8. Miss May I: Now, some of you may have actually heard of Ohio's own Miss May I before, which is why I decided to start the list with them...Also, they're sort of more "metalcore" than "hardcore" if you get what I'm saying. Anyway, Miss May I's claim to underground fame is their spectacular cover of "Swing" by Savage. They successfully manage to take a fairly awful club tune and turn it into something that even the most seasoned metal vets would call heavy (not sludge metal heavy, but heavy). That same idea, creating undeniably heavy music and having a good time has translated into their 2009 release "Apologies Are For The Weak", a very satisfying metalcore album to say the least. Pick it up. I dare you. You may not know about Miss May I now, but since they begin a nationwide United States tour with The Devil Wears Prada on June 28, 2010, something is telling me you'll be hearing a lot about them soon.
7. Ice Nine Kills: Ice Nine Kills has been around for quite awhile now in various forms. They began as a pop/punk/ska band back when all of the members were still in high school, then moved upward and onward and released the post-hardcore album "Last Chance To Make Amends" which gained them a bit of recognition on the underground emo circuit. However, their latest release "The Burning" is what got me hooked. "The Burning" was released a couple years ago and really documents the growth of INK and showcases each musician for the talents they possess. The guitarist's riffs are extraordinarily melodic while simultaneously highlighting the technical prowess of the young band's writing style, the drummer provides flawless time keeping abilities even through very odd syncopated rhythms and time signature changes, and the two vocalists in Ice Nine Kills seem to be locked in a constant battle for supremacy as both constantly compete for who has the better scream or growl and who's clean vocals can provide the soaring melodies that give them their unique edge over many bands on the scene today. The amazing thing to me is also that this album, "The Burning", is so heavy yet does not contain a single breakdown like the other cookie-cutter hardcore bands wearing extreme v-neck shirts. Also, Ice Nine Kills have recently finished recording their follow up to "The Burning" to be released sometime this summer; I will be reviewing it once it's released, so keep an eye out for that.
6. A Hero A Fake: A Hero A Fake is the next Between The Buried And Me. On their debut album "Volatile" A Hero A Fake showed the underground world (or at least the ones who searched for them) exactly what the definition of "heavy" is. They paired immense breakdowns with extraordinarily technical fretwork by all three guitarists, as well as some of the more well-thought-out lyrics present in any hardcore band today. Not to mention, they actually showcased their gifted bassist instead of forcing him to hide behind the guitarists, unlike most metalcore/hardcore bands. They followed up "Volatile" with this year's "Let Oceans Lie" which only raised the bar for this group. The musical aspects of AHAF remained mostly untouched from "Volatile", but the main difference is in the vocals. On "Volatile" there is very little clean singing, and to be honest, their screamer is quite abrasive and monotonous at times - bad combo. However, on "Let Oceans Lie" A Hero A Fake have reinvented their vocal style to create some of the most spectacular contrasts between clean vocals that would have Puccini crying at their beauty (Puccini was an Italian opera composer, look him up), and punishing growls/screams that force the listener to feel the emotions that the vocalist wants them to feel. Great band, hopefully going to blow up soon.
5. Psyopus: I am hesitant to even put Psyopus on this list because Psyopus is a genre in itself. They can not be called hardcore, but they can't be called anything else. I will call them Avant-Garde Metal for the purposes of this article, and I will include them regardless of your opposition, thank you very much. Psyopus is crazy. They change time signatures roughly every measure, switch between metal and jazz, start and stop at random intervals, and seem to speed up and slow down at will. That being said, Chris "Arpmandude" Arp is certainly the most technically-gifted guitarist on the (read: any) scene today. I simply can not describe Psyopus' sound, because their sound is indescribable. All I can do is tell you to listen to them. Which I will do. Listen to them.
4. The Color Morale: I first heard of The Color Morale this past March when I heard they were touring in support of The Chariot. I checked out their music prior to the show and quite frankly, I was blown away. They have the potential to become huge in the hardcore world. Their vocalists are nothing short of amazing with one providing highly emotional screams while the other provides soulful clean vocals akin to "Emarosa"'s Jonny Craig. Their release "We All Have Demons" is not as technical as the other bands I have described in this article, but it is one of the most powerfully unrelenting albums I have heard in a long time. The guitarists rarely steal the spotlight and are mostly used for texture while the vocals take the foreground. Another amazing staple of this band is their drummer, Steve Carey. Since I play drums myself, I am keen to listen to what the drums are doing in any given song, and Steve blew me away with his complex rhythms and undeniable ability being presented throughout the album, while never overplaying and forcing himself to be the center of attention. Brilliant band, that's for sure.
3. The Chariot: Josh Scogin is sort of the hometown hero in Atlanta, having created both Norma Jean and The Chariot. Yet, I'm always surprised when I mention The Chariot to people, even some from the area, and they stare at me dumbfounded or ask "Isn't that a Gavin DeGraw song?" The Chariot are the single most intense band on the scene...and they're Christian. No clean vocals at any time. Stop/Start breakdowns and riffs. "Noise Experimentation." Giant beards. Simply put, structured chaos. The Chariot have been described as being "an acquired taste...like red wine" and I couldn't agree with anything more. When I first heard their music, I laughed. I didn't really fall in love with The Chariot until I saw them live. It was in the middle of their set (opening for Norma Jean and Horse: The Band) that I realized that their music isn't about the presence of melody and harmony. It is about conveying an experience to the listener. The reasoning behind their structural obscurity is that they want to force their fans to feel what it is like to have their lives cast into chaos and then brought back to a stable state. And The Chariot succeeds.
2. Asking Alexandria: I only very recently discovered Asking Alexandria and I really wish I had known about them earlier. Asking Alexandria is definitely one of the best underground hardcore bands, hands down. Their music features heavy breakdowns, intricate guitars, and emotionally-driven vocals, the combination of which results in a whole lot of fun. At times, their music may become slightly predictable, but it's in a way that makes you laugh and go "ah, damn I'm glad they did that there!" One of the more unique features in Asking Alexandria is their incorporation of electronic music in their songs, which creates a very interesting contrast in the sudden shift from hardcore to house music, only to have the listener caught in a swirling crescendo that forcefully throws them back into a punishing breakdown. Each song is beautifully orchestrated and tends to feature not only the standard hardcore regimen (guitars, bass, drums, vocals) but the occasional synthesizer, piano, violin, marching snares, and more. To put it simply, Asking Alexandria's debut album "Stand Up And Scream" is a must have for any hardcore fan.
1. We Came As Romans: Ahh, We Came As Romans. Every single member of We Came As Romans is flawless at what they do. Kyle Pavone's clean vocals sweep the listener away and carry them on a ride as he presents WCAR's "non-christian" positive messages of love...through brutality. The screams are emotional, the growls guttural, the music technical, the hooks memorable. This album will have you singing (or screaming) along for weeks after you hear it. I wish I could say more about We Came As Romans and their first full-length album "To Plant A Seed" but I think it's safer to just let their music do the talking for them. A good pair of noise canceling headphones is recommended upon first listen. Enjoy, everyone!
AAAANNNNDDDDDD for all of you who read this, I am not yet including download links (unfortunately) but I will provide some links to a few youtube videos or sites where you can hear these bands.
Miss May I, "Forgive and Forget" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X0046oaHfQ
Ice Nine Kills, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB2bQJBXX6o
A Hero A Fake, "Let Oceans Lie" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPmbBurFiWA
Psyopus, "Whore Meet Liar" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLT6IdX1rhw
The Color Morale, "Humannequin" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP7MZuOCOwc
The Chariot, "Daggers" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K05weZYExPU&a=dmZprWuGUDI&playnext_from=ML
also The Chariot *Live*, "The Deaf Policeman" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5gsD30l47w
Asking Alexandria, "The Final Episode (Let's Change The Channel)" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLQBebfEXpc
We Came As Romans, "Roads That Don't End And Views That Never Cease" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNkvaTy7JLI
Enjoy everyone. New review sometime soon.
-Edit!- DOWNLOAD LINK YAYAYAYAYA!
Asking Alexandria "Stand Up And Scream"
http://www.mediafire.com/?fnoyjhz5nmy
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