These likes will be from the 2000-2010 scene (as there's a huge movement of so called Deathcore going on these days, rather than ol' metalcore), and it does NOT necessarily have to come from the USA. I'm not really a huge fan of the genre as whole compared to, let's say death metal, but there are a bunch of bands that are pretty fuckin' rad, so check this list out, alright?!
-------------------
10. The Browning
First one out to kick off this list is The Browning. They're an English band, at least I believe so (not 100 % sure) and they currently have two albums under their belt. Besides having a rather...shitty name, which could be easy to make fun of for elitists, they're pretty unique as far as their sound goes: combining electronic music with groovy death metal stuff. They're even signed to the old death metal label Earache.
Album(s) to check out: all of them (pretty much the same deal).
9. Austrian Death Machine
Some of you might say, "what? An Austrian industrial, ehm, death metal band?", but no. As some others of you probably know, this is Tim Lambesis (of As I Lay Dying fame) side project based around all the amazing quotes and movies of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The sound is pretty laden with thrash, but is probably still more accurately described as thrashy metalcore for the purists. I placed 'em as number nine since the music is not actually THAT good or original, but the Arnold Schwarzenegger themes are fucking awesome and will sure trigger some laughing. This is now on hold though, since the bad boy ex-christian Timmy tried to kill his wife and now most likely receives lots of wood in prison.
Album(s) to check out: "Total Brutal" for music, "Double Brutal" for the themes.
8. Mutiny Within
I like to relate this band's situation to that of all the many glam bands in 1990, just when grunge was right around the corner. These boys unleashed their debut in 2010 just as metalcore was more or less on a steady decline, and the current and still strong retro wave of metal was picking up speed. I loved their self-titled debut and its progressive influences along with some 80's style shredding and power metal vocals.
Unfortunately, they probably came too late and went by mostly unnoticed. They also had shitloads of label troubles and got dropped, disbanded, reformed, put out another album, but I just don't quite like it. It's missing all the essential cores that the debut has, so these days, after hearing how their sophomore album turned out, Mutiny Within could've just remained disbanded for me and left that one debut album to its legacy.
Album(s) to check out: S/T (Mutiny Within)
7. Machine Head
It's up for debate whether or not they should be included or not. They were around in the 90's already, and were well known back then already as well. While I also like their 90's stuff more, they still put out some great albums later on as well, and one of those albums played a very large role in the metalcore movement in the late 00's. While they always had a signature sound, they also constantly progresses and do something new, for better or worse. Personally, I just don't think they ever matched their hardcore-furious groove metal they put out in the 90's, but their post-90's stuff goes from some rather bad to some pretty awesome albums anyway.
Album(s) to check out: "The Blackening", "Burn My Eyes" (90's album, though)
6. God Forbid
A massively underrated band of the 2000's metal scene. God Forbid is another band that was really good, melodic, heavy and aggressive in a nice mix. Their use of multi-vocals also made them sound a bit like Mastodon, which in book is a very cool thing. I would rate them higher than Trivium judging by the albums mentioned below, but unfortunately God Forbid made some not-nearly-as-good albums early on in their career.
Album(s) to check out: "Gone Forever", "Earthsblood", "Equilibrium".
5. Trivium
This band is probably the closest thing to a Metallica type-band in this bunch. They share several similarities as far as music, vocals and album progression goes. Their fan base is pretty torn apart because of this, though maybe in even more camps than Metallica's fan base. Some fans love their early stuff where they looked emo, some people like their middle stuff which was a lot thrashier, and some like their more recent stuff.
I'm not really a regular fan of theirs - I love their thrash stuff, but I do in fact like one of their more recent works a lot as well, though most fans bash it as their shittiest album. I just think that they can be really fucking good when they head into certain styles of metal, but not everything they've done has suited my taste. Yet, their good stuff is so good it puts 'em in the top-5 on my list.
Album(s) to check out: "Shogun", "The Crusade", "Vengeance Falls".
4. Mastodon
Just a bit like Trivium, Mastodon tend to be a roller-coaster when it comes to music. While I still dislike to describe them as that, because it's not really true, I have to admit that I'm less fond/have a harder time listening to some of their stuff than others. Their earlier stuff, particularly their debut, are not-as-interesting to me as their later stuff. While their most recent stuff is a lot more commercial though, I still fucking like it a lot. But Mastodon's finest work is to be found in their middle era.
Album(s) to check out: "Crack The Skye", "The Hunter", "Leviathan".
3. Lamb of God
These guys don't really need a further explanation. If you don't know, then you're either just a fucking poseur or very late to the party.
Album(s) to check out: "Wrath", "VII: Sturm Und Drang", "As The Palaces Burn".
2. DevilDriver
Out of the bands in this list, this one took the longest for me to "understand". I had some hard times getting into their music before most of the other bands, but it wasn't because it was bad or weird or anything. Now I do know why that was, however. DD has this unique kind of guitar vibe/sound that is pretty special. It really forms their sound to what it is, and I just simply wasn't familiar with anything quite like it before, so I didn't understand their music.
Like so many other bands, though, DD has a fan base where people tend to bash some of their more recent albums, while really favoring their early stuff. I think they're actually fucking good all-around - they progress constantly, but it's always DD and at least some interesting stuff to be found on albums. Guitar-wise, when it comes to harmonic shit, DD takes the cream of the crop in this list. I just love their more clean and ballad-esque stuff.
Album(s) to check out: "The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand", "Pray For Villains", "Winter Kills".
1. Chimaira
And so comes #1 - Chimaira, my favorite band of the genre known as either metalcore or NWoAHM. What I truly love about these guys is the bad-ass sound they've got goin' on, and the riffing is fucking hard, sometimes fast and just killer most of the times. The drumming, particularly that of Andols Herrick, is fucking awesome as well - he knows exactly how to put in all the good shite.
The most important thing that makes Chimaira extra special for me is their electronic department. They use quite a lot of atmospheric electronic effects and sounds to enhance their sound, and it also truly pays off. Compared to so many other bands in the genre, it just adds so much more to the music, and that's all what I'm here for. Chimaira is the Faith No More or Type O Negative or Samael or whatever of metalcore to me. I'm not gonna expand on it any further, but they're just exactly my kind of thing.
Album(s) to check out: "The Infection", "Chimaira", "The Impossibility Of Reason".
-----------------------
BONUS! Worthy of mention but didn't make the list:
- Himsa
- Bleed The Sky
- Bleeding Through
- DragonForce
- Amon Amarth
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar