[Photos via YouTube]

10 explosive breakdowns heavier than the Fourth of July fireworks

July 3, 2019

[Photos via YouTube]

Breakdowns are the only thing more explosive and exhilarating than the Fourth of July fireworks. Even if you miss those, we have a handful of hefty ones that’ll fulfill your celebratory needs this holiday.

Featuring essential hits from Of Mice & Men, August Burns Red and Parkway Drive, these breathtaking breakdowns will rock your Fourth of July with sheer heaviness. Turn up the volume and enjoy!

1. Of Mice & Men – “The Flood”

“The Flood” appeared on the deluxe reissue of their sophomore album of the same name. Of Mice & Men take full control of the song with piercing screams and merciless breakdowns. This song is easily one of their heaviest to date, especially the sonar breakdown that rifts the song midway into the mayhem.

2. Emmure – “Natural Born Killer”

Emmure have been cranking out heavy crowd pleasers for more than a decade, and despite drastic lineup changes, nothing can stop Frankie Palmeri’s appetite for heaviness. Look At Yourself is a product of the band’s momentum over the years—a manic rush of unfiltered rage and earth-shattering riffage. “Natural Born Killer” is an absolute hype song that goes all in from the start. It forcibly pushes through the track with their unrelenting primal energy.

3. Johnny Booth – “Thief”

Johnny Booth’s latest record, Firsthand Accounts, is a fresh breath of frenzied heaviness that tests the limits of metalcore to its extremes. It features a deadly arsenal of abrasive blast beats and destructive breakdowns. The band unleash an explosive war machine with “Thief,” succinctly creating impending doom and crushing every note at breakneck pace.

4. August Burns Red – “Dangerous”

Topping the heavy scene, August Burns Red have won a fair share of commendations for their inventive breakdowns. While their eighth full-length, Phantom Anthem, focused on honing a progressive edge, “Dangerous” still drops hard like the Messengers days, giving listeners a nostalgic taste of their drilling guitar chugs.

5. SeeYouSpaceCowboy – “Self Help Specialist Ends Own Life”

The idiosyncratic mold SeeYouSpaceCowboy bring to the table is unmistakably brutal. Songs For The Firing Squad is an intoxicating collection of heavy-hitters the band have accumulated over years of polishing their “sassgrind” sound. “Self Help Specialist Ends Own Life” is one of their catchiest tracks that’ll leave you sore, but wanting for more.

6. Oceans Ate Alaska – “Escapist”

Oceans Ate Alaska’s innovative musicianship is on par with the most elite Fearless veterans. The band not only max out their technical talents but also raise the bar with overly complex structures. The result punishes the listener with gut-wrenching chaos and an advanced music theory lesson. “Escapist” is a mere snapshot of their wicked world. It locks in every rhythm to ensure that they deliver the heaviest throttle on each hard turn.

7. Unearth – “Incinerate”

Unearth, one of the leading bands of early-2000s metalcore, are still going strong after years of evolution. Their latest album, Extinction(s), revisited the thrash metal-influenced melodies and simple-but-crushing breakdowns of the era. “Incinerate” embodies that sound with both a massive breakdown and a series of screeching dissonant chords, slowing down at the end for the final blow.

8. Parkway Drive – “Boneyards”

Rising to the top as Australia’s biggest metalcore band, Parkway Drive mastered their fast riffing and unforgiving breakdown combo in Killing With A Smile before reaching the pinnacle on Horizons. “Boneyards” starts right off the bat with rapid blast beats, erupting into a roaring breakdown that constantly keeps you on your toes with abrupt tempo changes.

9. I See Stars – “Ten Thousand Feet”

Just when everyone thought electronicore was on its last legs, I See Stars proved them wrong on New Demons. The band took it to a whole new level on the album and incorporated all shades of electronic music to their heaviness. The album intro seamlessly connects into “Ten Thousand Feet,” preparing listeners for an epic trap-influenced breakdown that detonates right at the drop.

10. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza – “Rudy X 3”

Before disbanding in 2012, the Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza went out with a bang, giving it their all in their final album, Danza IIII: The Alpha – The Omega. With a frantic energy that invigorates their annihilating breakdowns and undeniable craftsmanship, “Rudy X 3” signifies the band’s adept mastery of cacophonous, hair-raising mathcore.