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Mitch Worden
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Build-an-Album II, R3(P1): Drop it Down Low

And here... we... go!... to the next installation of this hellscape. How much worse can it get? Oh you sweet, summer child...
1I Would Set Myself On Fire For You
Believes In Patterns

Previously on Build-an-Album: the genre was EMO, the theme was HIDDEN GEMS, and all contestants needed to create 8-track records that stayed below the 40-minute marker. Due to the high stress that such an EMO-tional category can bring… get it… eh?... the “dumb rule” required competitors to submit their records while including a pun. The round forced certain players to jump out of their comfort zone and allowed others to dig deep into their bag of tricks. Who was able to create the most compelling concoction of f e e l s? Time to dive into the judgement and find out!
2City of Caterpillar
Driving Spain Up A Wall

Johnny's Album: Not only did this have a flawless flow and adherence to theme, but it did so while altering tracks sufficiently, providing some great diversity throughout. It even ventured to take a risk on a clean-sung, gentle finale that managed to wrap everything up in a bow. The titanic opener set the tone, and everything after it delivered, be it for track 3's intensity or the gradual buildup of track 2. This felt like something you could've unearthed from 2004. 4.3
3Free Throw
Those Days Are Gone

bg's album: This record aimed for a more reserved style in the Midwest emo vein, trading in skramz intensity for pleasant chords and those delightful math twinkles. Such an approach peaked in tracks like track 6 where the closing minutes felt almost ethereal in their tone. All of these were solid jams that gelled well together without ever really featuring a low point. Certain songs (ex. track 5) could have done more instrumentally, which may have provided a slight advantage. As it stands: excellent stuff! 4.0
4Captain, Your Ship is Sinking
Cross Your Fingers For The Epilogue

mort's album: This was a solid package! Oddly enough, the flow was not too bad despite not featuring any order whatsoever. The tracks were mostly great to excellent, including an appearance by a very young Kurt Travis, but I feel like they could have aspired to grander heights. Using a slot on a so-so instrumental wasn't the best choice. And damn, drowningman went emo? That's a change... 3.85
5Canadian Softball
Awkward and Depressed

Sloth's album: While the concept is appreciated, the aim of the competition is almost always to make a record that has good flow/is cohesive. This acted as more of a grab-bag of separate themes, and as such, it plays out like an identity crisis. Track 2 is actually rather engaging and incredibly unconventional, but when placed in the context of fellow tunes on the album, it's jarring. And yeah, parodies are fun, but not when it's the same joke done to death within 10 seconds, and that's not even mentioning how haphazard the track's organization is to begin with. It's unfortunate, since the second half DOES have plenty of hits, but the whole thing started off on the wrong foot and had no consistency. It ended up being good, but should have been better. 3.7
6Jimmy Eat World
Clarity

David's album: Ogbert the Nerd was a fun discovery from this round; their energy is pretty infectious. A lot of the tunes surrounding that track, however, did not possess that same vivacity, causing the record to drag at times. Upon hitting track 5, it nearly stalled entirely, but the final 3 tracks felt much more in-line with the aesthetic you were aiming for. The majority just didn't do enough vocally or instrumentally to be compelling at a greater depth. 3.5
7Examination of the...
Lady In The Radiator

Uzu's album: Violent! This had some great screamo cuts featured on it, with the first 3 tunes in particular being amazing adrenaline rushes. The record sagged in the middle due to those songs having less intrigue to them; I appreciate the classic inclusions, but they felt dangerously plain at times. However, it managed to finish strong, and it was an enjoyable ride. It misses out on a higher score but certainly wasn't bad. 3.86
8Ogbert the Nerd
I Don't Hate You

Steak's album: The adherence this had to its mini-narrative was commendable, with the record's flow complimenting it perfectly as well. There was a neat diversity to Steak's effort that covered a lot of ground in the emo realm, ranging from track 8's reserved, indie motifs and the bleak domain of track 4. It was a captivating experience through and through. 4.2
9Boys Life
Boys Life

Pangea's album: Pangea's record took some interesting turns. Track 3 had some spoken word eventually capped off by the appearance of horns, and track 7 maneuvered from a dark beginning to like, an emo jam session of sorts? While I had some issues with both, they were quite enjoyable on the whole and offered some compelling variance to the album. The LP started off decently, but it managed to accrue momentum and increase its rating in (mostly) each successive track. Good stuff! 3.95
10Ken Burns
Ken Burns

Sint's album: Credit where credit's due: I was impressed at how well this record transitioned to its restrained second half. It could have easily taken me out of the record entirely, yet it was executed in a seamless manner. The issue was how those latter tunes simply paled in comparison to how the record started; there was no competing with track 2's awesome musicianship and songwriting brilliance. If the record stayed close to that aesthetic, it could have been much better, but far too many of the tunes that followed (especially a lackluster closing song) dragged this down a bit. 3.85
11Dear and the Headlights
Drunk Like Bible Times

Shemson's album: Some delicious indie/alt emo to find here! Shemson was able to include catchy choruses alongside some more atmospheric numbers, and it worked out very well. Track 2 acted as one of the standouts with its upbeat nature and entertaining lyricism. If it had ended on a better closer, it might have earned a few more points, but it was an incredibly fun time overall. 4.15
12Superheaven
Jar

Rock's album: This was... good! And that unfortunately didn't cut it in this round due to how stacked the competition was. Too many of these were anticlimactic (see: track 3) or felt poorly made (see: track 2). Plenty of great songs here, but too few of them aspired for better marks, causing the album to not be too memorable by the end of the day. 3.4
13Terry Green
Terry Green

tyman's album: Some more dark, screamo goodness! Although its closing two tracks were not as strong as those that came before it, the record opened strongly and carried much of that momentum onward. It was enough for a solid score, especially off the back of tunes a la track 3. Great, technical musicianship was exhibited throughout, which is always a treat. Nicely done. 3.9
14125, Rue Montmartre
Self-titled 7"

Phero's album: This had the unfortunate distinction of having the only track (track 7, for reference) that I considered to be a complete dud. The start of this record was dire as well; that slow, build-up style of emo popularized by bands like Mineral or Penfold (who both show up and try to save your record) can be pretty boring/too understated to make an impact. It stuck well to its aesthetic and did find success there, but not enough to propel it beyond the graveyard. 3.7
15Waterdown
Never Kill the Boy on the First Date

Storm's album: After a low scoring in breakbeat, Storm came back swingin' and delivered a record strong enough to rescue his standing. Plenty of delicious melodies here intermixed with surprisingly dark cuts (who knew Hopesfall could go *there*?). If the first two tracks were more enjoyable, this could have topped the round. Due to the overwhelming strength of the rest of the inclusions, it got a relatively high placement regardless. An excellent return to form. 4.05
16I Love Your Lifestyle
No Driver

Slex's album: Delicious, soothing twinkles everywhere! This benefitted greatly from some powerful vocal performances, especially the one demonstrated on track 5, and its wonderful flow/consistent motif of cute feelsy melodies. It also had one of the more moody, atmospheric closers of the round, which really encapsulated the underlying darkness the album possessed. Much like Storm, it was a strong response to the breakbeat round. 4.1
17I Would Set Myself On Fire For You
Believes In Patterns

This was even harder to judge than breakbeat! Geez people, go easy on me and at least let yourselves be terrible for once. Breakbeat had already set a high bar, but this round confirmed that even a strong album isn't enough to attain a higher standing. Who snagged the top this time?
FIRST PLACE: Johnny (4.3)
SECOND PLACE: Steak (4.2)
THIRD PLACE: Shemson (4.15)
Some more close calls had to be made using a complicated algorithm called "I flipped a coin" (not really, but you'll never know for sure!) Take a peak at where the standings are now:
18Genghis Tron
Board Up the House

LEADERBOARD TOP 10:
1. Johnny >>> 36
2. Steak >>> 32
3. Shemson >>> 24
4. bg >>> 20
5. David >>> 14
6. Slex >>> 12
7. tryman >>> 11
8. Storm >>> 10
9. (TIE) Uzu >>> 8
9. (TIE) Rock >>> 8
19Genghis Tron
Board Up the House

LEADERBOARD FIRST 5 OUT:
11. Pangea >>> 7
12. Sint >>> 6
13. Phero >>> 5
14. Sloth >>> 3
15. Mort >>> 2
20Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

That’s a wrap on emo, my friends. You would think that the emotionally-draining portion of the competition would therefore be concluded and things would be much safer, but that’s a fool’s wish. This game doesn’t care about your mental stability! There’s always something surprising that generates an unfortunate inconvenience, and this next genre is certainly no exception. It has been derided for years, become the butt of jokes, and by all accounts seems to be on its way out the door. Just close your eyes and pretend it’s like 2008 or something again!
21Job for a Cowboy
Doom

It was perhaps inevitable that this would happen… but the next category is, believe it or not, DEATHCORE. Wow. So exciting. I do enjoy hearing the same breakdown chugga chugga train for over a decade. I cannot express how happy I am to hear more of it. Thrilling. I blame everybody except myself because that will help me sleep exponentially better at night. We all will need to strap on our nostalgia goggles and recall the golden age of (checks notes) Suicide Silence?
22Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

The theme for this should be expected: ABSOLUTE BEATDOWN. We all recognize that deathcore’s most defining trait is how it lives and dies by the sword—that being its ceaseless abuse of breakdowns. Your objective, should you choose to accept it (you basically have to), is to curate the best possible breakdowns for your album. Perhaps they’re impossibly heavy or sickeningly technical. Either way, the LP you submit should be stocked with memorable moments of destruction.
You will be required to gather nine tracks. This means that 7 is an incorrect answer. Whatever album you make needs to be able to cross over the 30-minute mark at a minimum, so getting at least one second above 30:00 is a pass. We are not accepting nano or imaginary seconds at this time.
23Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

I personally find that this round isn’t as infuriating as it could be, so let us travel one step further! Instead of every single one of your 9 songs being purely deathcore, one must not only be from an entirely different genre, but it also needs to have been featured on the Billboard 200. That pushes you close or fully into the realms of pop! And your goal is to try and include that song without being jarring whatsoever. All about that bass. . . . .
24Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

SUMMARY:
Genre = Deathcore
Theme = Absolute Beatdown
Requirement = 9 tracks; must be longer than 30 minutes
“dumb rule”: one track has to be a Billboard 200 song of an opposite genre
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: August 1st
25Embodyment
Embrace the Eternal

Johnny's album:
1. Embodyment - 20 Tongues
2. Glass Casket - Pencil Lead Syringe
3. Dir En Grey - Midwife
4. The Myriad Burial - Death Quota For Purification*
5. Premonitions of War - Citizen
6. Animosity - Animal
7. Methwitch - Bed Full of Snakes
8. Dido - White Flag
9. The Red Chord - Dreaming In Dog Years

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5uj4iXHcIgd2wc9hSEfqDK?si=a584cb31c17d4b41
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpEUglwud5g
26Ovid's Withering
Scryers of the Ibis

Steak's album:
1. Ovid's Withering - Earthshaker I
2. Whitechapel - Section 8
3. The Contortionist - Primal Directive
4. Shadow of the Colossus - Insurgence*
5. Within the Ruins - Feeding Frenzy
6. Veil of Maya - Punisher
7. Structures - Still Waters
8. Doja Cat - Say So
9. After the Burial - Aspiration

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7eH662on856JB5eUS6cpWW
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXYq_V2EHds
27Lorna Shore
...And I Return To Nothingness

Shemson's album:
1. Lorna Shore - …To The Hellfire
2. Born Of Osiris - Follow The Signs
3. Job For A Cowboy - Entombment Of A Machine
4. Whitechapel - Possession
5. Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy (Pappy Mix)
6. Cryptopsy - Silence Your Tyrants
7. The Faceless - Leica
8. Annotations Of An Autopsy - Welcome To Sludge City
9. Bring Me The Horizon - For Stevie Wonder’s Eyes Only (Braille)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7G2uIdLkmdUConJDBbsWFa?si=YiS3xAnmTty0fDDKInuSSg
28War from a Harlots Mouth
Voyeur

Mort's album:
1. harlots - the weight unweighable
2. War from a harlots mouth - vertigo
3. arsonists get all the girls - hemlock like this
4. ion dissonance - to lift the dead hand of the past
5. despised icon - furtive monologue
6. the acacia strain - the impaler
7. thy art is murder - purest strain of hate
8. lily allen - smile
9. tony danza tapdance extravaganza - the alpha the omega

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE45QzVYpWWAR53eA0rFjRNGBeD_cdYdw
29Aversions Crown
Tyrant

bg's album:
1. Aversions Crown- Vectors
2. Angelmaker- The Curse of Earth
3. Shadow of Intent- The Return
4. Veil of Maya- Synthwave Vegan
5. Cascada- Every Time We Touch
6. Carnifex- Drown Me in Blood
7. Job for a Cowboy- Entombment of a Machine
8. Gamma Sector- Creating Obscenities
9. Distant- Aeons of Oblivion

Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SjeI5Oc3sV6X8VhL7gfPx?si=P_UyzkABS5qKuYsh7vX1rw
30Chelsea Grin
Desolation of Eden

Sloth's album:
1. Lorna Shore- This is Hell
2. A Wake In Providence - A Darkened Gospel
3. Chelsea Grin - Recreant
4. I, Valiance - The Pillars of Ruin
5. Lie To The Silence - Blacked Truth
6. Infant Annihilater feat Alex Teyen- The Battle of Yaldabaoth
7. Ginuwine - Pony
8. Worm Shepherd - Ov Sword and Nail
9. Mental Cruelty - Ultima Hypocrita

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/18ibgsrHDq0XchMPKk2VTN?si=8dpp_YsMQ-m582_CJIyGBg&utm_source=copy-link
31Infant Annihilator
The Elysian Grandeval Galèriarch

Uzu's album:
Infant Annihilator - Blasphemian
Worm Shepherd - Ov Sword and Nail
Sold Soul - Harrowing, His Calls to the Void
To the Grave - Pest Control
Thy Art Is Murder - The Purest Strain of Hate
Carnifex - Lie to My Face
Aversions Crown - The Glass Sentient
Impuritan - Debt to the Deathless
Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBaS8ZeoZ_XB4MbW8ZXy3uRAHKnn47ikR
32Antagony
Rebirth

rock's album:
1. Antagony - Awakening
2. Brand of Sacrifice - Animal
3. Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin (peaked at #9 on Billboard Hot 100)
4. Shrine of Malice - Lord of Flies
5. Oceano - Samael the Destroyer
6. Decayer - Dead Soul
7. The Dialect - The World That Hell Built
8. Signs of the Swarm - Nightcrawler's
9. The Acacia Strain - Cauterizer

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5GqLdUoEpUsrhUJJkGZU15?si=1cdf6ee2852d4ad8
33The Acacia Strain
Death Is the Only Mortal

Sint's album:
1. the acacia strain - doomblade
2. iwrestledabearonce - doomed to fall, part 1
3. chelsea grin - don't ask, don't tell
4. thy art is murder - reign of darkness
5. gulch - self-inflicted mental terror
6. hazing over - pestilence
7. jay-z - 99 problems
8. fuming mouth - road to odessa
9. morser - doom (the divine gift)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2dPDeNczM8uzYizXQNWdny?si=6bac99d53dac4ae9
34Des'ree
I Ain't Movin'

David's album:
1. Des’ree - You Gotta Be
2. Black Tounge - The Cathedral
3. Thy Art is Murder - Dear Desolation
4. Fuming Mouth - Out of the Shadows
5. Prayer for Cleansing - Sonnet
6. Embodyment - Golgotha
7. Deformity - Bloodfields
8. The Red Chord - Mouthful of Precious Stones
9. Whitechapel - The Ones That Made Us

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdbV0-YdRPrU_QyACZ1NkCiGnN9VB9lxL
35Assemble The Chariots
The Celestials

Pangea's album:
1. Assemble The Chariots - Empress
2. Brittney Spears - Toxic
3. Lorna Shore - Of the Abyss
4. Fit For An Autopsy - The Sea of Tragic Beasts
5. Angelmaker - What I Would Give
6. Ov Sulfur - Bathe In the Flame
7. Carnifex - Pray For Peace
8. Cabal - Bitter Friend
9. Shadows of Intent - Where Millions Have Come to Die

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7bkc93Ad6NXSEwflleo3Yd?si=8f9df6d041c14d95
36AngelMaker
Sanctum

Storm's album:
1. Slaughter by Angelmaker
2. Lilac by Monasteries
3. Piano Man by Billy Joel
4. To The Hellfire by Lorna Shore
5. Péndulo by NVLO
6. It Haunts Me feat Kimmy Songs by Cabal
7. Reaping The Earthbound Revelry by A Loathing Requiem
8. God's Light by A Night In Texas
9. Aftermath by Wrath of Vesuvius

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGOs6nzB_93vkNDDV_S_4mWfuyl0V-eko&feature=share
37Preschool Tea Party Massacre
Hardcore Died With Hitler

Phero's plagiarism:
1. War from a harlots mouth - vertigo
2. ion dissonance - to lift the dead hand of the past
3. despised icon - furtive monologue
4. harlots - the weight unweighable
5. the acacia strain - the impaler
6. arsonists get all the girls - hemlock like this
7. the tony danza tapdance extravaganza - the alpha the omega
8. thy art is murder - purest strain of hate
9. lily allen - smile
38Make Them Suffer
Old Souls

tyman's album:
Make Them Suffer - Blood Moon
Valley of Snakes - The Mouth of Hell
Impending Doom - Death Will Reign
Ski Mask the Slump God - LA LA
Angelmaker - Eating the Body of God
Ascariasis - Torchbearer
Defamed - Doves
A Night In Texas - I, Godless
Humanity’s Last Breath - Make Me Blind


https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6xJzpFE2QLDUEQgRIeKPPR?si=DcIlchq-SxierdgunXdSzQ (all but Torchbearer is on this)
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