Natasha Van Duser
August Burns Red goes more heavy metal than metalcore in ‘Phantom Anthem’
August Burns Red
Phantom Anthem
August Burns Red are one of the best-known metalcore bands around, with a career spanning over a decade and seven studio full-lengths under their belts. However, one listen to their latest release, Phantom Anthem, and you might start to think they’re a heavy metal philharmonic orchestra. Over
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Stray From the Path’s ‘Only Death Is Real’ is full of political outrage
Stray From The Path
Only Death Is Real
ROCKS LIKE: Rage Against The Machine, Terror, Stick To Your Guns
WHAT'S DIFFERENT: The epic, liberal, punk album in response to Trump is finally here. But political outrage is not the only force driving Stray From The Path forward. Th
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In This Moment’s Ritual the metal love child of art-pop, gospel, Morrissey and Johnny Cash
In This Moment
Ritual
FILE UNDER: Hard-Hitting Glam Metal
ROCKS LIKE: The Pretty Reckless, Disturbed, Motionless In White
WHAT'S DIFFERENT: In This Moment have matured significantly since their landmark album, 2012’s Blood. Stepping away from a heavy reliance on dissonance and industrial tones, Ritual brings together a polished sound oddly feeding off inspiration from influences such as Billy Idol
Sworn In’s ‘All Smiles’ a post-modern art piece
Sworn In
All Smiles
FILE UNDER: Extra Emo Noise-Core
ROCKS LIKE: Botch, Chelsea Grin, My Chemical Romance
WHAT'S DIFFERENT: With openly emotional noise, Sworn In deliver a cohesive sound that surpasses screaming and half-heartedly singing over jarring instrumentals that sound like they were churned out by kids who went to undergrad for music composition. As
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Volumes branch into more hip-hop-inspired rockcore with ‘Different Animals’
Volumes
Different Animals
FILE UNDER: Melodic Aggro-Core
ROCKS LIKE: Issues, Dangerkids, Periphery
WHAT'S DIFFERENT: Gone are the lulling atmospheric instrumentals that defined Volumes for the first half of their career. Instead, the band have branched into more hip-hop-inspired rockcore, due largely to the addition of clean vocalist Myke Terry.
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Terror reaches beyond the world of hardcore in EP
Terror
The Walls Will Fall EP
FILE UNDER: Hardcore Groove
ROCKS LIKE: Stick To Your Guns, Hundredth, Bane
WHAT'S DIFFERENT: The Walls Will Fall adds a chug-tastic flair to Terror’s classic hardcore sound with guitar riffs reminiscent of Pantera’s golden age. Tracks like “B
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Memphis May Fire’s “This Light I Hold” expands past the standard palm-muting pigeonhole
Memphis May Fire
This Light I Hold
There’s a noticeable shift in the sound Memphis May Fire have pursued on their latest release. The Tennessee-based quintet return for their fifth studio album, blending elements of old-school Southern rock with abrasive unclean vocals resulting in their most engaging work to date. Havi
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Fans of early-2000s alt rock will get an edgy round of déjà vu courtesy of I Prevail
I Prevail
Lifelines
Pop-Manic Post-Hardcore
ROCKS LIKE: The Ghost Inside, Crown The Empire, Jimmy Eat World
WHAT’S DIFFERENT: Fans of early-2000s alt rock will get an edgy round of déjà vu courtesy of I Prevail. Lifelines encompasses the gu
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‘Low Teens’ perfectly captures the history of Every Time I Die into one solid release
Every Time I Die
Low Teens
It’s been 15 years since Every Time I Die dropped their debut full-length album, and a decade and a half later the heavy hitters haven’t lost an inkling of steam. Their eighth studio record, Low Teens, might not start off with guns blazing, but it does ring out as a classic Every Time I Die release if ever there was one.
Opening w
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Asking Alexandria retain metalcore stronghold with ‘The Black’
Asking Alexandria
The Black
With ex-Down & Dirty/Make Me Famous vocalist Denis Stoff stepping up to bat in place of founding member Danny Worsnop, it is a huge relief to hear Asking Alexandria retain the metalcore stronghold they laid down for themselves in 2009. St
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