Dananananaykroyd - There Is A Way

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 13/12/11

I know what you're probably thinking... "indie pop/post-hardcore" sounds like a bizarre, and possibly disastrous combination. But believe me when I say that Dananananaykroyd (RIP) played sincere, down to earth, but most of all fun and enjoyable music, and there aren't really any other terms that can do their unique style justice.

I was hesitant at first to list them as my core album this week. Though often just put down as indie rock, there's an edge to their music rare to the genre. Labeling themselves with the unconventional terms "posi-core/fight-pop" seems more along the lines of a good way to describe their music, even if silly and probably tongue-in-cheek. Citing indie rock as an influence, they certainly replicate its fun, swagger and danceability. There's plenty of catchy hooks and softer melodies, but they also regularly let themselves loose; spastically screaming and thrashing away, showcasing this vague post-hardcore element, and the punk influences they also claim.

The Scottish band unfortunately called it quits a couple months ago, which is certainly a loss after the improvement they showed with the progression from their previous album to There Is A Way... and the promise of greater things to come it entailed.

There Is A Way
Released: 2011
Country: UK
Genre: Indie Pop/Post-Hardcore
"Muscle Memory" music video
"Seven Days Late"

FFO: Johnny Foreigner, Tubelord, Pulled Apart By Horses

Counterparts - The Current Will Carry Us

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 05/12/11

2011 has just been one incredible release after another, and this week's album is no exception. The Current Will Carry Us is a gem of '11 that, although having been out some months, I put off listening to because I'd been swamped with music; and being a huge fan of the Counterparts' previous album Prophets, I wanted to give the album the breathing space and mulling time it deserved for the first listen.

You'd have thought Counterparts were pushing it a bit, churning out an album a mere year after their debut. I was both excited and skeptical upon hearing the news of its release. Having dedicated some time to it, I can say my excitement was well-placed... and my skepticism (even though it was kinda justified) was WAY off.

Prophets was a bit hit-and-miss. Some songs were so emotional and awe-inspiring that they almost made others seem like bland "filler-tracks", the quality dipping and diving all over the place. This album on the other hand is pure non-stop melodic hardcore quality, start to finish - fast, furious, emotive, and surprisingly diverse & varied.

Problem is, it lacks the same instant "wow" moments that made their debut so good... hold on, this is starting to sound familiar... yep, Counterparts seem to have followed in the footsteps of peers Hundredth and It Prevails with THEIR 2011 albums; that is, though they've all clearly matured and refined their sounds, the albums are missing the stand-out anthems that made previous releases so memorable. Though these three albums are undoubtedly my favorites from each of them, and are epic in their own rights, my favorite SONGS by each of the bands are still from earlier material.

A more balanced approach to writing albums is by no means a bad thing though. And at the end of it all, Counterparts have seriously out-done themselves this time around and shown the most vast improvement: The Current Will Carry Us has definitely fought its way to my core highlight of the year so far. Just hints that there may very well be some truth to my theory: that Americans simply make fun of Canadians because they know Canadians can do what they do, but better.

The Current Will Carry Us
Released: 2011
Country: Canada
Genre: Melodic Hardcore/Metalcore
"Jumping Ship" music video
"MMVII"

FFO: With Life In Mind, Hundredth, Misery Signals

Hopesfall - Magnetic North

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 28/11/11

Hopesfall are one of those bands I think I'd have to thank for making me who I am today. Though I was a little tardy to the party with getting into their groundbreaking 2002 album The Satellite Years, on account of only being aged 9 for its inception, the years I did spend listening to the album no doubt shaped my taste in music as I know it.

Hopesfall were one of the original bands to pioneer the heavily-atmospheric, spacey style of melodic hardcore, and though their lineup changed drastically over their 10 year run, that element of the music was always prevalent. Unfortunately I completely diregarded Magnetic North in my ignorant, more youthful days; since there was barely a shred of the original lineup left, their style of music also in turn strayed further towards rock than hardcore as the releases went by... and I wasn't having any of it.

The album is listed as rock first for a reason. If it wasn't for their post-hardcore roots I wouldn't find it hard to abandon the idea of their later music fitting into that area entirely. And that was what netted the band a lot of backlash: the fact that people were crying they weren't getting The Satellite Years again. People even tried to pin the generic "pop" term on the album - which is completely unreasonable.

Magnetic North is a lot softer than where the band started out. Barely any screams and growls, most vocals are simply clean, and the music as a whole is slower and less aggressive. In my maturing taste of music I've come to realise that these are in no way bad things, because what we were given as a result of the band's progression is an awe-inspiring, atmospheric experience that's abstract and spacey in sound and imagery, with enough grit and attitude to make a respectable rock/hardcore release.

The "true" fans need to get their heads out of their asses and get over themselves. The band may have lost most of their core edge, but they only improved in their songwriting and composition over the years, and Magnetic North is undoubtedly the peak of a beautiful career.

Magnetic North
Released: 2007
Country: USA
Genre: Progressive Rock/Post-Hardcore
"Rx Contender The Pretender"
"The Canon/Devil's Concubine"

FFO: Poison the Well, Deftones, Circa Survive

The Contortionist - Exoplanet

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 25/11/11

These guys were one of the first bands to surface in my recent discovery and following infatuation with deathcore of the more prog/tech/melodic variety, in fact, probably the band that piqued my interest for the area entirely, long before I even started this blog. I recently started giving them more of the listening time they deserve, and was reminded again of how completely awesome they are.

The style of the music is odd. In terms of the deathcore, it comes in through the more guttural style of vocals and the sludgier down-tuned chug. This is constantly contrasted with the plink and chimes of the guitars and atmospherics though, and the sparse clean vocals which range from sounding angelic to robotic. It's probably also a good time to mention these guys are all about space... not that it isn't immediately obvious from the album art/name or track titles. Lyrically, that's the other thing that sets them apart from other death or core-oriented bands; this fixation with the future... the stars, planets and beyond.

They're also one of the more progressive bands around the scene today, drawing fans even from the prog & math metal realm. Song structures are consistently inconsistent, there's syncopations aplenty, and they aren't afraid to soar into the beautiful realm of the serene or minimal, and then come crashing down with an fist-pumping, head-banging chug, riff or shred.

Let's just say there's a very good reason why many of the comments on their music on youtube are about the users jizzing themselves or otherwise becoming aroused, and that The Contortionist have the potential to be one of the greatest deathcore bands of all times (if they aren't already considered so by some out there).

Exoplanet
Released: 2010
Country: USA
Genre: Progressive Metal/Deathcore
"Flourish"
"Primal Directive"

FFO: Volumes, Born of Osiris, Between the Buried and Me

Structures - Divided By

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 20/11/11

Structures released their rather promising debut EP All Of The Above last year, and this follow-up LP certainly lives up to the promise they delivered. It's everything the EP was and then more - quite literally too, since the best couple songs off All Of The Above, "Encounter..." and "In Pursuit Of", were re-recorded for the release.

The re-recordings are a great addition and really serve to showcase the band's improving songwriting, with various recording changes and new bells & whistles nearly making them feel like new songs. One odd addition is the strange new style of clean vocals, which seem a little misplaced amongst the chaotic and heavy music. Though they distance Divided By's style slightly from that of the EP, it's not necessarily a change for the worse.

As with many metalcore albums though, it's all fairly hit-and-miss. Far from perfect, whilst there are a fair few epic songs, others can be pretty forgettable. One just hopes that the band manages to utilise the elements that make their music interesting more thoroughly in future releases, making similar improvements as from the EP to the LP, rather than turning into just another core band slogging out mediocrity.

Divided By
Released: 2011
Country: Canada
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
"Encounter..."
"Paralyzed"

FFO: Elitist, Misery Signals, The Contortionist

Stray From The Path - Rising Sun

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 08/11/11

Stray From The Path are back with Rising Sun, and it's more or less exactly the same as last time. If you were a fan of their previous album Make Your Own History, chances are that this release will have you getting down in the pit just as hard. If you haven't heard their last album... then really I would give this one a pass for now.

Fact is, in comparison to the plethora of modern metalcore, this release from SFTP sounds quite primitive and simplistic - basically endless, dissonant chuggy, breakdowns and anthematic tough-guy lyrics being yelled all over the show. Some of the lyrics even seem a little juvenile (eg. "no matter what you did or who you fucked, I'd go through hell for you no matter what"). They're even getting in on the whole guest vocals onslaught thing, with the likes of Vigil from The Ghost Inside, Andrew from Comeback Kid and Cory from Norma Jean joining in.

And really, that's what Rising Sun is: SFTP returning to their chaotic brand of pissed-off, no-frills hardcore. And though whilst it's not their most advanced, respectable or solid release to date, it's still a hell of a good time.

Rising Sun
Released: 2011
Country: USA
Genre: Mathcore/Metalcore
"Death Beds"
"Bring It Back To The Streets"

FFO: Structures, The Chariot, Embrace the End

For The Fallen Dreams - Back Burner

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 03/11/11

This album received a slamming from both reviewers and fans alike, and I definitely wasn't looking forward to it after the let down that was Relentless. In fact, it wasn't until some months down the line from release that I actually bothered to listen to it... and though met with the same shock that many felt, I was also pleasantly surprised.

Let's get something straight: this is no Changes (FTFD's debut LP). And no, it never will be. And I imagine the band will never release another album like that. The problem seems to be that so many people go in expecting Changes because it was an album of such promise, and is considered a hallmark of melodic hardcore/metalcore... and they're disappointed when they realise the band is changing. Shying away from the new ground their first album broke is certainly a change for the worse, but by no means is Back Burner a bad release in itself when looked at separately.

Okay, yes, it seems quite watered-down and simplified in many places. The turn to cheesy clean vocals to provide more an element of melody doesn't help, and the album almost feels like a guilty pleasure. It's catchy, fun, anthematic and heavy, and though mindless at times it's still an entertaining listen. Fact is, in my opinion Back Burner is the band's most instrumentally-solid album to date, and if the clean vocals were dropped it would certainly trump all their previous releases.

Changes itself wasn't even that solid, with only a handful of epic tracks actually standing out. This album makes Relentless sound like B-sides and it seems like the band managed to refine the sound they were trying to reach with it, and though it's not the follow-up to the first album we all longed for, it's a new path for the band with new a vocalist and songwriter that you need to learn to quit whining about and accept.

Back Burner
Released: 2011
Country: USA
Genre: Melodic Metalcore/Post-Hardcore
"The Big Empty" music video
"Say What You Will"

FFO: The Ghost Inside, The Plot In You, A Day To Remember

Born of Osiris - The Discovery

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 25/10/11

Yeah, I know... more prog deathcore. I can't help it, it's become an addiction. I try to get into big boy death metal, but I just cannot for the life of me find any progressive or melodic death bands that match the sheer layered melodic complexity and epicness that their deathcore counterparts provide so readily.

Born of Osiris are no exception. The soaring shred and crushing chug of the guitars is only intensified by the plentiful use of keys/synths that add a layer of chimey spaciness... an array of entrancing bleeps & bloops and soundscapes, to contrast and accompany the riffing. At last a core band that uses heavy electronics maturely, without turning it into some sort of cheesy techno gimmick.

The Discovery
Released: 2011
Country: USA
Genre: Progressive/Melodic Deathcore
"Recreate" music video
"Singularity"

FFO: Circle of Contempt, After The Burial, The Contorionist

Circle of Contempt - Artifacts In Motion

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 17/10/11

The Finnish are renown for being masters of black metal and folk... and apparently they can also ace deathcore like none other, too. Though a bit more breakdown-laden than some would be comfortable with, it's balanced out with some nice shred and technicality, and the guitar melodies are some of the most intense and haunting I've ever heard.

Add a light pinch of brooding soundscapes and subtle orchestration into the mixture, and you've got a recipe for great success that puts them among the cream of the crop of the genre.

Artifacts In Motion
Released: 2009
Country: Finland
Genre: Progressive Deathcore
"Concealed" music video
"Nothing Imminent"

FFO: After The Burial, Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya

It Prevails - Stroma

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 15/10/11

It Prevails add their latest effort to the epic plethora of melodic hardcore/metalcore albums being released the latter half of this year with Stroma, an album that's been out for some time but I've put off reviewing because, well, really it's a slow grower. I wasn't impressed at first... not that I thought it was bad, I just simply thought it was good. It didn't have any instant "wow" moments like the previous album Capture & Embrace ("Brothers to the Flames" and "Defences Down" to name a couple).

Unlike the last album though, Stroma is incredibly solid. The last album was up & down, with songs varying between the totally epic and the somewhat forgettable. Though it may not give the moments of instant gratification Capture & Embrace gave, it certainly provides more quantity, which as many agree has a quality in itself. I've become quite fond of the album and I'm positive it out-does their previous material, and is a step in the right direction. Less melody in chords and more of the chimey, plinky picking and guitar-work makes for a spacier, more instrumentally beautiful listen.

Stroma
Released: 2011
Country: USA
Genre: Melodic/Progressive Hardcore
"Holes"
"Something More"

FFO: Hundredth, Taken, Beloved

Hundredth - Let Go

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 06/10/11

Hundredth's latest album dropped a mere week ago, and having had my pre-order in for months I was pretty damn stoked when it managed to arrive here all the way from USA on release day. I've managed to let the initial fanboy excitement level out, so here goes.

The album starts off incredibly right off the bat with "Let Go" & " Weathered Town", and ends the same way with a powerful cover of Johnny Cash's rendition of "Hurt" (originally by Nine Inch Nails). The stuff in-between is, well, somewhat up & down... half seems to be an onslaught of moving, melodic epic... and the other half is a blur of fairly run-of-the-mill angsty hardcore/punk. The album definitely has a respectable helping of memorable moments, but they seem to be held together by simpler passages that become overshadowed or forgotten. The good bits are just TOO good.

Don't get me wrong, it's a masterpiece of a release and certainly a highlight of the year. It's just a week on and about 10 plays through, I find myself chanting or bopping along to some moments, and reacting to others as though I haven't heard them at all yet. It's definitely a release that feels more refined than the last, and maybe with time as I start to remember the entire album I'll come to appreciate it more.

Not a perfect release, but it's still a hell of a release nonetheless... and if the band continue this momentum and fulfill their potential there'll be even greater things to come.

Let Go
Released: 2011
Country: USA
Genre: Melodic Hardcore
"Remain & Sustain" music video
"Live Today"

FFO: Counterparts, Your Demise, The Ghost Inside

Letlive - Fake History

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 27/09/11

It's not often you see a hardcore band sporting the tag "soul". And whilst I think it a bit of a stretch for people to label Letlive straight-up as "soul", I don't think it a stretch to call them one of more stranger, experimental and interesting post-hardcore bands around today. The soul tag probably comes from the bands constant nods to the general area of music... with things like the song title "Homeless Jazz", a man brandishing a saxaphone on the cover art... or more importantly, the constant turns to jazzy, syncopated and unpredictable (frequently spastic) instrumentation & swagger Fake History showcases in its music.

It's also not every day you hear the lyrics "I'll... take my stand at the back of the motherfucking bus... 'cause I'm a proud-ass nigger" in a song of this genre. The album is littered with tongue-in-cheek, satirical and witty lyrics, though despite the band appear to be able to have their fun and games at times, for the most part the album feels mature or sombre. Lyrics also lean towards the observational side of things, seeming to frequent the socially or politically critical... and they can be quite abrasive.

Letlive seem to combine all the greatest things I love about modern hardcore - chaotic, furious verses and catchy, melodic choruses, structured by progressive composition, all packaged & delivered with the angst and passion you'd expect from a band like Defeater. Overall an incredible album and a band of great promise, and certainly the kind of breath of fresh air the stagnant post-hardcore scene needs.

Fake History
Released: 2011
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Progressive Punk
"The Sick, Sick, 6.8 Billion" music video
"Renegade '86" music video

FFO: Glassjaw, Lower Than Atlantis, Defeater

After The Burial - In Dreams

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 22/09/11

After The Burial were one of those bands I'd heard years ago but disregarded. I listened to their debut full-length, Forging A Future Self, and wasn't all that impressed... though admittedly, at the time I didn't listen to any deathcore, and I've come to appreciate it a little more since then. It showed a lot of promise, but wasn't very consistent. It had its moments, but not frequently enough to successfully reel me in.

Then recently I saw In Dreams going cheap, figured "yeah why not, I'll give 'em another shot", and then kicked myself for misjudging them so drastically. Less death metal riffing, more melody and an increase of mathy djentish chug goodness has resulted in an incredible and solid album, chock full of soaring, layered, epic guitarwork - it brings the best elements and ideas of their debut forward and fleshes them out into entire songs.

In Dreams
Released: 2010
Country: USA
Genre: Melodic Deathcore/Math Metal
"Your Troubles Will Cease..." music video
"My Frailty"

FFO: Circle of Contempt, The Contortionist, Born of Osiris

Naiad - Hardcore Emotion

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 18/09/11

Undoubtably one of the most epic, moving and uplifting hardcore/metalcore albums to come out of the previous decade, and if it were a contender for "greatest core release of all time" it would certainly receive my vote. Naiad were a band whose career was cut short in its prime, leaving us only this EP, a demo tape and some split contributions in their wake. Their debut full-length was basically ready for release before the band parted ways for unknown reasons, and the release was cancelled.

One of the finer products of Japan's hardcore scene, it was a sad day I heard the news of their break-up. Naiad were the first band to introduce me to heavily atmosphere-oriented hardcore, and are still unbeaten in that realm in my books. Beautiful ambient soundscapes are scattered throughout the album, and even manage to find their way into the driving chuggy passages through the incredible guitar melodies. It's topped off by positive, hope-filled (even if a little broken in english) lyrics delivered by powerful and spine-chilling vocals.

One of the only albums I've heard I can give an honest five stars to... the only disappointment being that 20 minutes just isn't enough, which is followed by the sad realisation that a full-length is unlikely to grace our ears.

Hardcore Emotion
Released: 2003
Country: Japan
Genre: Melodic/Progressive Hardcore
"Believing Dreams"
"Song Of Nature"

FFO: Taken, Shai Hulud, early Hopesfall

This or the Apocalypse - Monuments

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 08/09/11

This or the Apocalypse can seriously do metalcore. And do it good. A solid 40-minute onslaught of epic melody and technicality... chaotic math-tinged metal shred combined with the spirit and energy of hardcore, and a spoonful of danceable chug and syncopated breakdowns on the side. It's sad to know that the genre of metalcore will never reach an overall standard this high, and that so many listeners wander aimlessly through the peat bog of rubbish it consists of, oblivious to gems like these guys.

Monuments
Released: 2008
Country: USA
Genre: Technical/Progressive Metalcore
"Monuments"
"Two Wars"

FFO: Misery Signals, Shai Hulud, Texas In July

The Ghost Inside - Fury And The Fallen Ones

> CORE ALBUM OF THE WEEK, 30/08/11

Probably one of the greatest hardcore albums. Ever. Not really because it's perfect, but because not only did it signify a new era for a band, but it was also on the forefront of melodic hardcore/metalcore's rise to more widespread popularity today. Too heavy for the punkier side of hardcore, but not quite there in the metallic realm either, it kinda sat in the mid-ground with bands of the beatdown/tough guy-ish variety... but even then, positive and uplifting lyrics and epic instrumental melody distanced it from that scene too.

An album that kinda drops off at the end, starting strong and getting better before lazily dipping off in quality and rememberability towards the last few songs, but it remedies that with the epic outro that is "Blue And Gold". Shiner is still one of my favourite songs in existence. It's no wonder this album is already seen as a hardcore classic to some.

Fury And The Fallen Ones
Released: 2008
Country: USA
Genre: Melodic Hardcore/Metalcore
"Faith Or Forgiveness" music video
"Shiner"

FFO: For the Fallen Dreams, Hundredth, Stick To Your Guns