|
User
Soundoffs 11
Album Ratings 218
Objectivity 58%
Last Active 04-06-15 4:31 am
Joined 04-06-12
Review Comments 135
| Top 20 Early Melodic Metalcore Releases
A list of my top 20 melodic metalcore albums that were released around the turn of the millennium. A lot of people write melodic metalcore off as crass, commercial garbage, but there was a period of time where metalcore bands were really creating something new and artistic. More specifically, these American bands were combining the melodic death metal music from far-away Gothenburg, Sweden with the American metalcore sound of the time. | | 20 | | The Automata
Through the Bandage Seeps A Whisper
Pretty good metal-core that's very similar to endthisday, TBDM (first demo), and Undying, all of whom are on this list. Unfortunately, this one suffers from HORRIBLE production. As far as I know, this is the band's only release. | | 19 | | Coma Eternal
I Am The End
Formed from the ashes of Endthisday; they take their name from the final song on Endthisday's only album. They sound just like Endthisday, but a little more melodic. | | 18 |  | Nehemiah
The Asphyxiation Process
Blackened melodic metalcore that sounds like Prayer For Cleansing and endthisday. | | 17 |  | As Hope Dies
Birthplace and Burial Site
There's actually not much -core to be found here, but they're close enough. They play in more of a melodic death/black vein, with a lot of tremolo picking. Most similar to Undying. They had another album or two, but this debut EP is the best I've heard. | | 16 |  | Falling Cycle
The Conflict
They sound a lot like Darkest Hour, but a little more -corey and tough-guy, i.e. a lot of breakdowns. | | 15 |  | Bleeding Through
Portrait of the Goddess
Bleeding Through has always had a pretty unique sound, but they've always suffered from having a lot of boring filler tracks on their albums. Their second album is an exception, however. The keyboards provide a very nice atmosphere that is dark and depressing. | | 14 |  | The Black Dahlia Murder
What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse
They ceased to be a metalcore band after this, but there's no denying they play metalcore here. They sound EXACTLY like a faster and more chaotic version of Undying on their first album. TBDM even admitted themselves that they were mostly influenced by Undying and Prayer for Cleansing. | | 13 |  | Darkest Hour
The Mark of the Judas
Incredibly catchy debut album that is much more metal than it is core. Darkest Hour are heavily inspired by both At the Gates and In Flames, though they do have their own unique sound. There's a lot of tremolo picked harmonies on this one. | | 12 |  | As I Lay Dying
Frail Words Collapse
Though it is a bit repetitive and is marred by strange production on the drums, it is an exceedingly catchy album with some great In Flames-esque riffs. There's also some straight-up mathcore types of songs to break up the monotony. | | 11 |  | Unearth
The Stings of Conscience
A pretty heavy-hitting album with some amazing riffs, such as the one in the middle of One Step Away. Unfortunately, the production is so-so, and there are way too many breakdowns! | | 10 |  | Trivium
Ember to Inferno
So Trivium may have been one of the first bands to jump on the melodic metalcore bandwagon, but they definitely could play better than most other bands at the time. Trivium meld their metalcore with Metallica and In Flames influences. I like this one more than Ascendancy because it lacks the lame radio singles like "Pull Harder..." and "Dying in Your Arms." | | 9 |  | Undying
This Day All Gods Die
An interesting EP that is pretty dynamic. The title track kicks off with a blast beat, tremolo-picking, and high-pitched screaming, reminiscent of melodic black metal. There's also some straight up 90's metal-core types of riffs, as well as some really slow and melodic riffs that are reminiscent of My Dying Bride. | | 8 | | Prayer For Cleaning
Rain in Endless Fall
Pretty unique sounding album with a bit of a black metal influence. They sound most similar to Undying, who are also from North Carolina, but are a bit heavier and chunkier. | | 7 |  | endthisday
Sleeping Beneath The Ashes of Creation
These guys totally worship Slaughter of the Soul, and I love them every bit for it. Everything about this album kicks ass, from the string-skipping SOTS types of riffs to the tremolo picking to the breakdowns! The album can pull you in emotionally at times, which is appealing to me. | | 6 |  | Underoath
Cries of the Past
Unless you're familiar with this album, you probably wouldn't expect (unless you're really cynical) Underoath to pop up on this list. There's nothing else that compares to it, really. There's an overt black metal influence on this album, which makes it sound REALLY dark and depressing. This is some serious stuff. There's also plenty of groovy types of riffs. | | 5 |  | Darkest Hour
Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation
Incredibly thrashy and technically competent melodic metalcore album. It's very similar to their second album, except the songs are better and varied. Kris Norris on guitar also produces some also solos. | | 4 |  | Prayer for Cleansing
The Tragedy
I think this one is a little better than the debut album. Though it was released in 2004, the songs were written/recorded much earlier. I have a version on my computer from 2001. Definitely a big black metal influence, most similar to Undying. | | 3 |  | All That Remains
Behind Silence and Solitude
An incredibly underrated album by one of the most popular melodic metalcore bands. It's kind of similar to Shadows Fall's debut, but for the most part this album has a totally unique sound; I can't think of anything else like it! Also, it's the only All That Remains album without any whiny singing, which is a major plus. Every riff on here is golden, especially the riffs in Come Clarity. | | 2 |  | Undying
The Whispered Lies of Angels
An absolutely stunning album, both lyrically as well as musically. Most of the riffs consist of either chunky breakdowns or melodic black metal-influenced tremolo picking, both of which Undying performs quite well. | | 1 |  | Shadows Fall
Somber Eyes to the Sky
Honestly, there are many other albums on this list that I prefer more, but this album is #1 for a reason: it's the album that started it all. To my knowledge, Shadows Fall is the first band to put out a release that combined American metalcore with Gothenburg melodic death metal. I actually never see anyone mention this album, which is a real shame because of its historical significance. | |
Gameofmetal
09.27.14 | The fact that there's no Killswitch Engage on this list makes me sad. They might have even beat out Shadows Fall for putting out the first melo metalcore record. Them or the two bands that started KSE at least. | Artuma
09.27.14 | shai hulud > anything on this list | Gameofmetal
09.27.14 | Yeah but Shai isn't melodic metalcore tho | Artuma
09.27.14 | how the fuck aren't they? | Gameofmetal
09.27.14 | I will agree that they're pretty fuckin awesome. | HarryBoBerry
09.27.14 | Awesome list! Some really good mentions including Somber Eyes. But it's missing out big time on Killswitch's debut, I would add that as one of the top albums on the list. | Snake.
09.27.14 | no hopesfall fucking neg | XcKyle93
09.27.14 | I was thinking of adding Killswitch's debut; it's really the only album by them that doesn't have whiny vocals (much like ATR's debut). However, I didn't really dig all of the songs on the debut, which is why I didn't include it. It's definitely influential though, so perhaps I regret my decision. And Killswitch didn't release a demo until 1999, their debut in 2000. So bands like Undying, Prayer for Cleansing, and Shadows Fall easily preceded them. | Intothepit
09.27.14 | No Poison the Well or Shai Hulud? The first two bands to really add melody to the genre? No Hopesfall? This list sucks. | XcKyle93
09.27.14 | Poison the Well blows. I just looked up their 90's releases again to be certain. Really whiny vocals, and honestly they have more in common with hardcore than metal. | Snake.
09.27.14 | ^ you're joking right? | Royl123
09.27.14 | Needs KSE! | owen
09.27.14 | End your life | Intothepit
09.27.14 | Dude, are you fucking stupid? Please tell me you didn't just say PtW blows? Whiny vocals? What in the fuck are you talking about?
End your life(2) | XcKyle93
09.27.14 | Seems like I insulted some fanboys! I actually don't have much of a problem with Poison the Well, I just wasn't familiar with them at the time of making this list. I should have been more specific when describing this list, but I was looking for bands that are on the metal side of metalcore, not the hardcore side. Every single one of these bands is undeniably metal. Also, check out my profile; I don't listen to any hardcore, pretty much all metal death/black metal. | Gameofmetal
09.27.14 | KSE doesn't have whiny vocals and Brian Fair from Shadows Falls was in bands with the guys from KSE. Overcast and Aftershock are probably the true innovators of the genre. | XcKyle93
09.27.14 | Dude, we're not even talking about the same type of metalcore... I had in mind a very specific sound when I made this list. And yes, KSE does have some whiny clean vocals. Maybe not Howard Jones, but recall that Jesse Leach was the original vocalist. Just listen to My Last Serenade... Aftershock and Overcast sound quite different from the bands I have on this list. In addition, Brian Fair doesn't even make an appearance on this list; Phil from ATR did vocals on the Shadows Fall album I listed. | Gameofmetal
09.27.14 | Well I always heard the Massachusetts scene guys saying Aftershock and Overcast were the ones that started the scene. Brian Fair is the vocalist of Shadows Fall so that's why I brought him up. Jesse doesn't have many whiny vocals, the description of whiny isn't really something that many people seem to be able to pinpoint accurately as it seems to be tossed on anything someone doesn't like. Howard definitely doesn't but I'll concede that Jesse could be seen as being whiny. I wouldn't personally say Phil has whiny vocals either tbh. | XcKyle93
09.27.14 | All I know is that Phil can't hit the higher notes for shit live. | JustinKing
09.28.14 | Nice to see some love for Nehemiah, endthisday, and Undying. Solid list, actually. The only two I'd swap out are 10 and 12. Not big on Trivium at all, even though that is likely my favorite album by them. I like that album by As I Lay Dying, too, just feel there were some that went unnoticed that beat it by a fair margin, like Symptoms of an Unwanted Emotion by Dead Blue Sky, Shadow Hearts by Caliban, or Lost Senses, More Innocence by Nodes of Ranvier. | Intothepit
09.28.14 | There is so much stupid in this thread | HarryBoBerry
09.28.14 | You should listen to the remastered version of KSE's debut, it sounds much better. That's what got me hooked. | XcKyle93
09.28.14 | Hey Justin, I actually haven't heard any of the albums you've mentioned. I'll check them out. And in retrospect, I should have included KSE's debut.
Edit: Actually, I had heard the Dead Blue Sky one before. It was okay, there are definitely albums I prefer more though. |
|
