Browsing Tag

Metalcore

Mondegreen Melodised Nu Metal in Their Annhilative Revival, Are You Sure

Posted on 9 April 2024

With their debut single, Are You Sure, Oxford’s Mondegreen did more than just throw their hat in the Nu Metal revival ring; the expansive annihilative aural aesthetic in the cataclysmic hit allowed the five-piece to stand at the vanguard of the movement and tear down the constructs that constrain the genre.

By feeding the juggernautical grows of the basslines, the cacophonous percussion and the sirening guitars in an ethereally intense atmosphere injected with Metalcore increments of electronica, nostalgia for Mushroomhead, and melodic vocal hooks, Mondegreen scribed a thunderously distinctive sonic signature that has the capacity to write the future of the genre.

After forming in 2023, the outfit is on a mission to deliver heartfelt lyricism through hard-hitting riffs and shake up the status quo, after Are You Sure obliterated my speakers, I can safely say they’re on the right trajectory and they’re one of the most promising new names on the UK metal scene.

Are You Sure is now available to stream on all major platforms including Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shrapnel unleashed the meta(l)morphosis of the year with their latest single, In Gravity ft Scott Kennedy

Posted on 8 December 2023

In collaboration with Scott Kennedy (Bleed from Within), the eclectically inspired metal monoliths Shrapnel unleashed the meta(l)morphosis of the year with their latest single, In Gravity.

All the precision, power and prowess that catapulted Shrapnel to acclaim is ensnaringly evident in the fervently cathartic juggernaut, which sonically and thematically moved with the times to acknowledge the pain, tragedy, and isolation collectively endured in recent years and to place the powerhouse at the pinnacle of modern metal.

After breaking through the chains of expectation and obligation to confine themselves to assimilating thrash antiquities, In Gravity is an adrenalized statement of intent. There’s no understating the riled euphoric energy which insurgently courses through the veins of the anthem for optimism where demons are exercised, and the past is forsaken for the present.

Between the exhilarating earworm propensities in the melodically cataclysmic choruses, the brutality of the breakdowns, the relentless dynamism of the guitars, and the flawless production by Jens Bogren (Sepultura, Kreator, Devin Townsend), the new maturity of Shrapnel is priming them to become the orchestrators of the album of the year in 2024.

In Gravity was released on December 7. Add it to your metal playlists on Spotify or stream the official music video on YouTube.

Follow Shrapnel on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LOOK ALIVE quaked the Calgary metalcore scene with the visceral vehemence in their single, Scum

Posted on 8 November 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePZqf-mHKso

LOOK ALIVE ripped up the roots of hardcore and implanted them within their latest behemoth of a single, Scum, which is set to put them at the vanguard of the Calgary metalcore movement. Savage and intricately intelligent, the powerhouse efficaciously succeeded in its strive for a distinct sound that shatters the confines of hardcore.

From the first blisteringly tumultuous beats and savagely cataclysmic guitar licks, LOOK ALIVE drags you into their adrenalized-with-aggression realm; expect to collide with a universe drenched in wild hues and intricate layers and Jeremy Richardson’s raw, unmatched vocal prowess.

Before the scummy protagonists in your life lead you to a breakdown, embrace the cathartic vehemence in the gnarled breakdowns and put Scum in your sonic arsenal. Crafting every tune, visual, and concept off the back of their own visceral volition, LOOK ALIVE emerges as an outfit few should dare to rival.

The official video for Scum premiered on October 27; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shadowburn let the film roll in their cinematic alt-metalcore single, Naked with You  

Posted on 24 August 2023

Maryland’s most experimental outfit, Shadowburn let the film roll in their cinematic alt-metalcore single, Naked with You. As the clothes hit the floor, the atmospheric magnetism of the fiercely liberating release draws you deeper into the alchemic combination of funked-up bass grooves, melodic rock licks and the vocal pop hooks that make way for the guttural outcry the track closes one.

Just when you think you’ve got Shadowburn pegged, which may or may not be an inapt turn of phrase given the track title, they hit you with a cataclysmic curveball of a metalcore breakdown. With each member bringing their own influences and styles to the outfit, arresting distinction was always going to come to fruition. Yet, how good it feels to immerse yourself in it was far from a given.

After opening for everyone from Lacuna Coil to Butcher Babies to Powerman 5000 and taking over the Tri-State area, Shadowburn, who throw their heart and soul into their amalgamated ingenuity, are clearly on the rise; get them on your radar and watch their ascent.

Stream Naked with You on all major platforms, including Spotify, Bandcamp and Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TITVN reached the height of visceral volition in their Nu Metal take on Deathcore, The Alpha One

Posted on 17 March 2023

The Cali aural aggravators, TITVN, reinvented the wheel as much as their own signature sound in their amalgamation of Deathcore and Nu Metal in their bruisingly dominant hit, The Alpha One.

Slipknot may have left the heavier instrumentals behind them in their last few albums; TITVN picked up the discarded weight and amplified it to the nth degree in their gutturally juggernatic hit that puts as much volition into the vocals as it puts into the expertly timed blast beats and future-embracing metalcore breakdowns.

Even as no stranger to the metalcore icons that reigned supreme at the turn of the century, the energy in The Alpha One is enough to leave Lamb of God, Architects, and As I Lay Dying sounding weaker than Nickelback (sorry Chad).

The official music video for The Alpha One will officially premiere on March 17th; prime your speakers for it before you hit YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Luna Falling – The End: Bio-Mechanical Post-Hardcore

Posted on 9 January 2023

If Blue October hailed from 100 years in the future, their fervid firestorms would resound with the same pioneering panache as the hits from the Ohio-based outfit, Luna Falling.

The End relatably signifies the collective state of discontent in a time when we’re all sick of the threat that the curtains could close at any given moment. The futuristically thunderous drum sequences rail across the synths that give this feat of post-hardcore a potent shot of bio-mechanical flair while creating a glitchy platform for the cascades of aching emotion that are all too easy to resonate with.

Will Carlson notably knows how to pull a massive production together. Hit play, and you will be consumed by the tightly melodic kaleidoscopic furore.

The End is now available to stream on Spotify. Follow Luna Falling via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Seven Layer Piano Cakes gives melodic metalcore a classical touch with ‘Middlegame’

Posted on 3 March 2021
Seven Layer Piano Cakes

Last year, Seven Layer Piano Cakes appeared on our radar with their dreamy feat of indietronica ‘The Patriarch’, leaving us enamoured yet ridiculously underprepared for his latest release ‘Middlegame’.

The 00s emo kid in me can scarcely deal with the feisty alchemy which spills when a classically trained pianist tackles a melodic metalcore style which wouldn’t be out of place on an old school Bring Me the Horizon album.

With Seven Layer Piano Cakes’ neo-classic keys combined with the harsh snares which smack under sinister synth-lines, Middlegame is practically overwhelming – especially when the guitars start to slash the soundscape with angularly absorbing notes.

Listen to Seven Layer Piano Cakes on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

When Dark – Madness: Stylistically Ensnaring Metalcore

Posted on 15 November 2020

Alt Rock trailblazers When Dark may have only made their inception in June 2020, but the collective of experienced artists brought all of their prowess to the aural table to form one of the most promising powerhouses currently contributing to the airwaves. Yeah, that includes Mr Bungle too.

Their latest single, Madness, perfectly captures that tempestuously frustrative state which you teeter on while on the brink of madness. Trent Holcomb’s vocals offer all the sniping rage you’d want to meet in a feisty high-octane Metal hit. More pertinently, the vocals affirm that their undiluted soul fell into the orchestration of their standout single.

With massive choruses which will catch in your throat alongside colossally visceral instrumental breakdowns, you really couldn’t ask for more from the darkly electrifying track. You hit play and you’re instantly left sharing in the ardent potency of the stylistically ensnaring release.

Any fans of Killswitch Engage, In Flames and As I Lay Dying will definitely appreciate this monstrous Metalcore gem.

You can catch When Dark’s track Madness via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast  

Icarus has released their aural juggernaut of an Alt Metal EP “Bleeding Out”

Posted on 21 April 2020
https://open.spotify.com/track/2D6AxDsiTHFyt32ZXONuPX

Breaking Alt Metal 5-piece Icarus cooked up a cataclysmic storm with their debut EP “Undivided Attention”.

Rather than trying to find their sound within the constraints of a metal sub-genre, you’ll find everything from Thrash to Hardcore Punk to Groove Metal to Nu Metal in the four blisteringly mind-bending tracks.

Each track is an aural juggernaut which will demand repeat attention at max volume. Track 1 “Bleeding Out” is the best introduction to Icarus’ expansive sound. Their sound may be heavy, dark and brutal, but you’ll still be able to expect massive choruses and sharp lyrical hooks in the high-octane super-charged Metal perennial earworm.

The gutturally fierce vocals use a clear enough diction to enable the angst-driven lyrics to resonate in a way in which could unite fans of punk pioneers Napalm Death and fans of Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes alike. If Download 2020 was going ahead, Icarus would deserve a mainstage spot.

You can check out Icarus’ EP for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Common Choir – Dive Bar Knight Life Pt 2: Colossally Caustic Metalcore

Posted on 17 March 2020

If you’re always on the lookout for the freshest Metalcore talent, you won’t have to look much further than Common Choir.

The standout single “Dive Bar Knight Life Pt 2” from their self-released EP is a cathartically volatile hit which is driven by pure unfaltering tensile momentum and soul slicing raw emotion.

You only need to listen to the tight synergy in to affirm that Common Choir is a powerhouse. From Dive Bar Knight Life Pt 2 you can expect consuming choruses and instrumental breakdowns which will leave any discerning metal fan with goosebumps. There’s no chance of missing the virtuosity of the bassist. The thunderous growls are enough to make you suspicious that he’s of relation to Thor.

And no review of Common Choir would be complete without mentioning the captivatingly dynamic vocals which consistently evolve in perfect synergy with the instrumentals. From throat-rippingly raw screams, to soaring vocal melodies, this monster of a track proves that the Minnesota band can offer it all.

You can check out the official video to Dive Bar Knight Life Pt 2 which was released on January 5th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast