It's been quite the year for new music. With continued global COVID restrictions, the spare time and creative juices were flowing across the metalcore/deathcore scene, and far out it kept me busy. Some absolutely amazing albums/EPs/singles were released, and compiling the various lists below took some very careful thought. However, I'm really proud of our coverage and some of the new artists discovered.
Let's dive in!
TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2021
10 - Volumes - Happier?
9 - SION - SION
8 - Beartooth - Below
7 - Architects - For Those Who Wish To Exist
6 - Limp Bizkit - Still Sucks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPHWloW1-08
5 - Wage War - Manic
4 - Bullet for My Valentine - Bullet for My Valentine
3 - Spiritbox - Eternal Blue
2 - Love And Death - Perfectly Preserved
1 - Darko - Darko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM6Pd3s9WrU
TOP 5 EPs OF 2021
5 - Impending Doom - Hellbent
4 - Structures - None of the Above
3 - Like Moths To Flames - Pure Like Porcelain
2 - ten56. - Downer Part. 1
1 - Lorna Shore - ...And I Return to Nothingness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmKN-bqTF_A
TOP 20 SONGS OF 2021
20 - Our Eternity - 'Bloodstained'
19 - The Halo Effect - 'Shadowminds'
18 - Impending Doom - 'Culture of Death'
17 - Shadow of Intent - 'From Ruin... We Rise'
16 - KoRn - 'Start The Healing'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ym70YpPKw
15 - Limp Bizkit - 'Dad Vibes'
14 - I, The Breather - 'BRAINSIC'
13 - Betraying The Martyrs - 'Black Hole'
12 - Breakdown of Sanity - 'Black Smoke'
11 - Metallica feat. Miley Cyrus, Elton John
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqoQY9bobow
10 - Attila - Metalcore Manson
9 - Left To Suffer - D.N.R. feat. Will Ramos & Ricky Hoover
8 - Bullet for My Valentine - Knives
7 - SION - The Blade
6 - ten56. - Diazepam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioN0aIaIybc
5 - BMTH - Die4u
4 - Fit For An Autopsy - Pandora
3 - Darko (US) - Dragon Chaser
2 - Make Them Suffer - Contraband feat. Courtney Laplante
1 - Lorna Shore - To The Hellfire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyYmS_iBcy4
BEST DEATHCORE NEWCOMERS OF 2021
I wanted to call-out some of the deathcore bands that have really broken into the scene this year. And yes, the elitists will say some of these bands have been around for years or are already known etc, but some of them deserve a mention, particularly with their potential to continue blowing up in 2022 and beyond.
5 - Ov Sulfur
4 - Left to Suffer
3 - Slaughter to Prevail
2 - Brand of Sacrifice
1 - Shadow of Intent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDbIx9NCR6U
FIRST GIG YOU HAVE LINED UP POST-COVID?
It's already happened for me. I went to The Gloom In The Corner with Starve and Observist at 170 Russell in Melbourne and it was honestly everything. Whilst the venue lands an acoustic hand, it was an electric night, with loud live music pumping through my veins.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU GOING INTO NEXT YEAR?
As the recently appointed Co-Editor at Wall of Sound I'm feeling proud of what we've achieved in 2021, and how it's set us up for 2022. With the amount of new music on the forefront, I'm confident we will continue covering it all for you, and I for one, cannot wait.
FAV NEW BAND/MUSICIAN DISCOVERED IN 2021
ten56. - just check out all my coverage of these guys and play catch up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXUjBRRLhK4
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2022?
I think it has to be international touring. We're on the precipice of all of our favourite bands announcing stacked tours and I'm ready for it + the return of Metal Spin Classes to Melbourne!
Also as Browny and I always discuss, there's always time to tick off some more bucket-list interviews. Kirk Hammett, come at me bro.
Words by Ricky Aarons (@rickysaul90)
