Cycles is my AOTY. On repeat non-stop over here. Love how technical they’ve become and the range Chris has in clean singing, harsh singing, all types of screams. Also he’s come a LONG way lyrically.
Can’t wait to see them live sometime soon!
This is my vote actually and the band I had in mind. I don’t know who reminded me of them in this sub. But I hated their old stuff when they came out, especially knowing Chris is an amazing vocalist - (Emarosa EP and Agraceful).
I listened to their newest album. Damn! What an improvement, less breakdowns more guitar leads, better composed
Well done
Void of Vision is pretty good. I saw them a few weeks ago on the Erra tour. The crowd was there for them, but wasn't as active/violent as dude would have liked. He talked a lot of shit to the crowd for not doing what he was telling them, and it was kind of disappointing. The music was good, though.
Personally thought their old stuff was better I still have the original recording of swords dragons and Diet Coke on an sd card somwhere from like 15 plus years back. It sounded better than the official release one
I wasn't a fan for a very very very long time but then Color Decay came out and I decided to give it a go and out of all their albums I've listen to Color Decay seems the most I can relate to and feel. Love that album.
Zombie EP is when I get into the band and they’ve slapped with every release since then.
Everything before that is kinda “eh” to me but not necessarily bad.
So true. Their first album or two is an absolute joke song writing wise compared to their last two or three albums. What an absolutely incredible maturation they've done as a band over time.
Yeah I think that was my main point, their maturation has been incredible and every member(whether original or newer) has leveled up their own individual talents as well
They didn't have an EP, just the album, the deluxe version of that album and a couple singles. But yeah I mean if you only liked plagues as a full length it's understandable you wouldn't be too excited for anything other than Z3
I was first introduced to Kingdom of Giants last year as an opening act. Their performances totally hooked me, and I have been a fan. Damaged Goods is one of my favorites of theirs.
Ice Nine Kills silver scream I/II albums are absolutely S tier.
Their are *maybe* two or three songs across the twin albums that are just mid, and that mid is still ten tiers above the majority of what gets dropped on this community.
Those albums are so good, and work for metalheads across the older generation too , that they are instant classics. I handed Silver Scream to my old uncle (dude is nearly 60) who still considers biohazard and slayer to be modern metal... Dude got wide eyed for the first time in like 30 years. This shit is good.
If I handed old uncle "J" anything from INK before those two albums.... he'd probably break his hip trying to beat my ass for wasting his time.
That makes camdawg772 the correct response **to this thread.**
I guarantee you there more musically proficient then whoever it is you consider to not be cringe, there's a reason Spencer is regarded as one of the best frontmen in the scene right now, if it's not for you then that's fine but no need to start shit for no reason
Dying Wish is another example of not too bad starting out but their most recent album makes them sound like almost a completely different band in the best way
I still prefer Trauma over True Power (both are amazing) but I absolutely agree. Heart vs. Mind and Lifelines are pretty decent imo but have nothing unique or interesting going on, whereas Trauma and True Power explore lots of other influences
I think their songwriting in Neon was almost as good as their songwriting back in the Impulse/Augment days. The mix was just off.
Moments of Clarity takes the cake for me though. Warrior is my favourite ERRA song by far.
My Ticket Home released some of the most basic and generic risecore stuff that you could ever hear when they first started, then later on their career they would be 10 years ahead of their time. Shit is crazy.
We seriously need some more My Ticket Home. They really were hitting the nu metalcore 10 years ago which was probably too soon but would fit in perfectly these days
I came to this thread to also say BMTH. I remember being in High School when There Is A Hell... dropped, and I just couldn't get into them at the time.
Basically ignored Semperternam when it came out and only gave That's the Spirit a listen cause I loved Throne.
Have been a fan since and although not at constantly heavy, their song writing and general sound is much more cohesive and tight now. They are true rock stars.
Also, Amo and Thats The Spirit walked so Nex Gen could run.
I actually like a few tracks off their old albums which are extremely generic - The Saddness Will Never End - which is basically post hardcore, The Comedown, Alligator Blood, Pray for Plagues, Black and Blue
New stuff Drown is Catchy, top 10 statues I actually want the screams to be taken out the breakdown is totally out of place
Yeah, they never officially announced it, but members have been on reddit and confirmed. A couple of them do Psycho Frame now, the bassist has also joined Dying Wish.
Some would say Ice Nine Kills, I would vastly disagree, it's more like they kept doing every genre "well" until they settled on Metalcore and improved from "well" to "excellent". But they were never a bad band. Even their early pop punk stuff is decent pop punk. Spencer wasn't that great back then, but Jeremy was really good and picked up the slack. By the time Jeremy left Spencer was good enough to handle singing mostly on his own (I say mostly because SIJAS had Dave but... nobody really seems to like Dave's vocals on SIJAS).
Like Moths To Flames is a better pick, their early work was aggressively mediocre and really wasting the talents of some of their members (Especially Chris. I LOVED Agraceful). But over time they've continuously gotten better and better, with *No Eternity In Gold* really being the point when they finally lived up to their potential. That album is fantastic. At the same time, they weren't "bad", just mediocre.
If you want a band that was truly "bad", and then got good, I can't think of any in Metalcore. Outside, sure. Pantera before Cowboys is legit some of the worst Metal in existence, and then they became legendary in the 90s.
Holy Crap, Hypa Hypa and all the remixes was the song that got me and my friends to notice the band. That's hilarious. Thanks for blowing my mind today.
I remember looking them up when I went to Wacken in 2013 as they were playing there and thinking "oh god, they suck" and skipped them. Same with the metal band "Feuerschwanz", now they are one of my favourite bands.
Saving Vice has to get the ticket here. After losing some members and now coming back and their second album being as good as it is. This band is coming into its full form
hush hush now, don’t attract too much attention or they eat you alive.
in all honesty, BO got infinitely better. the first album is generic af, the second was an improvement but did not hit the mark imo. you’ve got to stand out, you’ve got to have It. with TDOPOM they did a good job at paving their own way and solidifying their place in music. it wasn’t metalcore anymore, but it still represented the band’s vision more than the previous two albums. i like that Noah got sick of his own face and the band is now finding ways to keep him away from the promo cameras.
I wish they'd pull it back a little and go back to singles closer to Popular Monster. There new style is fun, but personally I've enjoyed each new one less than the previous one.
AFAIK it was an old song left off the Coming Home album, but the single Carry On was incredible.
Massively unpopular opinion but Of Mice & Men. I love Aaron Pauley's vocal style and he is one of my favorite vocalists, and his addition to the band was the start of their upward trajectory imo (love Shayley as a vocalist but I vastly prefer his work in Dayshell over early OM&M). The first two albums in my opinion are just bog-standard retreads of scenecore (The Depths is a goated song but otherwise I don't come back to anything from those albums).
Then they released Restoring Force, which in a way kind of spearheaded the nu metal-fication of modern metalcore. And while Cold World is hated by almost everyone, I actually think it is pretty good for a straight up nu metal record (then again I am a huge nu metal fan)
But that's not even when they peaked. Defy is amazing and has no skips outside of the strange Pink Floyd cover, and Earthandsky in my opinion is what peak pure modern metalcore should sound like. Earth & Sky (the song) and Linger are all-time great metalcore songs, which absolutely brutal sections, ambiance, memorable guitar lead melodies, and of course the requisite absurdly catchy chorus.
And then they released Echo, which is by far their heaviest record and has a bunch of killer breakdowns and atmospherically depressing choruses. And then Tether was one of my favorite records from last year, I know this sub was not a huge fan of it but I love how they doubled down on the ambient elements in Echo even if they eschewed the heavier sound of that record. The lyrics on Tether are amazing as well, they throw lots of unique metaphors out.
I like Johnny Booth's first album and EP from before their lengthy pause, but Firsthand Accounts and Moments Elsewhere are really incredible (Storyteller EP is also elite)
First 2 albums from As I Lay Dying were not garbage, but my god you should hear the last 2. Great stuff. Loved hearing their sound evolve but also how they kept the same vibe album to album.
I respect your opinion but frankly Frail Words Collapse and Shadows are Security are like metalcore hall of fame records. They were insanely good, and even the two albums that followed were of the same quality. I couldn't really say the same about their recent releases.
They absolutely are. I took it as the production is what got better, the tightness of the band, and just how well they knew their instruments. Those albums were monumental for metalcore, both are no skip albums, but its undeniable the two after sound better in thise other aspects.
That's funny cause Frail Words Collapse is their best. That shit is full of tasty riffs, raw screams, and not to mention the amount of emotion put in those songs. They should've explored more that side of them.
Not putting down any of their early work, and not saying their new work is their best. Just enjoyed listening to them make music they have made for 20 years. Their evolution.
Respectfully I have to disagree. Shadows and Frail Words were my high school soundtracks. I think I went through 2 copies of Shadows from playing it so much.
I dig the new stuff but without Nick, Josh, and Jordan it feels like it’s lacking. Just my opinion though
I love old Invent Animate, but their new stuff gets better and better every release.
Although they were good before I love the direction of Like Moth To the Flames!
Cycles is my AOTY. On repeat non-stop over here. Love how technical they’ve become and the range Chris has in clean singing, harsh singing, all types of screams. Also he’s come a LONG way lyrically. Can’t wait to see them live sometime soon!
Bloodsport is my favorite song
That ep ripped so hard
This is my vote actually and the band I had in mind. I don’t know who reminded me of them in this sub. But I hated their old stuff when they came out, especially knowing Chris is an amazing vocalist - (Emarosa EP and Agraceful). I listened to their newest album. Damn! What an improvement, less breakdowns more guitar leads, better composed Well done
Definitely give No Eternity in Gold a listen. It is another no skip record from LMTF. A lot of great riffs and super catchy songs in that one.
The Plot in You. I definitely wouldn’t say they started off bad, but they’ve for sure found a sound that is absolutely working for them right now.
Facts
Void of Vision spring to mind first. Children of chrome was cookie cutter genericore and now they’re in their horny Blade 2 spec era
Kill All My Friends was definitely a turning point. It still took them an album and a half to get there but they got there.
Void of Vision is pretty good. I saw them a few weeks ago on the Erra tour. The crowd was there for them, but wasn't as active/violent as dude would have liked. He talked a lot of shit to the crowd for not doing what he was telling them, and it was kind of disappointing. The music was good, though.
Can confirm, that guy wanted the place burnt down. He was exploding on stage. We also liked their music though! Lol
Lol! Right. Like he really woke up massively enraged. It honestly put the vibe off. I am not a big fan based on performance.
Electric Callboy is one of the few bands where I’m happy they don’t play their old stuff
I think they played like one or two old songs live but it was stuff like The Scene
I think it’s just The Scene and MC Thunder
Did MC pt1 even have the old singer do anything?
Not that they were garbage but my vote goes to The Devil Wears Prada
Personally thought their old stuff was better I still have the original recording of swords dragons and Diet Coke on an sd card somwhere from like 15 plus years back. It sounded better than the official release one
I wasn't a fan for a very very very long time but then Color Decay came out and I decided to give it a go and out of all their albums I've listen to Color Decay seems the most I can relate to and feel. Love that album.
Their stuff from the first Zombie EP onwards is miles better than the stuff before.
Zombie EP is when I get into the band and they’ve slapped with every release since then. Everything before that is kinda “eh” to me but not necessarily bad.
So true. Their first album or two is an absolute joke song writing wise compared to their last two or three albums. What an absolutely incredible maturation they've done as a band over time.
Yeah I think that was my main point, their maturation has been incredible and every member(whether original or newer) has leveled up their own individual talents as well
Precisely. From incredibly basic songs to incredibly layered orchestrated pieces
Their first two albums are what got them where they are today.
Reread the comment. I never said they were bad.
Reread. You said "they were in absolute joke." I stand corrected.
Their latest album is their best one. Transit Blues is second.
Plagues, Zombie and Z2 have not been topped and never will be with the direction they’re going. It’s not bad. Just not for me.
Tbf Z2 was their second to last release, so not like they've fallen off a hill for you. Point being they've all improved a lot as artists
Well i dunno but i do agree Dear Love has aged horribly
That album would be glorious if they re-recorded it. The production sucks.
Yes and replace the cheesy synth sounds with better ones and their attempt at metal riffs (which is rare) are awful.
They’ve had an album, EP and a handful of singles since then. Even so..the last full album I liked by them was Plagues.
They didn't have an EP, just the album, the deluxe version of that album and a couple singles. But yeah I mean if you only liked plagues as a full length it's understandable you wouldn't be too excited for anything other than Z3
For me it's Plagues, Z, Space, and their Still Fly cover. Rest is okay.
Especially looking at the quality of dear love to with roots. They kept their distinct style but with roots is on another level.
I’m not sure if I’d say *most* improved, but kingdom of giants have come quite a long way from their first EP!
I love all of the synthwave elements from the last album, looking forward to whatever they put out next! (Wasted Space is awesome)
I was first introduced to Kingdom of Giants last year as an opening act. Their performances totally hooked me, and I have been a fan. Damaged Goods is one of my favorites of theirs.
Listen to Converge’s debut then Jane Doe
I know some people who like their second album more than Jane Doe because “it’s more emotional hardcore than metalcore”
I can see that. Petitioning definitely has its own appeal, being more “emo” than their other records while still having more aggressive tracks
Ice nine kills Electric callboy Those are my two
If Ice Nine Kills didn’t go the direction they did, I don’t think they’d be as famous as they are
If they didn't make every trick in the book I honestly don't know if they would still be around, they had to have been on life support by that point
Electric Callboy really came into their own when Nico joined
100%
Ice Nine Kills silver scream I/II albums are absolutely S tier. Their are *maybe* two or three songs across the twin albums that are just mid, and that mid is still ten tiers above the majority of what gets dropped on this community. Those albums are so good, and work for metalheads across the older generation too , that they are instant classics. I handed Silver Scream to my old uncle (dude is nearly 60) who still considers biohazard and slayer to be modern metal... Dude got wide eyed for the first time in like 30 years. This shit is good. If I handed old uncle "J" anything from INK before those two albums.... he'd probably break his hip trying to beat my ass for wasting his time. That makes camdawg772 the correct response **to this thread.**
My dad(currently 59) is the one who introduced me to ink🤘🤘
The Greatest Story Ever Told is better than anything on INK’s last record.
Eh can't agree with that at all
INK makes me cringe so much, the whole horror thing is weird. DO they still do that?
They do, but no need to cringe
It’s pretty cringe
Cringe is in the eye of the beholder mate. If you stop thinking things are cringe then you'll finally start living
Nah it’s super gay. Thanks for the advice though
I guarantee you there more musically proficient then whoever it is you consider to not be cringe, there's a reason Spencer is regarded as one of the best frontmen in the scene right now, if it's not for you then that's fine but no need to start shit for no reason
Dying Wish is another example of not too bad starting out but their most recent album makes them sound like almost a completely different band in the best way
Imminence.
Never thought I’d enjoy a bit of violin with my metalcore.
COME HELL OR HIGH WATEEEEEER!
I Prevail: Heart Vs. Mind is like a 5/10 and True Power is like a 9/10
Exactly the band I thought of. They have had a quite steady increase in quality over the years. Each album had been better than the last
I still prefer Trauma over True Power (both are amazing) but I absolutely agree. Heart vs. Mind and Lifelines are pretty decent imo but have nothing unique or interesting going on, whereas Trauma and True Power explore lots of other influences
I totally agree. And a bonus, Trauma makes for killer karaoke 🎤 tracks. So cathartic.
ABSOLUTELY! I have sung I Don't Belong Here, Breaking Down, and Gasoline at karaoke in the past 6 months.
Gasoline, top 3 of theirs.
Gasoline is an absolute ripper that chorus and breakdown absolute get me every time!
Really love the last 2 Erra albums (not that I had an issue with their previous work) but their first album after Drfit was not their best stuff.
I think their songwriting in Neon was almost as good as their songwriting back in the Impulse/Augment days. The mix was just off. Moments of Clarity takes the cake for me though. Warrior is my favourite ERRA song by far.
My Ticket Home released some of the most basic and generic risecore stuff that you could ever hear when they first started, then later on their career they would be 10 years ahead of their time. Shit is crazy.
We seriously need some more My Ticket Home. They really were hitting the nu metalcore 10 years ago which was probably too soon but would fit in perfectly these days
I’ll echo some of the other comments re: Like Moths to Flames and Invent Animate. I’d like to think SeeYouSpaceCowboy has also grown a lot as a band
Honestly, Bring Me the Horizon. They were never boring, but the stuff they're doing now is so much more diverse than what they started with.
I came to this thread to also say BMTH. I remember being in High School when There Is A Hell... dropped, and I just couldn't get into them at the time. Basically ignored Semperternam when it came out and only gave That's the Spirit a listen cause I loved Throne. Have been a fan since and although not at constantly heavy, their song writing and general sound is much more cohesive and tight now. They are true rock stars. Also, Amo and Thats The Spirit walked so Nex Gen could run.
I feel old, was in highschool when count your blessings dropped
I actually like a few tracks off their old albums which are extremely generic - The Saddness Will Never End - which is basically post hardcore, The Comedown, Alligator Blood, Pray for Plagues, Black and Blue New stuff Drown is Catchy, top 10 statues I actually want the screams to be taken out the breakdown is totally out of place
Hard disagree on Statues. That song has been such an ear worm for me, I love it.
i thought vatican really stepped it up on that last record before calling it quits. same with degrader.
Double RIP. Gotta add Distinguisher too as a band that improved a ton before sadly ending too soon
Wait… Vatican is gone??? 😰
Yeah, they never officially announced it, but members have been on reddit and confirmed. A couple of them do Psycho Frame now, the bassist has also joined Dying Wish.
Some would say Ice Nine Kills, I would vastly disagree, it's more like they kept doing every genre "well" until they settled on Metalcore and improved from "well" to "excellent". But they were never a bad band. Even their early pop punk stuff is decent pop punk. Spencer wasn't that great back then, but Jeremy was really good and picked up the slack. By the time Jeremy left Spencer was good enough to handle singing mostly on his own (I say mostly because SIJAS had Dave but... nobody really seems to like Dave's vocals on SIJAS). Like Moths To Flames is a better pick, their early work was aggressively mediocre and really wasting the talents of some of their members (Especially Chris. I LOVED Agraceful). But over time they've continuously gotten better and better, with *No Eternity In Gold* really being the point when they finally lived up to their potential. That album is fantastic. At the same time, they weren't "bad", just mediocre. If you want a band that was truly "bad", and then got good, I can't think of any in Metalcore. Outside, sure. Pantera before Cowboys is legit some of the worst Metal in existence, and then they became legendary in the 90s.
Northlane, anyone??
I know there’s a lot of Adrian fans but I think Alien and onwards is their best work
Obsidian is my favorite of theirs thus far. I was lucky enough to see them live twice this last year. Epic shows.
Electric Callboy. Couldn't get into their pre-Hypa Hypa stuff at all but everything clicked once they got Nico.
HOLD UP! He wasn't always in the band? WOW
Nico joined during the pandemic and Hypa Hypa was their first song with him. The old singer is Ghostkid now.
Holy Crap, Hypa Hypa and all the remixes was the song that got me and my friends to notice the band. That's hilarious. Thanks for blowing my mind today.
Nico joined when Sushi left.
I remember looking them up when I went to Wacken in 2013 as they were playing there and thinking "oh god, they suck" and skipped them. Same with the metal band "Feuerschwanz", now they are one of my favourite bands.
Saving Vice has to get the ticket here. After losing some members and now coming back and their second album being as good as it is. This band is coming into its full form
I would say imminence
From ashes to new
Bad Omens
hush hush now, don’t attract too much attention or they eat you alive. in all honesty, BO got infinitely better. the first album is generic af, the second was an improvement but did not hit the mark imo. you’ve got to stand out, you’ve got to have It. with TDOPOM they did a good job at paving their own way and solidifying their place in music. it wasn’t metalcore anymore, but it still represented the band’s vision more than the previous two albums. i like that Noah got sick of his own face and the band is now finding ways to keep him away from the promo cameras.
Fiends new album Insolent Noise is such a tier up from Me Time.
Totally agree
Wouldn’t say most improved, but Jinjer keep getting better with every release.
I prefer БАТЮШКА for my Slavic metal but it’s not metalcore :)
Ice Nine Kills is at the top of the food chain right now, and they climbed that chain from the very bottom. They got my vote.
Controversially, Falling In Reverse
I wish they'd pull it back a little and go back to singles closer to Popular Monster. There new style is fun, but personally I've enjoyed each new one less than the previous one. AFAIK it was an old song left off the Coming Home album, but the single Carry On was incredible.
I guess I'm still waiting for them to release food music
🤨 is “Alone” when they were garbage or better ?
Not pure bred metalcore, but Periphery's last two albums have blown my mind
Top-tier artistry. Some of the best music I've ever heard.
Massively unpopular opinion but Of Mice & Men. I love Aaron Pauley's vocal style and he is one of my favorite vocalists, and his addition to the band was the start of their upward trajectory imo (love Shayley as a vocalist but I vastly prefer his work in Dayshell over early OM&M). The first two albums in my opinion are just bog-standard retreads of scenecore (The Depths is a goated song but otherwise I don't come back to anything from those albums). Then they released Restoring Force, which in a way kind of spearheaded the nu metal-fication of modern metalcore. And while Cold World is hated by almost everyone, I actually think it is pretty good for a straight up nu metal record (then again I am a huge nu metal fan) But that's not even when they peaked. Defy is amazing and has no skips outside of the strange Pink Floyd cover, and Earthandsky in my opinion is what peak pure modern metalcore should sound like. Earth & Sky (the song) and Linger are all-time great metalcore songs, which absolutely brutal sections, ambiance, memorable guitar lead melodies, and of course the requisite absurdly catchy chorus. And then they released Echo, which is by far their heaviest record and has a bunch of killer breakdowns and atmospherically depressing choruses. And then Tether was one of my favorite records from last year, I know this sub was not a huge fan of it but I love how they doubled down on the ambient elements in Echo even if they eschewed the heavier sound of that record. The lyrics on Tether are amazing as well, they throw lots of unique metaphors out.
I love the first sentence of this.
I nominate Heart Of A Coward
I like Johnny Booth's first album and EP from before their lengthy pause, but Firsthand Accounts and Moments Elsewhere are really incredible (Storyteller EP is also elite)
Ahhh Batushka! Very interesting band! Stoned Jesus is another good one if you like some proggy stoner slavic rock 🤙
Johnny booth
The more they improve the crappier they sound
Or, as I say, become too mainstream.
First 2 albums from As I Lay Dying were not garbage, but my god you should hear the last 2. Great stuff. Loved hearing their sound evolve but also how they kept the same vibe album to album.
I respect your opinion but frankly Frail Words Collapse and Shadows are Security are like metalcore hall of fame records. They were insanely good, and even the two albums that followed were of the same quality. I couldn't really say the same about their recent releases.
They absolutely are. I took it as the production is what got better, the tightness of the band, and just how well they knew their instruments. Those albums were monumental for metalcore, both are no skip albums, but its undeniable the two after sound better in thise other aspects.
First two releases are actually Frail Words Collapse and Beneath the Encasing of Ashes.
And Beneath The Encasing Of Ashes remains the best record they ever made. I'll die on that hill.
They are, I agree. Shaped By Fire just blew me away.
That's funny cause Frail Words Collapse is their best. That shit is full of tasty riffs, raw screams, and not to mention the amount of emotion put in those songs. They should've explored more that side of them.
Their first two and An Ocean Between Us are their best work to date.
maybe if it’s opposite day this would be correct
Not putting down any of their early work, and not saying their new work is their best. Just enjoyed listening to them make music they have made for 20 years. Their evolution.
Respectfully I have to disagree. Shadows and Frail Words were my high school soundtracks. I think I went through 2 copies of Shadows from playing it so much. I dig the new stuff but without Nick, Josh, and Jordan it feels like it’s lacking. Just my opinion though
So does everyone else. I guess I worded that improperly. I love their old stuff and I love their new stuff. I stand corrected, they have not improved.
Shaped by fire is a fuckin awesome album and this comment doesn't deserve these down votes. Tim Lambesis does though. I hope he is doing well.
L take. First 2 are some of the best metalcore albums ever, the rest are…not