Playlist for August 26 – September 29
Quick playlist highlights: After a month away, I can’t share my thoughts on 50+ songs. I ordered the playlist so a lot of my favorites are at the front, and I’ll talk about those here. It seems that a lot of my favorites from the last month are on the heavier side, which is surprising because up until this point, I haven’t been extremely impressed with deathcore this year.
– I don’t follow Silverstein too closely, but I always seem to enjoy their singles. Super catchy choruses and rough screams that are easy to understand.
– Shadow of Intent has a new single. It seems kind of like a throwback to their first two albums, which is great. I’ve enjoyed their recent ventures into death metal, but ‘Reclaimer’ and the Halo-inspired content will always have a special place in my heart.
– Speaking of bands revisiting their original style, Whitechapel just released their heaviest song in 16 years. I’m not sure if it’s a one-off or part of a bigger release, but it’s so good to hear this side of Whitechapel again. ‘The Valley’ and ‘Kin’ were fine, especially after Whitechapel’s somewhat aimless releases in the mid 2010s, and it was cool to see Phil Bozeman experiment with singing, but Whitechapel is meant to be crushingly heavy. Phil is too good of a screamer to not be making songs like this.
– As I Lay Dying has a song featuring Alex Terrible and Tom Barber. I’m not going to lie, I like when Tim leans into the darker side of AILD. The line up change actually seems to have done wonders for the band – he isn’t strapped down by as much baggage anymore.
– Hollow Front continues to impress with their brand of emotional metalcore.
– I really enjoyed Oceano‘s new album. One of my favorite deathcore releases of the year. I like how this track is heavy but also subdued. Kind of poetic.
– Signs of the Swarm is so sick. Instruments are chunky and choppy. Vocals are one of a kind.
– I will rep Reflections until I die. Continues the trend of drawn out, ominous instruments that resemble Humanity’s Last Breath.
– One month until Gaerea‘s new album. I’ve talked about each of the singles so it shouldn’t be surprising how invested I am in this release. Very excited to see how it all comes together. Definitely a dark horse that could take a top 10 spot this year.
– I sang Fit For An Autopsy‘s praises for the longest time, and there are still a lot of things I like about them, but their recent albums feel watered down and diluted. I hate to say it, but the singing is just not a valuable addition. At no point am I ever excited to hear them sing. It’s just not their strong suit, and it’s like they’re trying to replicate Cattle Decapitation’s singing on this one.
– It’s pretty rare for August Burns Red to put out a standalone single, but I think that’s what this is. They’ve been trending in a “progressive metal” direction for a while, but this one is pretty straight forward. Maybe this was a b-side from ‘Death below’ that didn’t fit. Not sure how much replay value it will have, but the breakdown at the end is solid enough.
– Confession is back!? These guys are an iconic Australian metalcore band fronted by the legendary Michael Crafter. This might actually be the most exciting song in the entire playlist. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
– Disentomb and Worm Shepherd each had great songs, but I have to highlight Peelingflesh‘s new slam album. “Shoot 2 Kill” has one of the hardest samples I’ve ever heard – it’s George W. Bush saying “We must stop the terror. I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive” as he hits a golf ball.
– And for a little bit of hate, Underoath and All Time Low sound lost and confused on their new songs. But worst of all was Beartooth‘s new single from the deluxe edition of their last album. Look dude, I’m happy that Caleb Shomo has figured out how to be happy, but he needs to figure out how to make good music again. Unbelievable cringe – literally begging for your attention over and over so he can tell you that he’s happy. It’s a candidate for worst song of the year.