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7 Angels 7 Plagues - Jhazmyne's Lullaby (2001, self-released)

Before I get started, I have an apology to make to Misery Signals. On the We Don’t Talk Much Anymore but Motherfucker, We Hit Hard episode of Six out of Five I had stated that the band does not quite do it for me and Controller, the album itself was underwhelming. Well, since that moment I have had to eat my words and concede that both Controller and Misery SIgnals are a great band. After 10 or so listens, Iit has finally clicked with me. Misery Signals will go down as one of the most forward thinking bands in the genre who managed to sprinkle in progressive rock elements while still remaining true to their hardcore roots. It’s a true testament to their effectiveness as many bands lose their feelings when going down the prog root but Misery Signals only intensified the emotional facets of their music.

Before Misery Signals, we had 7 Angels 7 plagues. One of the most influential acts in the melodic metalcore strain. That style of metalcore is very hit or miss with me but Jhazmyne’s Lullaby firmly lands in the former for me. The lyricism is “immature”, sure (they were kids!) but there’s interesting song writing on this thing. “A Commentator’s Despair” manages to sneak in a cacophony of blast beats and harsh guitar which reminded me a lot of DSBM/Atmospheric Black Metal bands like Austere and Agalloch while “Away with Words” is an old school emo track re-imagined through Poison the Well style lens. While the album is a melodic record, there are no clean vocals on it which the genre would be synonymous with. It’s style in its infancy but it’s quite impressive how they cultivate an emo vibe with primarily shouted and harsh vocals. The record remains very heavy, I really appreciate that. It’s still raw and rough around the edges. We are still ways away from the cleaner production that would be present in Misery Signals’ discography. Shoutout to the piano on the last track of the record, very of it’s time but it’s so charming. - Kaust

Poison the Well - The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation (1999, Trustkill)

The process of making this podcast season really showcased how outsized the influence of this has been. It's an album that casts a huge shadow over a lot of the bands that came after it. Few releases can rival it (Firestorm and maybe that's it?). PtW blazed a largely new path for this mix of emo, clean vocals and metalcore which went on to become huge. It's really crazy that the children of this album became the default sound of rock radio. I say this because this is not so far removed from the likes of Disembodied and Coalesce. This shit is heavy as fuck and often as odd and overwhelming as the best of late 90s metalcore. A detail that exemplifies the difference that led to Opposite becoming a blueprint for the metalcore millionaires of the 2000s is that the guitar harmonics are often put the service of melodic leads, whereas their contemporaries used them in a far more disconcerting, dissonant way. This yields a big hit song like "Nerdy", a really wonderful sad guy in love song. - Héctor

The Swarm - Parastic Skies (1999, No Idea)

Quite possibly my favourite discovery from the Metalcore Deep Dive™️. This release toes the line between the metallic hardcore sound of the 90’s and powerviolence. The cymbal work on “Blink” is something to behold, they decide to do their blast beats on cymbals which makes this a very frantic listen. Thrash metal riffs in a powerviolence setting, this must appeal to you (the reader)! Good to listen to if you want to know what its like to be hacked by a chainsaw. - Kaust

Disembodied - If Only God Knew the Rest Were Dead (1998, Ferret)

This is a late, late addition to the zine. It took me months to realize that I almost did not cover this, which is one of the best releases I found through this project. At 18 minutes, it's a real tour de force, massive shit. You got the usual pummeling drums, overwhelming guitar work and pounding bass that you find in the great metalcore of this era. But on top that, these songs are full of oddball spoken-word vocals which really take this one to the next level. These hushed, apathetic vocals really stick with you. The guy is here saying stuff like "sadness is my slavery" and you can't help but agree. The awkward spoken word rhythm of "Bloodshed Rain" builds into hugely cathartic moments when the deranged harsh vocals come in the audio. It feels like a big release of pent-up anger. It's interesting that this type of vocal exchange has not become a staple of the genre, when everything else in this record has been mined and replicated by generations of bands. My favorite song on this is "Dislocation", which has an insane buzzsaw guitar tone and riffs and closes with an insanely groovy spoken-word part. - Héctor

Incendiary - Cost of Living (2013, Closed Casket Activities)

I could have talked about any of the Incendiary albums here because the band is just that great. Cost of Living minorly edges its way as my favourite Incendiary record. I feel it’s like it’s a common comparison but they share some similarities to Mindforce, both bands utilise Slayer style thrash riffing and both vocalists are almost Zack de la Rocha-esque with their delivery even if they do not rap. Cost of Living is loud and most of all it is angry. Songs like “Primitive Rage” and “Erase Myself” are scathing. There are certain bands which activate a primal instinct within me (bands like Hatebreed and Contention) Incendiary also qualify in this category. It’s quite inspiring how they are able to marry the violence with somber observations about politics and the world. "The Power Process" is an insightful piece about one’s moral failings and how we carry these shortcomings in a productive manner. I resonated a lot with it. I think Incendiary are my ideal hardcore band and I’m only proven right the more I listen to them. - Kaust

World of Pleasure - World of Pleasure & Friends (2023, Wildrose)

I'm not sure but "Damnation 2" is possibly the best metalcore song ever written. The mildly silly lyrics ("You say you don't hate, you just ate") just make it better. What is a certainty is that the monstrous "Animal liberation, vegan domination" is the best breakdown ever made. The second best breakdown ever made is the one that closes out the song. Both of those moments last about ten seconds, at most. The brevity of this track is another wonderful thing. Just gotta play it back again and again. This is a really iconic band. The drumming is monumental, with a snare sound even more saturated than the Louisville bands close to WoP in sound. Jess Nyx and the other members of the band trade verses in every song and their righteous anger is enhanced by this interplay. And then there's the DnB interludes which serve to break up the songs. The jagged songwriting is enhanced by those moments of respite. Perfect EP. - Héctor

Ictus - Imperivm (2007, Alerta Antifascista)

A lot of the bands grouped as crust after circa 2000 are often basically metalcore (or even deathcore, if you can imagine that). Ictus is one of the clearer examples for me. This is music that sounds a lot like the scene kids doing Gothenburg in the US. But it's better than anything they did. This is an all-time classic. This 38-minute single-track album rivals the loftier musical ambitions of Edge of Sanity's Crimson. It's also better than that album, respectfully. As a concept album, it has a structure that builds into delivering a strong political message. The album's climax is a spoken word part spelling it all out. I think it works incredibly well, but the music on the way to get there is what makes this album great. The guitarwork is spotless and the dual vocals are incredibly. Imperivm is an album that has surprisingly strong pop sensibilities. This is a straight up catchy record. It's a succession of different verses and phrases but several riffs and phrasings will stay in your head if you let them. - Héctor

Drowning - Drowning (1999, Released Power)

Originally I had this pegged as a potential death metal style of metalcore but really this lives on the same plain as your Arkangels and other such euro hardcore acts. The drumming on Drowning would not be out of place on a Hatebreed song combined with riffing which is reminiscent of Bolt Thrower. The 90’s were a hotbed for bands like these which may explain why it has fallen by the wayside of their contemporaries. But at 18 minutes, this makes for an explosive release. Drowning deserve to be recognised, if not only for their name (it’s so cool). The second song on the release enters the Slayer-metalcore territory, it ends up being much heavier than “Spare No Flesh.” Drowning by Drowning does not stray from the Kickback element but as this is a French hardcore release, Kickback’s influence must surely be apparent. Europe loves film samples, man. - Kaust

Whispers covering Kickback's "Forever War" @ Glazart, Paris (20 October 2024)

I was at this show which was a part of the Flatspot World tour. At the time it did not feel like it but this may have been one of the best shows I have seen? At least based on namepower, it may have been. The lineup was Speed, End It, Whispers, and Deviant. That's three legendary bands and a cool local band, with a crowd that showed up in commensurate fashion. Whispers were the second band to come on and a noticeable shift in vibes happened when the founders of Bangkok Evilcore came on. You know the drill, guys doing the school shooter walk through a big ass horseshoe, crowd-killers vs. pit lurkers squabbles, the only thing missing was a mouthpiece mosher sighting. Maybe I just missed it. It was cool. The apex of their set was a cover of "Forever War". Kickback is a band with an obviously complicated standing. They are returning to Europe via Revolution Calling later this year for the first time in 13 years. I am not quite sure what a Kickback homecoming show would look like. I think I wouldn't like to be there and many more would also skip it. But that night the Parisian hardcore scene were fucking thrilled to hear this song. I have never seen such gleefully thrown punches and kicks. There was endless fighting over the microphone and no break in the moshing. One of the later bands, I forget whom, called it "the best violence they had seen in a while". And you gotta agree with that. Where was I in all this? Safely in the back, strategically positioned in a de-facto protective layer made out of several mosh retirees in their 50s. I am not getting concussed during a cover. - Héctor