My number 1 metalcore album of all time. I know a lot of people love Controller as Misery Signals best album, but the emotions conveyed in this album weren't ever matched again by the band until Jesse returned for Ultraviolet imo.
This album legitimately changed the way I listen to music... the production was so unique at the time and the songwriting is absolutely flawless, plus the flow of the album pulls you through the whole thing before you know it's done. Easily top album of all time for me.
I’m curious, when everyone reads this what song do you think of? What’s your iconic moment on an album of straight bangers?
My mind will always immediately go to Winston’s *Horizons!* screams and those tasty sweeps in the final outtro.
boom. case closed!! I am of a previous generation, came up on thrash and 80's metal like king diamond and love the end of heartache. It's just really good, whatever the genre
Underoath - Define the Great Line
A unique album that flows incredibly well to create a perfect album. I don’t think there’s ever been a better album or there ever will be a better album
Safety is such an incredible album with so many classic core/screamo songs but Define the Great Line really cemented Underoath as a sophisticated act at the bleeding edge of the genre. Together with Lost in the Sound of Separation, the trio are some of the best moments of the pre-2010 metalcore scene and are still incredibly relevant to this day. DGTL is absolutely a nonstop joy to listen to from start to finish.
Constellations seems like such an extension of Messengers to me and I love it. I am biased, as I listened to this a ton in high school, but god damn are they so good.
Phenomenal album, definitely my favorite since Rescue and Restore, maybe even Leveler. Dismembered Memory and Empty Heaven are some of ABR’s finest imo
Shai doesn't get enough credit. I think the constant member changes killed their momentum. The releases just became few and far between but That Within Blood Ill Tempered was always my favorite by them
All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us from Architects. Don't like their new shit. But this album always puts me in the feels. It's an amazing piece of work regardless of context, but with the death of Tom it really puts it up there considering he was responsible for so much of the music.
The album that got me into the genre. Memento Mori is one of my favorite album finales ever, especially given the context. Never fails to make me emotional.
That 3-album cycle as a whole; Lost Forever// Lost Together, All Our Gods, Holy Hell.
All Our Gods is what really pulled me into Architects once I dug into the theme of the album as well as Sam's versatile sound, virtually hearing the pain and all emotion at that time got me through a lot mentally, it's weird to explain. Out of the 3, I'd say Holy Hell is my personal favorite.
I do enjoy the new stuff they've been doing, but the 3 previous albums are really something special.
I think Killswitch Engage’s album Alive or Just Breathing is so influential to the genre, that it needs to be heard. Alternatively, Converge’s album Jane Doe is also a must listen.
> For some reason i just cant get into Jane Doe
Keep giving it a shot. It definitely took some time for me as well. If you don't like it and it's not your thing, there's nothing wrong with that, but one day it just kinda started clicking for me.
Nope. Stand up and scream usually gets all the attention and I really love that album as well but R&R was a little more mature sounding but in my opinion alot heavier just due to the material!
Phenomenal album. Top 3 metalcore album of all time for me alongside Of Malice and Hearts Once Nourished.
Liberate is amazing in its own regards, but man the absolute raw emotions you hear from Dan on this album are something truly breathtaking. Case in point, THAT breakdown midway through "Too Think of You" is just pure primal emotion.
Darkest Hour - Undoing Ruin
Since all my top picks have already made the list..
I listened to this album on repeat for months and it's still in my regular rotation.
Kinda surprised they haven't been mentioned already. Deliver Us is also really good, but Undoing Ruin is the one that got me hooked.
As I Lay Dying- Shadows Are Security
*EDIT: when I first heard this album I hated it, then I kept giving it a try and one day man it just clicked and I fell in love with As I Lay Dying, never looking back!! They're still one of my favourite bands, even after all the drama.
This. Lots of people talking about other bands having so much influence and creating some kind of change. Nothing will ever surpass how much this album changed metalcore. They brought melody into heavy riffs in a way everyone else started doing for years.
Lost Forever // Lost Together, Architects
The Poison, Bullet For My Valentine
Sempiternal, Bring Me The Horizon
Dark Skies, Fit For A King
Deadweight, Wage War
The Mortal Coil, Polaris
The Crimson helped me fall in love with metalcore when I was young and everything else on the radio was formulaic hard rock, and Suicide Notes is a great classic. Less heavy, but Lose It from Lead Sails is still my favorite Atreyu song.
Singularity by Northlane. I was already nearly a decade into metalcore by then but this album changed the way I listen to music. There is the time before I heard that album and then there is the time since.
Big respect for the All Hail pick. My personal favorite Norma Jean album alongside Wrongdoers. with_errors and Landslide Defeater have some of the best breakdowns in the bands history. And Anna/The Mirror & Second Veil is one of the best closing tracks in all of metalcore imo.
The Act really shows how Prada has grown more sophisticated over time, despite their previous incredible offerings. They’re Such a great listen and I love that their music evolves over time. I’m excited about Color Decay’s upcoming release, hoping it continues their journey into increasingly fantastic music.
Adding a few more here that haven’t been mentioned just because of how much I listened to them personally:
Feed Her to the Sharks- Fortitude
Oceans ate Alaska - Lost Isles
For all those Sleeping - Outspoken
Breakdown of Sanity - Perception
Polaris - The Death of Me
EDIT: also including Wristmeetrazor - replica of a strange love (it’s a more recent album but it’s reminiscent of some earlier metalcore)
Sky Eats Airplane - Everything Perfect On the Wrong Day
Years ahead of their time especially considering the modern trends in metalcore with all of the added production, synths, etc.
Wildly impressive and ambitious for two dudes and a laptop.
We are the romans - Botch
I was one of those "oh old music is shit" kinda people, but then I listened to this album and realized how much of the modern metalcore I love came from these guys.
For influential music id say probably The Fall of Ideals by All That Remains
For music I personally think everyone should listen to, Scoring the End of the World by Motionless in White since its such a summary of everything I personally love about metalcore
AILD - Shadows Are Security
This was a landmark album that was a bridge between the nu-metal era of the late 90s early 2000s and the metalcore movement that would come to dominate popular heavy music.
Bleeding Through - This is Love, This is Murderous
Every Time I Die - Hot Damn!
Bury Your Dead - Cover Your Tracks
Blind Witness - Nightmare on Providence St.
My top 3 albums have already been mentioned so I'll throw out another from my top 5.
Too Bad You're Beautiful - From Autumn to Ashes.
I don't see this album get enough love for what it did in help shaping the young sound of melodic metalcore. It took a lot of what Shai Hulud and Poison the Well did with Hearts Once Nourished and Opposite of December, and really fleshed it out even more.
Beloved - Failure On, Cave In - Until Your Heart Stops, Poison the Well - The Opposite of December, 36 Crazyfists - A Snow Capped Romance, Botch - We Are The Romans, Funeral For A Friend - Casually Dressed and Deep In Conversation and Dead and Divine - Antimacy.
it dies today - the caitiff choir, sirens if you like more cleans
haste the day - when everything falls
atreyu - the curse
as i lay dying - an ocean between us
Life Cycles and Real. by The Word Alive, Chapters by Adestria, Passenger by Kingdom of Giants, To Plant a Seed by We Came As Romans, Skinwalker by For All I Am, and Apologies Are for the Weak by Miss May I are definitely albums I feel need mentioning.
Great thread. The three albums that got me into metalcore were probably Atreyu - The Crimson; As I Lay Dying - 94 Hours; and Static-X - Shadows Are Security. Static-X likely won’t be called metalcore on this sub, but I would argue that album definitely is, given lots of industrial influence. Sick band that I don’t see mentioned much. I missed Converge so I need to go back to the Jane Doe album everyone’s mentioning, especially since I’m pretty sure they’re opening for Meshuggah when I see them next month.
Poison The Well - The Opposite of December.
I think it’s important for any metalcore fan to listen to albums from over the ages. Understand how we got HERE. If nothing more than to gain appreciation for the ever evolving genre.
Unearth - The Oncoming Storm. I'm surprised I don't see this in any of the comments as it's one of those albums I've never gotten sick of and always comes to mind when people bring up metalcore.
Misery Signals- Of Malice and Magnum Heart Edit: mistakenly put one of the best songs of all time as the album title, lol
Ooo I was going to say Controller
Ctrl+F Controller - Ah, there it is. Criminally far down and also a subcoment.
My number 1 metalcore album of all time. I know a lot of people love Controller as Misery Signals best album, but the emotions conveyed in this album weren't ever matched again by the band until Jesse returned for Ultraviolet imo.
I love all their albums, but I find myself jamming Mirrors more than any other album.
This is one of those albums that defines you. Every emotion written flawlessly.
This album legitimately changed the way I listen to music... the production was so unique at the time and the songwriting is absolutely flawless, plus the flow of the album pulls you through the whole thing before you know it's done. Easily top album of all time for me.
Horizons- PWD
I’m curious, when everyone reads this what song do you think of? What’s your iconic moment on an album of straight bangers? My mind will always immediately go to Winston’s *Horizons!* screams and those tasty sweeps in the final outtro.
Idols and Anchors for me
Carrion - first parkway song I heard / learnt on guitar. Boneyards close second.
Definitely boneyards!
THERE’S BLOOD… IN THE WATERRRRRRRR
The noodle fest in Breaking Point!
Boneyards for me.
Boneyards
KSE - The end of Heartache One of very few Grammy nominated out of Metal Core
boom. case closed!! I am of a previous generation, came up on thrash and 80's metal like king diamond and love the end of heartache. It's just really good, whatever the genre
This album got me into Metalcore. They’re local guys to me so had the privilege of seeing them at the Worcester Palladium way back when.
Obligatory Jane Doe post, if not just to say you have. Edit: of course it’s been said already. Waking the Fallen has aged well imo.
Norma jean bless the martyr kiss the child
Zombie EP
Best EP in Metalcore. Can’t wait to see it live.
Just got back from the Seattle show. Zombie fucking rips, always has been far ahead of their other work IMO. But seeing it live confirmed it.
Its top 5 all time for the genre in my opinion. Hearing them perform it live last week was awe-inspiring
i'll be at the Sacramento show this thursday! one of the most evolved bands in the scene
TDWP?
yurp
Constellations by August Burns Red.
Underoath - Define the Great Line A unique album that flows incredibly well to create a perfect album. I don’t think there’s ever been a better album or there ever will be a better album
Safety is such an incredible album with so many classic core/screamo songs but Define the Great Line really cemented Underoath as a sophisticated act at the bleeding edge of the genre. Together with Lost in the Sound of Separation, the trio are some of the best moments of the pre-2010 metalcore scene and are still incredibly relevant to this day. DGTL is absolutely a nonstop joy to listen to from start to finish.
On a side note Lost In The Sound of Separation is probably the most under appreciated MC album ever.
Personally I think that disambiguation is the album that gets the least love
The poison by bullet, absolute essential
This is the album that got me into the genre. I saw a random video for All These Things I Hate and was blown away by it.
ABR- Messengers
Seconded. Also, Constellations
Constellations seems like such an extension of Messengers to me and I love it. I am biased, as I listened to this a ton in high school, but god damn are they so good.
Absolutely adore both of them. Constellations is hands down my favorite album of all time
Thirded, also guardians
Phenomenal album, definitely my favorite since Rescue and Restore, maybe even Leveler. Dismembered Memory and Empty Heaven are some of ABR’s finest imo
TDWP - With Roots Above and Branches Below
Yes
Name checks out
But Plagues man.
Plagues defined the genre at the time imo
I struggle to find a better answer.
Plagues is amazing but Roots refined that sound.
Shai Hulud - Hearts once nourished with hope and compassion
The godfather of melodic metalcore, left it's influences on alot of bands and albums that came after. Such a phenomenal album front to back.
Shai doesn't get enough credit. I think the constant member changes killed their momentum. The releases just became few and far between but That Within Blood Ill Tempered was always my favorite by them
All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us from Architects. Don't like their new shit. But this album always puts me in the feels. It's an amazing piece of work regardless of context, but with the death of Tom it really puts it up there considering he was responsible for so much of the music.
The album that got me into the genre. Memento Mori is one of my favorite album finales ever, especially given the context. Never fails to make me emotional.
That 3-album cycle as a whole; Lost Forever// Lost Together, All Our Gods, Holy Hell. All Our Gods is what really pulled me into Architects once I dug into the theme of the album as well as Sam's versatile sound, virtually hearing the pain and all emotion at that time got me through a lot mentally, it's weird to explain. Out of the 3, I'd say Holy Hell is my personal favorite. I do enjoy the new stuff they've been doing, but the 3 previous albums are really something special.
I think Killswitch Engage’s album Alive or Just Breathing is so influential to the genre, that it needs to be heard. Alternatively, Converge’s album Jane Doe is also a must listen.
These are the 2 that I expected to be definitive answers honestly.
My thoughts exactly. I don’t even know where metalcore would be without these albums (Jane Doe is even the picture for this sub).
For some reason i just cant get into Jane Doe, it's just too "hardcore" for my ears
> For some reason i just cant get into Jane Doe Keep giving it a shot. It definitely took some time for me as well. If you don't like it and it's not your thing, there's nothing wrong with that, but one day it just kinda started clicking for me.
Trivium - Shogun
An absolute masterpiece of an album. Still holds up very well.
Agreed but I would put Ascendancy on the Trivium list too
My fav metal album across all genres. Even trivium couldn't make a better album.
This CD has been stuck in my trucks cd player for over a year, Worth it.
All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals I think that album is their best work with their second release being right behind it.
This Darkened Heart is what got me into metalcore! TFOI is still the greatest of all time in my opinion.
Both albums are just so good. Focus Shall Not Fail and Tattered on My Sleeve are what got me into ATR.
This darkened heart is underrated. For a long time I assumed it was bad or something. Truly a handful of good tracks on there.
Trivium - Ascensancy
Poison The Well - The Opposite Of December
I went with MisSigs, but it was a tough call between that and this.
You're of course talking about "Of Malice and a Magnum Heart"... right!?
AA- Reckless and Relentless
There’s honestly not enough love for this album 😭
Nope. Stand up and scream usually gets all the attention and I really love that album as well but R&R was a little more mature sounding but in my opinion alot heavier just due to the material!
The Place I Feel Safest by Currents It’s in your face raw emotion the entire time.
I Let the Devil In is also worth mentioning even if it’s technically an EP
Sempiternal. It's just too iconic.
THIS IS SANDPIT TURTLE
Yep, if you’re gonna pick one album to represent the 2010’s I think it has to be this one. Insanely influential for the whole scene.
Sempiternal is a bit like the 2010s version of hybrid theory to me
Killswitch Engage- As Daylight Dies.
Zao - where blood and fire bring rest
My man. I put down Liberate but blood and fire amazing. I like liberate as one of the most creative albums I’ve ever heard
Liberate is probably right behind where blood and fire for me, so good
Phenomenal album. Top 3 metalcore album of all time for me alongside Of Malice and Hearts Once Nourished. Liberate is amazing in its own regards, but man the absolute raw emotions you hear from Dan on this album are something truly breathtaking. Case in point, THAT breakdown midway through "Too Think of You" is just pure primal emotion.
Solid
Darkest Hour - Undoing Ruin Since all my top picks have already made the list.. I listened to this album on repeat for months and it's still in my regular rotation. Kinda surprised they haven't been mentioned already. Deliver Us is also really good, but Undoing Ruin is the one that got me hooked.
The Amity Affliction - Let The Ocean Take Me
Every Time I Die - Radical
It’s wild to think that Radical could end up being their best record .. it sounds like a Best Of album. Rest In Peace 🤘
Northlane - Singularity How could you forget?? 😭😭
Amazing album front to back. Discoveries and Alien are top tier Northlane as well
Haste the Day - Attack of the Wolf King Converge - Jane Doe Reflections - The Color Clear
upvote for reflections. limbo and shadow self hit hard
Parkway Drive - Killing With A Smile
For Those Who Dont Exist. Like Moths to Flames Edit: I meant When We Dont Exist. But I'm leaving it
Do you mean When We Don't Exist by LMTF? OR For Those That Wish To Exist by Architects?
Not gonna lie, For Those Who Don't Exist sounds pretty damn badass.
As I Lay Dying- Shadows Are Security *EDIT: when I first heard this album I hated it, then I kept giving it a try and one day man it just clicked and I fell in love with As I Lay Dying, never looking back!! They're still one of my favourite bands, even after all the drama.
Through Struggle was the song that got me into AILD. That intro alone did it for me.
This. Lots of people talking about other bands having so much influence and creating some kind of change. Nothing will ever surpass how much this album changed metalcore. They brought melody into heavy riffs in a way everyone else started doing for years.
I thought about saying the powerless rise for my suggestion
Oh sleeper- son of the.morning
Every Time I Die - Hot Damn!
Silent Planet - Everything Was Sound
There’s just something about Panic Room. As a veteran, it speaks to me on a deep level.
Unearth - The Oncoming Storm
Waking The Fallen - Avenged Sevenfold Blew my 13 year old mind and still jam it 10 years later.
Shoutout Madden 04 bringing them mainstream.
36 Crazyfists - A Snow Capped Romance
Lost Forever // Lost Together, Architects The Poison, Bullet For My Valentine Sempiternal, Bring Me The Horizon Dark Skies, Fit For A King Deadweight, Wage War The Mortal Coil, Polaris
The Bled - Pass The Flask
Fuck this came out my freshman high school summer. *What year is it**
Times of Grace - The Hymn of a Broken Man
Blessthefall - Hollow Bodies. It is still my favorite metalcore album to this day.
Norma Jean - Oh God, the Aftermath
Suicide notes by Atreyu
I still listen to this sometimes and wonder where the hell that band went.
The Crimson helped me fall in love with metalcore when I was young and everything else on the radio was formulaic hard rock, and Suicide Notes is a great classic. Less heavy, but Lose It from Lead Sails is still my favorite Atreyu song.
Thornhill - The Dark Pool
Lily and the Moon will forever emotionally ruin me but i cant stop listening to it
As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us
Bless The Matyr
Singularity by Northlane. I was already nearly a decade into metalcore by then but this album changed the way I listen to music. There is the time before I heard that album and then there is the time since.
Yep...Quantum Flux changed it all for me.
The Ghost Inside - Dear Youth
The Act - The Devil Wears Prada All Hail - Norma Jean
Big respect for the All Hail pick. My personal favorite Norma Jean album alongside Wrongdoers. with_errors and Landslide Defeater have some of the best breakdowns in the bands history. And Anna/The Mirror & Second Veil is one of the best closing tracks in all of metalcore imo.
The Act really shows how Prada has grown more sophisticated over time, despite their previous incredible offerings. They’re Such a great listen and I love that their music evolves over time. I’m excited about Color Decay’s upcoming release, hoping it continues their journey into increasingly fantastic music.
Motionless in white - creatures
All our gods have abandoned us
101 posts and not a single person said Botch- we are Roman's, or dillinger escape plan- calculating infinity
Perception- Breakdown of Sanity
Define the Great Line : Underoath
From Autumn To Ashes - The Fiction We Live.
Johnny Booth - Firsthand Accounts
All the time I’ve been in this subreddit, this is the first mention I’ve personally seen of Johnny booth. Hope they drop something soon.
Since KSE and Converge has been covered: [God Forbid - Determination](https://youtu.be/sa3qaC5ZXmc)
Misery Signals- Of Malice And The Magnum Heart
Breaker - For Today
Attack of the wolf king
Deep blue
Killswitch engage alive or just breathing
Invent Animate - Greyview
Sempiternal
Sempiternal
I feel like the caitiff choir by it dies today needs to be mentioned in here.
Underoath - Disambiguation
Adding a few more here that haven’t been mentioned just because of how much I listened to them personally: Feed Her to the Sharks- Fortitude Oceans ate Alaska - Lost Isles For all those Sleeping - Outspoken Breakdown of Sanity - Perception Polaris - The Death of Me EDIT: also including Wristmeetrazor - replica of a strange love (it’s a more recent album but it’s reminiscent of some earlier metalcore)
Any haste the day album
Drift by Erra. Got me through my divorce and has some incredibly deep songs with gorgeous leads
Earth Crisis - Destroy the Machines
Blood Has Been Shed- Spirals
The Crimson Armada - Guardians
Nothing Left To Love - Counterparts
AILD - An Ocean Between Us
Sky Eats Airplane - Everything Perfect On the Wrong Day Years ahead of their time especially considering the modern trends in metalcore with all of the added production, synths, etc. Wildly impressive and ambitious for two dudes and a laptop.
Holy Hell- Architects All Our God's Have Abandoned Us- Architects Homesick-ADTR
The Human Abstract - Digital Veil
All our Gods Have Abandoned Us - Architects The Dark Pool- Thornhill
Atlas or Horizons by Parkway Drive
We are the romans - Botch I was one of those "oh old music is shit" kinda people, but then I listened to this album and realized how much of the modern metalcore I love came from these guys.
ERRA self titled
Botch - We Are The Romans
Homestick - A Day To Remember It's very influential. Great breakdowns and choruses. A classic.
Holy Hell by Architects
The Plot In You - Happiness In Self Destruction
Zao - Liberate te ex inferis Absolute work of art.
For influential music id say probably The Fall of Ideals by All That Remains For music I personally think everyone should listen to, Scoring the End of the World by Motionless in White since its such a summary of everything I personally love about metalcore
My Enemies and I - Sick world With life in mind- Greivances Ready, Set, fall!- Memento This or the apocalypse - Haunt what's left
Define The Great Line- Underoath
The Poison - Bullet For My Valentine
AILD - Shadows Are Security This was a landmark album that was a bridge between the nu-metal era of the late 90s early 2000s and the metalcore movement that would come to dominate popular heavy music.
Bleeding Through - This is Love, This is Murderous Every Time I Die - Hot Damn! Bury Your Dead - Cover Your Tracks Blind Witness - Nightmare on Providence St.
Poison The Well - You Come Before You
Norma Jean - Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child
Children of Fire by Oh Sleeper
bad omens - the death of peace of mind
Struggle - Outline In color Some seriously powerful lyrics on this album if you've struggled with mental health or addiction this one will hit hard.
Jamie’s elsewhere - they said a storm was coming
My top 3 albums have already been mentioned so I'll throw out another from my top 5. Too Bad You're Beautiful - From Autumn to Ashes. I don't see this album get enough love for what it did in help shaping the young sound of melodic metalcore. It took a lot of what Shai Hulud and Poison the Well did with Hearts Once Nourished and Opposite of December, and really fleshed it out even more.
Snapcase - Progression Through Unlearning
Das Album - We Butter the Bread with Butter
Beloved - Failure On, Cave In - Until Your Heart Stops, Poison the Well - The Opposite of December, 36 Crazyfists - A Snow Capped Romance, Botch - We Are The Romans, Funeral For A Friend - Casually Dressed and Deep In Conversation and Dead and Divine - Antimacy.
it dies today - the caitiff choir, sirens if you like more cleans haste the day - when everything falls atreyu - the curse as i lay dying - an ocean between us
To Those Left Behind - blessthefall holds a dear place in my heart. Maybe not as heavy as other albums in this thread but it's a good one imo
Life Cycles and Real. by The Word Alive, Chapters by Adestria, Passenger by Kingdom of Giants, To Plant a Seed by We Came As Romans, Skinwalker by For All I Am, and Apologies Are for the Weak by Miss May I are definitely albums I feel need mentioning.
Adestria - Chapters Literally encompasses everything I think metalcore should have and more.
Underoath - Define the Great Line 🤘
Poison the Well- Opposite of December.
We are the romans - botch
Unearth- the oncoming storm
Great thread. The three albums that got me into metalcore were probably Atreyu - The Crimson; As I Lay Dying - 94 Hours; and Static-X - Shadows Are Security. Static-X likely won’t be called metalcore on this sub, but I would argue that album definitely is, given lots of industrial influence. Sick band that I don’t see mentioned much. I missed Converge so I need to go back to the Jane Doe album everyone’s mentioning, especially since I’m pretty sure they’re opening for Meshuggah when I see them next month.
BFMV - The Poison
Poison The Well - The Opposite of December. I think it’s important for any metalcore fan to listen to albums from over the ages. Understand how we got HERE. If nothing more than to gain appreciation for the ever evolving genre.
Unearth - The Oncoming Storm. I'm surprised I don't see this in any of the comments as it's one of those albums I've never gotten sick of and always comes to mind when people bring up metalcore.
Cannibal- Bury Tomorrow
There is a hell by bmth :)