
3. Infinite playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 11)
4. Revolution playlist - 4/5 (number of songs commented: ALL 30)
4. Sphere playlist - 4/5 (number of songs commented: ALL 27)
So far, I've only commented on 5 tracks in the Guardians playlist and 11 tracks in the Infinite playlist, but for the other 3 of my own clans I've listened to the entire playlists! I'm grateful to Saxy, Xephyr, and Daniel for their playlist works. I really dig the Gateway playlist made by Saxy and the Revolution and Sphere playlists made by me. I recommend them to any fan of those respective genres and anyone who isn't into those genres but wants to get into a great start in enjoying them. Thanks, Daniel, for accepting these playlists, and good work all!
THE GATEWAY: Northlane - "Obsidian" (2022) 5/5
THE INFINITE: Devin Townsend - "Deconstruction" (2011) 5/5
THE PIT: Machine Head - "The Blackening" (2007) 3.5/5
THE REVOLUTION: Atka - "Untitled Album" (2018) 2.5/5
THE SPHERE: Deathstars - "Termination Bliss (2006) 5/5
All 3 of my feature release submissions; Northlane's Obsidian, Devin Townsend's Deconstruction, and Deathstars' Termination Bliss, all each receive a perfect 5 stars, and I would recommend them to fans of their respective genres. I also reviewed Machine Head's The Blackening two years ago, and I stand by my 3.5-star rating. Daniel's Revolution feature release submission was too intense for me to go beyond 2.5 stars, but it's good to see him having a blast with that release. Glad to see some positive reaction for all those releases! It's been a great month. Keep up the good work on the feature releases, all! I look forward to more...
I listen to more of tech-thrash than conventional thrash while enjoying a small bit of the latter, so this would be my personal Big 4: Annihilator, Sadus, Coroner, Dark Angel
Btw, I have to ask, is there a third party in which the genre tags are taken from, and if so, is it Rateyourmusic?
Yep, that's exactly correct, Rexorcist.
Welcome, Rexorcist! Awesome avatar!
OK, so the industrial metal tag for this album is quite a stretch, but a few songs are close to cyber metal in the synths, and I've already started expanding my cyber metal knowledge with that part of the Sphere playlists.
Interesting judgement submissions, Daniel! I kind of think of the electronic experimentation as somewhere along the lines of synth-dance-y industrial in some songs, so it's close to both industrial metal and trance metal. And I can hear where you got the idea of this album being melodic metalcore, with a great amount of technical riffs, breakdowns, and screamed vocals that throwback to their earlier albums. So I might object to removing the album from The Sphere but understand its potential in The Revolution. Let's see how things go with your submissions...
Californian groove metal/
This one helps the album become more interesting. The vocals and riffs are much better and worth listening to than a few other songs. Not the best home-run but a great step up.
I am quite used to a bit of naughtiness, but when the lyrics consist of vulgar verses and an emo-sounding chorus, for me it doesn't sound like they're taken too seriously and ends up coming out as a stinker. That and the mediocre riffs and vocals in this song and a couple others show that groove metal is not what I'm in the mood for, though the other half of the album is enjoyable.
Here are some Spotify playlists I've made compiling songs from the RYM popular 20 of progressive metal and metalcore, the two favorite metal genres of mine that have reached over 200. Enjoy!
Once again the least popular track on an album appeals to me the most. Avant-garde progressive metal from Canada.
A stomping highlight reminding me of the pandemic we were all stuck in. I like the operatic vocals by Floor Jansen (ex-After Forever, Nightwish), though barely working here.
I'm glad to distance myself away from symphonic metal. This cheesy synth-orchestral sh*t intro doesn't belong in any melodic deathcore album, not even this album in which the rest isn't as good as most other Revolution releases I've heard:
Top-notch raw math/metalcore brutality from the only well-done song of this EP that's otherwise deathcore/melodeath with messed-up aspects:
A poor sh*tty example of thrashy melodeath-metalcore, missing most of the fast speed and sharp changes, while only the intense vocals save the day:
Good riffs, great screams, and brilliant breakdowns occur in one of only two highlights of this split EP (both only on Caliban's side):
Here are my sneak peek submissions for the September Sphere playlist (now at 4 of them):
Deathstars - "Termination Bliss" (3:43) from Termination Bliss (2006)
Godflesh - "Unworthy" (7:13) from Merciless (1994)
Mushroomhead - "Simple Survival" (3:15) from Savior Sorrow (2006)
Samael - "Samael" (3:58) from Hegemony (2017)
Total length: 18:09
Here are my sneak peek submissions for the September Revolution playlist:
Asking Alexandria - "Don't Pray for Me" (4:40) from From Death to Destiny (2013)
Demon Hunter - "We Don't Care" (3:37) from True Defiance (2012)
Earth Crisis - "The Wrath of Sanity" (3:51) from Destroy the Machines (1995)
From Autumn to Ashes - "Milligram Smile" (3:35) from The Fiction We Live (2003)
Silent Planet - "Afterdusk" (3:55) from When the End Began (2018)
Veil of Maya - "It's Not Safe to Swim Today" (2:43) from The Common Man's Collapse (2008)
Within the Ruins - "Roads" (6:24) from Invade (2010)
Total length: 28:45
And since Daniel skipped out on his monthly Revolution playlist submission for September, I decided to add an optional bonus sneak peek submission. If anyone else is up to submitting their own track suggestion, I can remove my bonus and either put it in the September playlist anyway or a different month. So here's my bonus submission:
Coalesce - "Simulcast" (4:27) from Coalesce (1995)
Similar track to a couple months ago, different demo version, still an incredible song I can't resist adding.
Since Devin Townsend's Deconstruction is not available on Spotify, I decided that my submissions for the September Infinite playlist would be dedicated to the bands whose vocalists/guitarists guest appeared in that album, so here they are:
Between the Buried and Me - "(B) The Decade of Statues" (5:20) from Colors (2007)
Cynic - "Elements and Their Inhabitants" (3:09) from Ascension Codes (2021)
Gojira - "L'Enfant Sauvage" (4:17) from L'Enfant Sauvage (2012) (even though the original album isn't available on Spotify, this song can be found in "XXX: Three Decades of Roadrunner" and "100 Greatest Metal" compilations, so either one of those will do)
Meshuggah - "Born in Dissonance" (4:34) from The Violent Sleep of Reason (2016)
Opeth - "To Bid You Farewell" (10:54) from Morningrise (1996)
Total length: 28:14
Here are my submissions for the September Gateway playlist:
A Day to Remember - "Miracle" (4:04) from Miracle (2022)
Beartooth - "Riptide" (3:31) from Riptide (2022)
Coldrain - "Help Me Help You" (3:43) from Nonnegative (2022)
Dir En Grey - "Ningen Wo Kaburu" (3:44) from The Insulated World (2018)
Disturbed - "This Moment" (3:05) from The Lost Children (2011)
Escape the Fate - "The Aftermath (G3)" (5:34) from Escape the Fate (2010)
Mushroomhead - "Rumor Has It" (3:39) from The Righteous & the Butterfly (2014)
Total length: 27:20
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Static-X - "Regeneration" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1 (2020)
3/5. A good intro to begin the playlist. Not the best, but still decent. RIP Wayne Static...
Rob Zombie - "The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)" from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (2021)
3.5/5. First real song here, and a pretty good track for Halloween Eve, used as the theme for NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver. You can imagine your own horror movie that lasts from dusk to dawn. More horrors than Slayer's "Angel of Death"!
White Zombie - "More Human Than Human" from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)
4/5. Then we travel back over 25 years to when Rob Zombie was still in the band White Zombie before starting his own solo career. This is one of those songs that I can't let my metal-hating mother hear. I can't believe I'm a few months away from turning 24 and did not hear anything from this band until when after making this playlist. Another good track for Halloween, if you imagine the moaning in the intro as ghost noises.
Vigilante - "Answers" from The Heroes' Code (2005)
4.5/5. This amazing tune could apparently be found in YTMND (You're The Man Now, Dog), an online community website that has recently declined in popularity. This could be remembered for aeons along with power metal bands Lost Horizon and DragonForce! A mysterious audio sample from the 1989 Punisher movie can be heard in the intro, along with the 2003 Daredevil film at the 3-minute mark.
Emigrate - "Eat You Alive" from Silent So Long (2014)
4/5. Emigrate is a spin-off band for Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe. Apparently this was from an Undertale blog, and this song is quite lovable. Though I don't what the f*** Undertale has to do with this song other than that blog.
Die Krupps - "Welcome to the Blackout" from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)
4.5/5. "Welcome to the blackout! Welcome to the siege! Welcome to the breakdown! The collapse within reach!" Well said for this killer tune.
Strapping Young Lad - "Wrong Side" from The New Black (2006)
5/5. Devin Townsend is the king of progressive metal and has made Strapping Young Lad one of the d*mn kings of industrial metal besides Fear Factory. I just love the insane drumming in this one! Anyone who thinks that kind of drumming doesn't belong in industrial metal can stand corrected.
Samael - "Jupiterian Vibe" from Passage (1996)
4.5/5. This was one of my favorite songs from this album that remains seared into my brain more than an LSD trip.
Ministry - "Alter Level" from Moral Hygiene (2021)
4/5. Another good new song, this one from one of the industrial metal inventors Ministry. "How concerned are you?"
KMFDM - "Juke-Joint Jezebel" from Nihil (1995)
4/5. This is the most popular song from industrial rock/metal KMFDM, selling over a million single copies, and ending up in the soundtracks for Bad Boys and the Mortal Kombat movies (remixed for the latter). You can really dance along to some parts, much more than Nine Inch Nails.
Code Orange - "Erasure Scan" from Underneath (2020)
4.5/5. The closest we have to Emmure with Erasure synths!
Northlane - "Echo Chamber" from Obsidian (2022)
5/5. This is my favorite song in its original album, and it shows how big the band's sound can be. There's strong synth-dance bits while staying heavy and vocally diverse. I sometimes feel like I'm in an online vortex where my goals have a hard time being reached, and that's what that track relates, along with the virus lasting for a couple years. Again, that track is the f***ing best!
Kidneythieves - "The Invisible Plan" from The Invisible Plan (2011)
4.5/5. Here's another underrated band, this time with a sexy voice to love. This girl's the kind of guardian angel needed to guide me through this industrial rock/metal dimension, a little more than the poppy gospel choir from that KMFDM song. I also love the drumming here! The lyrics might've been inspired by the second Deus Ex game Invisible War. Free Dominguez is almost like the Gwen Stefani of industrial rock/metal!
Gravity Kills - "Enough" from Gravity Kills (1996)
4/5. Another piece of alt-rock/industrial metal that I love, but still not enough to go further with this band. The last time I heard this band was from another Sphere playlist track from two months ago. Even now, you can jam out during a long drive! Definitely having some vibes from Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and a bit of that KMFDM song.
Scum of the Earth - "Bombshell From Hell" from Sleaze Freak (2007)
3.5/5. This continues the Rob Zombie-like horror groove punch, a decent song to like.
Spineshank - "Beginning of the End" from Self-Destructive Pattern (2003)
3.5/5. Many listeners might know this song from the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack. I would've liked this a lot more when I was 14 and listening to alt-rock/metal before my switch to "real" metal, but I can still jam out to this one now at age 23, I guess. I'm not a huge fan of horror films, but this tune works out quite well for that movie.
Lard - "War Pimp Renaissance" from Pure Chewing Satisfaction (1997)
4/5. Once again, if you wanna hear a collaboration project between Jello Biafra and Ministry, you would be lucky with this band Lard.
Zeromancer - "Doctor Online" from Eurotrash (2001)
4.5/5. This song is something to love if you're up for a poppy-ish mix of Nine Inch Nails and Orgy. This is almost as suicide-encouraging than the majority of DSBM, but if you end up in the mood to calling this hotline, DON'T DO IT. Get help!
Motionless in White - "Cyberhex" from Scoring the End of the World (2022)
5/5. Motionless in White came back with an epic vengeance in the first single of their new album, with guest narration from Lindsay Schoolcraft, formerly of Cradle of Filth.
Dawn of Ashes - "Scars of the Broken" from Scars of the Broken (2022)
4.5/5. Dawn of Ashes can have some misleading instrumentation, y'know. Like sounding epic in the beginning, but it ends up remaining as metalized industrial-techno. It's still a very great soul-toucher with distant wonders that can give you sonic delight. The interesting factor would've reached perfection with a f***ing lot more metal though.
Black Light Discipline - "Self Control" from Against Each Other (2012)
4/5. Now this is a pretty great cover of an 80s disco song, and I'm a sucker for those kind of metal covers. The song was originally by Italian singer Raf, then popularized by Laura Branigan. A cool tribute to the 80s to play and jam out! Though this electro-industrial metal style works out well, Nightwish should cover that song next.
Breach the Void - "Propagate" from The Monochromatic Era (2010)
3.5/5. If you like this band, you might like a lot more cyber metal. Though my relationship with cyber metal is still strained...
Heldmaschine - "Nachts am Kanal" from Propaganda (2014)
3/5. ...So is my relationship with Neue Deutsche Härte. The German listeners might find this cool though, and it can work as an MMORPG theme.
Terminal Choice - "Keine Macht" from Ubermacht (2010)
3.5/5. This is slightly better, but again I would like this better if I was German.
Godflesh - "Gift from Heaven (Heavenly)" from Love and Hate in Dub (1997)
4/5. Continuing Daniel's idea of adding a long ambient track (from the previous two playlists), this is like an apocalyptic transcendence to Hell, in a good way.
Marilyn Manson - "Tainted Love" from The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
4.5/5. Another industrial metal cover of a popular disco song from the 80s. Marilyn Manson's version was originally released 20 years ago as part of the soundtrack to Not Another Teen Movie. Slipknot fanboys, turn away!
Fear Factory - "End of Line" from Aggression Continuum (2021)
5/5. Well, we've come to the end of line for this playlist, along with this album that marks the final Fear Factory one with Burton C. Bell. Probably the best extreme industrial metal song I've heard in a long time, especially those clean vocals. We'll miss you, Burton....
Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps in the beginning and towards the end... I sure would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
Once again, I continue to shine more of the spotlight on tracks from the 90s and early 2000s, since my earlier playlists barely have any songs from those eras like one or two per playlist. Of course, I've also added some new tracks from the 2020s, and the in-betweens of the mid-late 2000s and 2010s. I might bring back the spotlight on the new tracks in later playlists once I switch my focus out of those older tracks. After all, brand-new tracks are an essential part of playlists, right? Anyway, I like the way this all turned out, so here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Integrity - "Those Who Fear Tomorrow" from Those Who Fear Tomorrow (1991)
4/5. Dwid Hellion makes an unforgettable shout of "MICHA!!!" that kick-starts this track and playlist, similar to the "NIGHTFALL!!!" scream that begins Dark Tranquillity's debut Skydancer. This was an important part of 90s hardcore, already signifying the metalcore vision of Earth Crisis and Hatebreed, even Killswitch Engage.
Avenged Sevenfold - "Unholy Confessions" from Waking the Fallen (2003)
4.5/5. The real melodic metalcore action begins with this recognizable track, a perfect embodiment of 2003 A7X!! The distinct hammering guitar intro is decently familiar in the metalcore realm, along with the power slides and other varieties in the mix. The tight drumming is so awesome and inspiring. No one can do it like the late Rev! (RIP) The bass patterns are tricky to hear but you can still feel them. The vocals are more enjoyable in the diverse sense than in any other part of the band's discography, alternating between screaming and clean singing. I also enjoy the catchy chorus and harmonies. I'll never argue with the fact that "Unholy Confessions" is the band's breakthrough hit!
Black Veil Brides - "Knives and Pens" from We Stitch the Wounds (2010)
5/5. I found this song that has similar riffing to that Avenged Sevenfold song, and that actually beats that one! I'm starting to love this band already and might support them directly as well, despite dumping those metalcore/emo (man, I hate that latter word) roots. SO AWESOME!!!
Asking Alexandria - "Not the American Average" from Stand Up and Scream (2009)
5/5. One more awesome song to follow the "Unholy Confessions"-like riffing chain, despite the somewhat immature lyrics ("YOU STUPID! F***ING!! WH*RE!!!").
Iwrestledabearonce - "Corey Feldman Holocaust" from Iwrestledabearonce (2007)
4.5/5. Another awesome band who knows how to make a brutal breakdown after a blissful clean bridge. They have definitely surpassed August Burns Red in adding experimentation to metalcore while staying true to the genre. Holy sh*t, the lyrics are sick without having to understand! Part of the experimentation comes from comedic samples including, towards the end, the iconic Super Mario Bros. jingle and, shortly after, a line from Clerks, "Hey try not to suck any d*ck on the way to the parking lot."
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox" from Danza 4: The Alpha - the Omega (2012)
5/5. This is pure beauty! Probably the most insane mathcore swarm without vocals, that you can tap-dance to so hard that you can cause an earthquake on the streets. So much intricate elegance in perhaps my favorite song of this f***ing sick and killer album!
Rorschach - "In the Year of Our Lord" from Remain Sedate (1990)
4.5/5. The name of this track can easily refer to this year being the year of the creators of metalcore, Rorschach!
Trivium - "Ember to Inferno" from Ember to Inferno (2003)
5/5. Here they unleash their upbeat yet heavy metalcore guitar riffs, similar to Shadows Fall, that not only sound good but keep the listener going through the music, not just the lyrics, including its incredible lightning-fast solo.
Premonitions of War - "Time for Iron" from Premonitions of War (2000)
2.5/5. Wow, this sounds worse than I thought in Spotify! Why the f*** did I choose this?! Probably because it's under a minute long and I wanna get this sh*t out of here fast in my early metalcore subgenres tour.
Born of Osiris - "Rosecrance" from The New Reign (2007)
3.5/5. This is an unusual yet mind-blowing opening track. It is one of the oldest songs by the band to be re-recorded from an earlier demo, the first version being as early as 2004, when they were a post-hardcore/deathcore band called Your Heart Engraved. In the song, the keyboard doesn't appear until the end. There's a lot of sharp chugging in the guitars, made groove-sounding with the impressive vocals. After over the first half-minute is a lovable but annoying break that would confuse you until you listen to more of the riff-wrath and drumming.
Converge - "Eagles Become Vultures" from You Fail Me (2004)
5/5. Totally the best song in its original album! The intro drum fill sends you into the great hellfire of energetic riffs, insane drums, and vocals screaming scathing lyrics. There's a fantastic breakdown with dissonant chords with Bannon shrieking, "Our eagles become our vultures!!"
Earth Crisis - "Firestorm/Forged in the Flames" from Firestorm (1993)
5/5. Karl Buechner indirectly screams out a message against all the world's problems, in the popular title track of this EP Firestorm, "A chemically tainted welfare generation, absolute complete moral degeneration". The track is indexed together with "Forged in the Flames", an incredible anthem for The Revolution.
Snapcase - "Killing Yourself To Live" from Progression Through Unlearning (1997)
4.5/5. Now this kicks a**! This was back in the hardcore side of metalcore was still reigning and can cause cool riots. I'm not currently thinking of continuing my non-melodic metalcore rediscovery journey, but if I do, this album might be a good one to start with. Great one, Daniel!
Deadguy - "Free Mustache Rides" from Screamin' with the Deadguy Quintet (1996)
5/5. This is the odd yet best one in this EP. The lyrics and screams can be scary as sh*t for newcomers while having a bit of humor, particularly in the title.
Deformity - "The Dark Sun" from Murder Within Sin (1999)
4.5/5. The centerpiece of this song's entire album, and a great underrated part of death metal/deathcore history. The riffing starts off sounding like Slayer before leading into bruising death, complete with screams and growls in the vocals. That's how explosive death metal/core can be!
Crawlspace - "Enter the Realm of Chaos" from Enter the Realm of Chaos (2001)
3/5. The best song for me in this poor attempt of a death metal/core EP, with good drums in the mix, and once it's all over, the album's piano/string intro is reprised.
God Forbid - "Chains of Humanity" from IV: Constitution of Treason (2005)
5/5. This is the strongest headbanging track of its original album, binding together extreme Megadeth-like riffing with an intense yet melodic chorus. The "STRENGTH! BEYOND STRENGTH!!" bridge with Byron Davis’ shouting really gives the song more commanding force.
Underoath - "The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed" from Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008)
5/5. This is a furious follow-up, stunning you way hard. Once again, what makes that song a highlight is the drumming by Gillespie. That and his singing keeps getting better album after album, dominating alongside melodic chanting after all that fire and brimstone.
Electric Callboy - "We Got the Moves" from We Got the Moves (2021)
4.5/5. Another music video from Electric Callboy that my brother likes and gave me the idea to add this song to the playlist. Keep the trance-dance up and high! It's so bizarre yet worth approaching, this wild roller.
Memphis May Fire - "Wanting More" from This Light I Hold (2016)
4.5/5. H*ll yes, I want some more of this!
Upon a Burning Body - "Snake Eyes" from A New Responsibility (2022)
5/5. ...And even more of this! This banger shows Upon a Burning Body channeling their Pantera spirit while reminding some of Throwdown. You can hear that all the way to the ending bass line! This would be a crazy good live staple. SO G****MN AWESOME!!! Well done, guys!
In Hearts Wake - "Warcry" from Ark (2017)
5/5. The lyrics are well-written from this solid band! At least there isn't a wild breakdown in every moment (except the bridge), easier for this song to be preserved for eternity.
Northlane - "Citizen" from Mesmer (2017)
5/5. Both this album and that In Hearts Wake album were released a year after both bands' collaborative EP. For this track, OMG, I have no words to describe this beauty!
Down & Dirty - "Heaven Sent" from Heaven Sent (2017)
4.5/5. This is one of those songs you can use to comfort yourself after a painful relationship, especially those cool lyrics. This can almost be like a combination of Architects and the early 2010s eras of Asking Alexandria and Bring Me the Horizon. This can really show how relationships can end up dead in Hell. The vocals rule here!
Kingdom of Giants - "Wayfinder" from Passenger (2020)
4/5. Another underrated song with cool production, though I'm not into the synthwave undertone.
Sienna Skies - "Misunderstood" from A Darker Shade of Truth (2016)
4.5/5. The vocals sound really good, almost like early 2010s Parkway Drive, though there is a clean chorus.
Wage War - "If Tomorrow Never Comes" from Manic (2021)
5/5. If tomorrow never comes and we watch the world burn, at least we have this awesome banger!
Betraying the Martyrs - "Swan Song" from Silver Lining (2022)
5/5. This is pretty awesome! With a new frontman, Betraying the Martyrs have completed their transformation from symphonic deathcore to technical metalcore that Make Them Suffer have completed two years prior. Probably my favorite track in this EP!
Shadow of Intent - "The Dreaded Mystic Abyss" from Melancholy (2020)
4.5/5. Another long instrumental epic, a mind-blowing monster that has hit me the hardest in my 9 years of metal. I still only have mild interest in Shadow of Intent, though I guess this could be what the DOOM soundtrack would sound like if Angel Vivaldi teamed up with Mick Gordon. 10 minutes of atmospheric, epic, and brutal genius!
Every Time I Die - "We Go Together" from Radical (2021)
5/5. This track ends this playlist and Every Time I Die's final album similarly to Between the Buried and Me's Automata pair of albums, a theatrical metal ending encouraging us to go together. I didn't the band would actually go for real... RIP
HOLY SH*T, this is probably one of the best metalcore playlists I've ever done, with most of the tracks reaching 4.5 or 5 stars, and only a few tough speed bumps. I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
Wow, Saxy, it's incredibly nice of you for me that you've placed all 5 of my suggestions first before the rest of the playlist. Thanks for that! However, I'm still kind of straining from some of the more melodic genres, such as the melodic side of progressive metal, but don't worry, I'm still staying in The Infinite, I just need to pace myself if I want my time in the clan for be more bearable for me. I still look forward to submitting track suggestions for next month's Infinite playlist, and I have a special amount planned for then. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on over half of the tracks here:
Between the Buried and Me - "Specular Reflection" (from The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues)
4.5/5. Ah, one of my favorite BTBAM epics when I was still listening to that band. This can be reduced to a 7-minute radio edit and still be brilliant! The melodic and aggressive chills are a nice step up from the previous album The Great Misdirect. The clean singing sections can remind some of Circa Survive.
Dream Theater - "Hell's Kitchen" (from Falling into Infinity)
4/5. This instrumental is, contrary to the title, like transcending through Heaven's gates in magnificent mind-space. Still it did not beat the other Dream Theater instrumentals I liked when I was still enjoying this band, especially "Stream of Consciousness" which takes its title from a lyric in the epic coming after this track, "Lines in the Sand".
Leprous - "Restless" (from Bilateral)
4.5/5. A short catchy song with Einar Solberg's vocals ranging from peaceful to, that's right, restless!
Seventh Wonder - "Victorious" (from Tiara)
5/5. There's another reason why I would never forget Kamelot, and that's because of the powerful vocals of Tommy Karevik, who's also in this band Seventh Wonder. It's songs like this that make me enjoy the best of both worlds reigning victorious!
Veil of Maya - "Doublespeak" (from False Idol)
5/5. This song is aptly named because of both the singing and the growling playing out well in the lighter instrumentation. The chorus filled with singing really creates a beautiful aura along with rising drumming. The guitar tone lingers through heavy verses before the delicate chorus.
Threshold - "Silenced" (from Silenced)
4.5/5. I've practically forgotten about this band in the two years since I've given up interest in them after a mere two months, but now I remember them again with this excellent new song. Welcome back, Threshold! Absolutely sensational and could almost make an instant classic.
Cynic - "Infinite Shapes" (from Kindly Bent to Free Us)
4/5. Interesting choice, since this is from Cynic's small break from metal in Kindly Bent to Free Us. With that said, this was one of my favorite tracks from the album with the best lyrics there. So beautiful, especially the g****mn synthesized wolf howling at over the 3-minute part that then transitions into guitar. This is also the final album with the two Seans before their untimely passings in separate ends of 2020. RIP...
Mastodon - "More Than I Could Chew" (from Hushed and Grim)
4.5/5. A killer track from Mastodon's recent offering that marks their first double album. So f***ing beautiful, but what else can I say?
Novembre - "Jules" (from Materia)
5/5. An astonishing blend of progressive metal with gothic/doom influences, similarly to Green Carnation in the early 2000s. I think I might've found a decent re-entryway into gothic/doom metal, thanks to this track!
The Ocean - "Triassic" (from Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic)
4.5/5. This one has heavy dynamic groove and stays in a between clean soft melody and harsh aggressive riffing. They haven't unleashed their contained destruction yet until later on in that album.
Protest the Hero - "The Canary" (from Palimpsest)
5/5. This song shows intricate groove hooks alongside the captivating narrative. The charging pace and epic dramatic chorus really makes that song a sweet highlight.
I like the idea of adding new singles from upcoming albums, and that's kind of what I've been submitting to some of the playlists for my clans lately. After all, that's an essential part of playlists, isn't it? Anyway, once again I'm going to comment on a few tracks here that I still like, for memories' sake. Here are my thoughts:
Blind Guardian – “Deliver Us From Evil” (from “Blood Of The Elves”, 2022)
4.5/5. The opening track and single from the band's upcoming album The God Machine has great lyrics based on the play The Crucible.
Slough Feg – “Street Jammer" (from "Hardworlder”, 2007)
4/5. I like this one. I have not yet heard the original song by Manilla Road, but honestly, I'm still not in the mood for a big amount of Guardians discoveries.
Avantasia – “The Wicked Rule the Night” (from “The Moonflower Society”, 2022)
4.5/5. New single from the upcoming Avantasia album A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society, and it sounds great, especially the vocals by Ralf Scheepers from Primal Fear and formerly Gamma Ray.
Dark Moor – “Somewhere in Dreams” (from “Project X”, 2015)
5/5. I actually meant the original version of this song from The Hall of the Olden Dreams, but never mind, this one's perfect too. Alfred Romero's vocals sound amazing, though Elisa C. Martin had a slightly greater edge in the original. A power metal classic nonetheless!
Virgin Steele – “Through the Ring of Fire” (from “Hymns to Victory”, 2018)
4.5/5. The power metal sound courses through your veins and turns your heart steel. This song is part of an incredibly long double-and-a-half album, The House of Atreus. Some songs from this band, like this one, are still fantastic for me. The sound is so dynamic, especially back in the late 90s, when genres like power metal were building up their untouchable glory. This band would've connected to me better if I was listening to them at age 15 when I was enjoying bands like Blind Guardian much more back then.
Scanner - "Terrion" (from "Hypertrace", 1988)
5/5. OK, now this is amazing! It sounds like a much better continuation of Helloween's original speed metal sound that they dumped that year for their Keeper of the Seven Keys. Grand 80s speed/heavy metal that might make up to exploring more of this band and speed metal! Talk about ending this playlist in a mighty speedy bang.
Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway and Infinite playlists! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find excellent tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:
Reliqa - "The Bearer of Bad News" (from The Bearer of Bad News)
4.5/5. This one's quite great, promising a more progressive future for alternative metal. Good killer technicality!
Dorje - "Catalyst" (from Catalyst)
4/5. Beautiful mixing here, with an intro groove that's like Alice in Chains' "Them Bones" on steroids.
Floodgate - "Running With Sodden Legs" (from Penalty)
3.5/5. In the year of Sepultura's Roots, 1996, Floodgate was active for one album. Pretty d*mn good, but I'm not into this stoner-ish style of alt-metal.
36 Crazyfists - "Where Revenge Ends" (from Lanterns)
4/5. 36 Crazyfists is one of my recent favorite alt-metalcore bands, and they've always stayed steady on their feet, even in soft ballads like this one. You can feel the deep soothing touch within your heart.
Pyogenesis - "Undead" (from Twinaleblood)
3.5/5. I haven't heard this band before, but I probably would've loved it better if I continued developing my initial alt-rock/metal interest 10 years ago.
Evanescence - "Sweet Sacrifice" (from The Open Door)
4/5. This is a heavy lamenting anthem showing how much a breakup can feel like freedom ("It's true we're all a little insane, but it's so clear now that I'm unchained").
Helmet - "Crashing Foreign Cars" (from Size Matters)
4.5/5. This is a nice song to love, especially after getting immersed in one of their earlier albums Strap It On. Many listeners might know this song as part of the soundtrack for Need for Speed Underground 2.
DIR EN GREY - "Beautiful Dirt" (from Withering to Death)
5/5. Man, for a song with the word "Beautiful" in the title, it's very aggressive the way I love it, especially the direct lyrics. If this band continues re-recording their songs, they should definitely do this one!
Clawfinger - "Don't Wake Me Up" (from Clawfinger)
4.5/5. I don't usually like rap-ish nu metal (except a bit of Linkin Park), but this one's an excellent tune to take you to mystifying dimensions. It has kind of an emo vibe here (the mood, not the genre).
Five Finger Death Punch - "Got Your Six" (from Got Your Six)
4/5. My brother has been a huge fan of 7FDP among other alt-metal bands. This shall encourage combat soldiers to fight their enemies and GET THEIR SIX! Another good song to love and fight for your rights.
Giraffe Tongue Orchestra - "Crucifixion" (from Broken Lines)
4.5/5. An amazing great track from a supergroup that includes guitarists Brent Hinds (Mastodon) and Ben Weinman (The Dillinger Escape Plan).
Katatonia - "Buildings" (from Dead End Kings)
4/5. I used to really love Katatonia and the vocals of Jonas Renkse before moving away from the more depressive metal styles. The brutal riff-drumming combo at around the one-minute mark is so f***ing good. I still love a few songs like this one from Katatonia and In Flames, kind of like when you break up from a girlfriend but remain friends. I just wish the song didn't have a bit of inconsistent cr*p.
Spiritbox - "Rotoscope" (from Rotoscope) (song already in last month's playlist, but I'll let it slide this time)
4.5/5. Spiritbox is back with a great hysterical alt-metalcore tune!
Memphis May Fire - "Misery" (from Remade in Misery)
5/5. One of only two tracks from Memphis May Fire's new album to not be a single (the other being "The Fight Within), and it's an underrated piece of greatness, with lyrics to love to bits! Has a bit of a vibe from Motionless in White, who also released a new album the same month. We'll get to a song from that album after this next one...
Yakui the Maid - "Guilt" (from Flock)
4.5/5. An odd digital-sounding instrumental, but I quite love this!
Motionless in White - "Scoring the End of the World" (from Scoring the End of the World)
5/5. One of my favorite songs from the brand-new Motionless in White, with amazing lyrics and melodies, plus a total headbanging breakdown! This can motivate listeners to look out for a possible apocalypse. While this song fits well for the Gateway playlist, I have another song from the album in the Sphere playlist, which I'll tell you over there. I guess Mick Gordon's instrumentation work could've been heavier, but it all comes out perfectly!
The Butterfly Effect - "One Second of Insanity" (from Begins Here)
4.5/5. A d*mn brilliant song that would be better suited for my brother's alt-metal/post-grunge taste, though it close to the Karnivool-like sound that I like. Either way, this is a killer and f***ing underrated tune!
Lacuna Coil - "Kill the Light" (from Dark Adrenaline)
4/5. Another insane yet lovable song. Enough said!
Nekrogoblikon - "Bones" (from The Fundamental Slimes and Humours)
4.5/5. There's a Goblikon in all of us, and I'm glad that my brother's enjoying this lately.
While She Sleeps - "CALL OF THE VOID" (from SLEEPS SOCIETY)
5/5. Probably the best and most epic part of its original album!
Finger Eleven - "Awake and Dreaming" (from Tip)
4.5/5. I love this nice beautiful song from the 90s, though it sounds closer to Our Lady Peace. Before this, I only knew this band from one of my brother's favorite songs, "Living in a Dream", which happened to be the final song in a rock music program from a channel that ended up discontinued shortly after. So this is a good way to end here...
I gave this one a listen and a (not-so-full) review, and if anyone thinks this kind of grind-mathcore chaos is worth it for me, well.... https://metal.academy/reviews/26007/14030
Here's my submission for the September Guardians playlist:
Freedom Call - "Metal is for Everyone" (from Master of Light, 2016)
No worries, Daniel.
It's not yet updated, Morpheus.
Daniel, Sonny, each of you guys have a good Revolution track you wanna submit? I plan to start working on the September playlist later this week.
Deconstruction is what I think is the true start of the 4-part metal saga of the Devin Townsend Project (the other 3 parts being Epicloud, Z², and Transcendence), spawning brilliant (often humorous) masterpieces like this 16-minute epic with a strange title:
Still not forgetting this strange yet brilliant epic!
Part of the problem I had with Machine Head's The Blackening is the lyrics in a few songs here, like in this f***ing slanderous stinker:
Two years since I've reviewed this album and I still haven't forgotten this atrocity.
I actually gave this album a listen and review as part of a reviewing challenge two years ago. It did not get me into listening to this band full-time because of a few weak disappointments, but who knows, maybe one day... Anyway, here's my review summary:
Machine Head has two sides of the metal coin that can be flipped over at any moment. It might be the groove/thrash metal heads or the nu metal tails. Most of their albums are in the heads, while flipping to the tails in the turn of the new millennium and in their recent album Catharsis. The Blackening is often considered the most thrashy of the band! That sounds about right, and it might be their most progressive album too. The album has long epics, an aspect that I love, and it's better than most nu metal albums out there, so that's a bit promising. The Blackening is a good album, but it left me disappointed by not being the masterpiece people thought it was. This is due to a couple songs, including the first of the two 10-minute epics, having mediocre riffs and vocals, plus one song that's an outright horrible sh*tter. The rest of the album is much better, often having excellent riffs and solos. All in all, The Blackened is a good release that I have mixed feelings for. I gave the album 3.5 stars thanks to the nice flowing vibe and a few great songs. It's nice listening to the great solos that make up for some of the bad parts. Seeing how long the album gap was, it must've taken a long while for the band to mature and compose the songs just to be themselves. There's just isn't a lot I would consider mind-blowing....
3.5/5
I did my review, here's its summary:
Even though I'm glad to join The Sphere, I still haven't listened to as much industrial metal as many of the genres in my other clans, though there might be more, thanks to the tracks I've enjoyed in the Sphere monthly playlists, such as one of the tracks in this album. Termination Bliss is a perfect work of cyber metal and what got me interested in Deathstars, specifically "Blitzkrieg", filled with blazing epic techno-metal fire complete with an awesome mix of voice samples, guitar distortion, and driving rhythm. Many of the other songs are kinda like that, all staying heavy while displaying their usual industrial sound, with a couple calm tracks as well. Termination Bliss is Deathstars' best work and a (inter)stellar piece of cyber metal!
5/5
Recommended tracks: "Tongues", "Blitzkrieg", "Cyanide", "Greatest Fight on Earth", "Play God", "The Last Ammunition"
For fans of: PAIN, Rammstein, Samael
I did my review, here's its summary:
You ever think years from now, in the later part of this century, people are gonna look back at albums dating back to the 2000s and 2010s and realize how much outlandish yet great appeal would carry over to their future children? This album Deconstruction is an experimental evolution of an album to remember! We could finally see again what an extremely talented musician Townsend is. The production is inspiring and the music is ridiculously awesome! The experimental writing stays steady and catchy. The hooks are far more unique than the ones in Addicted or any other album in the world for that matter. An array of vocalists (as many as in Ayreon's albums) help sing these satirical yet meaningful lyrics for a bombastic nature taking this wonderful offering to where no other album has gone before... This mighty array includes harsh vocalists from Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Gojira, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, clean singers from bands like Cynic and Nightwish, and a guitar solo from Meshuggah. This unique mix of orchestral electro-industrial progressive metal that occurs in many songs, including a 16-minute epic in the middle, can be referred to as "Ziltoidian metal". But I refer to this album as...next-gen extreme Ayreon!
5/5
Recommended tracks: "Stand", "Planet of the Apes", "Sumeria", "The Mighty Masturbator", "Pandemic"
For fans of: Ayreon, Between the Buried and Me, Strapping Young Lad
I did my review, here's its summary:
Northlane were named after a song from metalcore band Architects and once known for their djent-fueled metalcore sound. While experimenting on their untouchable sound in recent albums might alienate their fanbase, for me, it fits well with my current clans! Many of the songs are bangers filled with emotion and talent in their music. The songs all stay heavy while displaying their dance-y industrial experimentation, with a couple calm tracks as well. The band has been plagued with lineup changes and other problems over the years, but they've never given up. Obsidian is the album they've pretty much dreamt of making, and much different from what they had 10 years prior. Well done, Northlane! You've served a masterpiece for the new modern metal age!
5/5
Recommended tracks: "Clarity", "Clockwork", "Echo Chamber", "Plenty", "Xen", "Cypher", "Obsidian"
For fans of: Mushroomhead, and the more recent albums by Architects and Code Orange
August 2022
1. Static-X - "Regeneration" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1 (2020)
2. Rob Zombie - "The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)" from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (2021)
3. White Zombie - "More Human Than Human" from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)
4. Vigilante - "Answers" from The Heroes' Code (2005)
5. Emigrate - "Eat You Alive" from Silent So Long (2014)
6. Die Krupps - "Welcome to the Blackout" from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)
7. Strapping Young Lad - "Wrong Side" from The New Black (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
8. Samael - "Jupiterian Vibe" from Passage (1996) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
9. Ministry - "Alter Level" from Moral Hygiene (2021)
10. KMFDM - "Juke-Joint Jezebel" from Nihil (1995)
11. Code Orange - "Erasure Scan" from Underneath (2020) [submitted by Daniel]
12. Northlane - "Echo Chamber" from Obsidian (2022)
13. Kidneythieves - "The Invisible Plan" from The Invisible Plan (2011)
14. Gravity Kills - "Enough" from Gravity Kills (1996)
15. Scum of the Earth - "Bombshell From Hell" from Sleaze Freak (2007)
16. Spineshank - "Beginning of the End" from Self-Destructive Pattern (2003)
17. Lard - "War Pimp Renaissance" from Pure Chewing Satisfaction (1997)
18. Zeromancer - "Doctor Online" from Eurotrash (2001)
19. Motionless in White - "Cyberhex" from Scoring the End of the World (2022)
20. Dawn of Ashes - "Scars of the Broken" from Scars of the Broken (2022)
21. Black Light Discipline - "Self Control" from Against Each Other (2012)
22. Breach the Void - "Propagate" from The Monochromatic Era (2010)
23. Heldmaschine - "Nachts am Kanal" from Propaganda (2014)
24. Terminal Choice - "Keine Macht" from Ubermacht (2010)
25. Godflesh - "Gift from Heaven (Heavenly)" from Love and Hate in Dub (1997) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
26. Marilyn Manson - "Tainted Love" from The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
27. Fear Factory - "End of Line" from Aggression Continuum (2021)
August 2022
1. Integrity - "Those Who Fear Tomorrow" from Those Who Fear Tomorrow (1991)
2. Avenged Sevenfold - "Unholy Confessions" from Waking the Fallen (2003)
3. Black Veil Brides - "Knives and Pens" from We Stitch the Wounds (2010)
4. Asking Alexandria - "Not the American Average" from Stand Up and Scream (2009) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
5. Iwrestledabearonce - "Corey Feldman Holocaust" from Iwrestledabearonce (2007)
6. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox" from Danza 4: The Alpha - the Omega (2012)
7. Rorschach - "In the Year of Our Lord" from Remain Sedate (1990)
8. Trivium - "Ember to Inferno" from Ember to Inferno (2003)
9. Premonitions of War - "Time for Iron" from Premonitions of War (2000)
10. Born of Osiris - "Rosecrance" from The New Reign (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
11. Converge - "Eagles Become Vultures" from You Fail Me (2004) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
12. Earth Crisis - "Firestorm/Forged in the Flames" from Firestorm (1993) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
13. Snapcase - "Killing Yourself To Live" from Progression Through Unlearning (1997) [submitted by Daniel]
14. Deadguy - "Free Mustache Rides" from Screamin' with the Deadguy Quintet (1996)
15. Deformity - "The Dark Sun" from Murder Within Sin (1999)
16. Crawlspace - "Enter the Realm of Chaos" from Enter the Realm of Chaos (2001)
17. God Forbid - "Chains of Humanity" from IV: Constitution of Treason (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
18. Underoath - "The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed" from Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
19. Electric Callboy - "We Got the Moves" from We Got the Moves (2021)
20. Memphis May Fire - "Wanting More" from This Light I Hold (2016)
21. Upon a Burning Body - "Snake Eyes" from A New Responsibility (2022)
22. In Hearts Wake - "Warcry" from Ark (2017)
23. Northlane - "Citizen" from Mesmer (2017)
24. Down & Dirty - "Heaven Sent" from Heaven Sent (2017)
25. Kingdom of Giants - "Wayfinder" from Passenger (2020)
26. Sienna Skies - "Misunderstood" from A Darker Shade of Truth (2016)
27. Wage War - "If Tomorrow Never Comes" from Manic (2021)
28. Betraying the Martyrs - "Swan Song" from Silver Lining (2022)
29. Shadow of Intent - "The Dreaded Mystic Abyss" from Melancholy (2020)
30. Every Time I Die - "We Go Together" from Radical (2021) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]