Fall Hard
Rediscovering my love of hardcore and screamo music this fall has got me pumped. There’s never been a better time to be a metal fan as it seems everyone is releasing new albums, which build upon their styles and expand the genre further. There’s seriously so much good music out there it’s depressing seeing the radio followers miss out. This list won’t be all teeth grinding metal but I can guarantee that all will sound amazing blasted in your headphones or in your car stereo.
VEIL OF MAYA – MIKASA
For some reason I never listened through Veil of Maya’s Matriarch album until late summer, and got hooked on this song for two reasons. The first is rather silly, the song is written after a character from an anime that I enjoy called Attack on Titan. The entire Matriarch album has song titles based off females from pop culture, which is kind of neat. The second reason is this song is just so good! It starts off with so much momentum and then they fake you out with one of my most favourite breakdowns right after the first chorus; that part of the song has given me goosebumps countless times. You can’t help but love songs that give you goosebumps. They also just released a new album titled False Idol. Check them out!
AUGUST BURNS RED – QUAKE
ABR has consistently put out amazing albums, and Phantom Anthem may be their best yet. When the album came out I played through it while working and then had it on while I drove home from work. Quake was the first song on the album that perked my ears a bit more and made me replay it immediately after at a louder decibel level. The guitar chord combinations leading up to the breakdown in the middle of the song tickled my fancy and made me happy that artists are still pushing this genre of music to new heights.
BUTCHER BABIES – HEADSPIN
Their sound has stayed consistent throughout their albums but they haven’t stopped improving it. This album utilizes more singing than the others which I like and it’s neat to see their progression since I saw them in 2015.
NOTHING MORE – THIS IS THE TIME (BALLAST)
Music means something different to everyone and different songs can remind you of different moments in your life. I love discovering new music and tools like Spotify have definitely added to the experience but sometimes just sharing a song you love with a friend is so much better. I found out about Nothing More through my girlfriend and have been enjoying their heavy rock guitars with clean and talented vocals.
LETLIVE. – BANSHEE (GHOST FAME)
A discover weekly spotify find for me. I’ve heard a few letlive. tracks here and there but when this one came on it had a little extra kick to it. My head couldn’t help but bob along with the groove during the ‘my stomach hates that, hates the bitter taste of the truth‘. It gets me pumped and I like songs that get me pumped.
OUR LAST NIGHT – HUMBLE. (Kendrick Lamar Cover)
I either came across Our Last Night through a related artist or discover weekly, either way I have spotify to thank again. Then when visiting their page I noticed they did a cover of Kendrick Lamar’s Humble and had to check it out. This is most definitely my favourite metal cover of a hip hop song I’ve come across. Where they decided to scream instead of rap is amazing, the guitars and vocals are awesome, and it’s a track that I’ve hit repeat over and over again lately. Such a good song.
SLEEPWAVE – PAPER PLANES
When Underoath broke up we were left with a void in hardcore music. Us Underoath fans just replayed their old albums and enjoyed what they were, but Spencer Chamberlain couldn’t stop pursuing music. Sleepwave was born. This is my favourite track from the album, I wonder what Spencer plans to do with Sleepwave now that Underoath is back together.
BEING AS AN OCEAN – DISSOLVE
Being As An Ocean was one of those bands that the first time I heard them was at a concert. Earlier in life I always found it annoying for some reason that bands I never heard of opened for the bands I actually wanted to see. Now I’m stoked whenever I go to a concert because sometimes you find new bands you grow to love. Being As An Ocean definitely left a big impression on me from their live performance, I don’t think I’d like them as much if I didn’t see them live to be honest. This song off their new album strikes a chord with me though, and it’s another one that gets played quite frequently lately.
Evolving Spotify Playlist with some additions:
By Ben
After hours you can find Ben enjoying a beer while working in the garage. Or working on another digital project, enjoying a beer. The common denominator is beer.
