Major Rager

I like to think that I have a pretty broad taste spectrum when it comes to angry music. If you're a regular reader of my blog, then you probably know about what tickles my eardrums the most, but there is alot of stuff that I don't really post about, mainly because I like to gab on about bands that choose to release their stuff on vinyl. I like alot of mid 2000's metalcore too, it just so happens that alot of these bands never put their albums to wax. Not the cheesy, cliche ridden fashionrite, 'deathcore' manure (Emmure, geddit?) either, just good bands that aren't afraid to get heavy. Seems I've been on quite the bender lately too. Here's what's wetting my whistle currently.

Between The Buried And Me- "The Silent Circus"

They just toured here, so that's probably why I'm listening to this so much at the moment. A brilliant meld of metal, funk, jazz, prog and stoner rock, Tommy's often experimental lyric approach always interested me a great deal and always seemed to meld seamlessly with Paul's often obscure fret work. Apparently they got alot better with their subsequent three albums. Seems I will have to check said CD's out.

Dead To Fall- "Villainy And Virtue"

A VIRTUOUS MIND DREAMS WHAT A WICKED MAN DOES. The band really started to develop a more experimental sound after this album, but V&V and the album before this, "Everything I Touch Falls To Pieces" are the two stand outs for me. Both just brutal, relentless, european laden metalcore. Such a great band. Big breakdowns, no shit singing, no fruity haircuts. After this one they started to get kinda progressive, and started to write really lame, joke lyrics. Lame as in good though.

Norma Jean- "Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child"

No doubt I will cop some shit for this, like I care man. If crucial hardcore dudes can listen to christ-core via bands like Dry Rot, then I'm allowed to enjoy this album. Don't worry, I hate everything they did afterwards, but this CD... fuck man. Heaviest thing ever put to disc. Recorded entirely in the analogue format, with a strict three-take rule, Bless The Martyr makes me want to kill everyone and everything. Listen to this and tell me that the bass and guitar tone couldn't melt the face of satan himself. Listen to that snare sound. I am moshing, palm muted, single chord breakdowns and all.

The Red Chord- "Fused Together In Revolving Doors"

Technical metalcore at it's peak with this release. People argue that their later stuff is better, but to me Fused Together is boundless. Heavy, techincal, experimental. They were often compared to BTBAM during the period of this album cycle, but I never really saw it. BTBAM were doing a much more prog thing, while these guys were just playing as technically and proficiently as possible. Heaps of bands have tried it since. Nobody's really pulled it off in my eyes.

The Black Dahlia Murder- "Unhallowed"

I touched on this last week with my epic wax post, but this debut album by this band is the best modern export of that mid 90's euro melodic death metal without any shadow of a doubt. So many catchy licks and leads. Every song is a banger, even if they do rip on At The Gates shamlessly. Their other albums are good, but nowhere near as great as this.

As Hope Dies- "Legions Bow To Faceless God"

By no means am I as fond of this band as the others in this post, but the first proper song on this album, the title track, is sheer mayhem. When I first heard it, I was at a relatively clueless stage in my life when it comes to heavier music like this, and it quite literally scared me a little. Just fast, misanthropic metalcore with melody and evil vocals. Black metal touches here and there too.

There you go, six metalcore albums that I still listen to on a regular basis. I tend to get alot of shit from certain people about the music that I used to listen to. Suck it dudes, I still listen to it.