Metalcore is quite the saturated genre in 2023, with plenty of micro-genres of its own sprouting across. Melodic Metalcore has been one that has really had another bout in the past five years with the likes of Bad Omens, Holding Absence, Catch Your Breath, and countless others taking inspiration from the likes of Atreyu and more recently and notably, Bring Me The Horizon.
Ah, Sodom. This is a band that any true thrasher that is worth their weight in leather and spikes discovered early in their metal journey when looking outside the “Big Four.” With plenty more ferocity than their U.S. counterparts, Sodom has had a tremendous influence on all forms of extreme metal that would come after. For over 40 years, Germany’s thrash metal kings have consistently kept the fists pounding and the heads banging.
Sludge is what happens when hardcore kids play doom metal. Bristol’s Sugar Horse might not replace all the Black Sabbath with Black Flag on their new EP Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (Fat Dracula Records), but their anger owes a debt of gratitude to the bands who did. This is felt on the volatile side of their good cop / bad cop formula.
When a new review arrives in my inbox, I often listen to the music first before reading any release info from the band. I like to let the music do the talking before I check out any info from the PR agent. It wasn’t until I read the release info did I come to notice that The Amentia’s latest release Plague of Locus (Debemur Morti) contains a bunch of cover songs. Clearly, The Amentia were able to take a few tracks from bands that inspired them and to transform them into songs of their own.
Spiritbox have seemingly been effortlessly surfing the a crest of a wave since their debut album Eternal Blue blew up back in 2021, and have enjoyed a whirlwind couple of years since hitting millions of streams and views on Spotify and YouTube, while playing some huge festival shows and hitting the road with the likes of Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Ghost and Bring Me The Horizon. Continue reading
Evolution is inevitable. It happens in humanity, nature and even art. Since their start back in 2011, British extreme metallers, Overthrow have grown and evolved their style with each release. Starting out playing dirty thrash and adding in plenty of grimey black metal, Overthrow has upped their attack with more of a tried and true death metal attack.
Gothenburg might be famous for its renowned death metal scene, but few might have heard of doom metal bands hailing from the said town of At the Gates and In Flames. Say no more, because the doom outfit Monolord return with their new EP It’s All the Same (Relapse Records), shining a light once more on the Gothenburg doom scene!
While many may consider Deathcore to be a stagnant movement, the bands that espouse its styles continues to evolve as more artists come together to push boundaries. Brockton, Massachusetts natives, Worm Shepherd, have dropped their first EP (following two full lengths), The Sleeping Sun (Unique Leader Records), and the mixture of deathcore, symphonic death metal, and sprinkles of black metal themes ended up growing on you.
As an atmospheric Black Metal duo with a wide range of influences ranging from Crust to post-Metal, the Sweden-based Black Birch manage to keep both the classical and contemporary nuances of their sounds intact. Being the progressive, anti-fascist black metal act that they are, human nature and humans’ place and effect on earth become some of the recurring major themes in their songwriting.
Over the past decade, the once-notorious metalcore band, Atreyu have been going through a metamorphosis of sorts. From breakdowns and screams to grand sing-along choruses and arena-rock sounds, the band seems like they’ve set their sights and hearts on a sound dedicated to a bigger space, arenas, and stadiums instead of their frequented small academy slots where the band originally gained fame. This of course has been met with a strong mixture of love and derision from fans and foes alike since the release of their album In Our Wake. With the last album receiving polarising reviews across the board, will the latest of a collection of EP projects, The Moment You Find Your Flame (Spinefarm) allow the band to start winning back audiences and critics alike?