The Deathcore Kings Up North Return
It’s 2025—20 years since Deathcore pioneers Despised Icon dropped genre staple The Healing Process. Getting new music from them today is a gift. Getting a banger featuring Matt Honeycutt of Kublai Khan TX? That’s a gift with a bow on top. Listen to “Over My Dead Body” now, and watch for their 7th LP Shadow Work out October 31 on Nuclear Blast.
I’ll always have a soft spot for a certain strain of metalcore—noisy, dissonant, frenetic. Think Converge and Botch, darker when possible, like END. This week delivered big in that lane: Killing Me Softly’s To Forever Fall Through God’s Safety Net is 16 minutes of Jane Doe worship. Still itching for Converge? Godseyes’ “Of Favor” is Botch-meets-Converge-meets-Curl Up and Die. And Scorched Mind’s debut Embracing the Dying Sun goes full scorched earth. Produced by END drummer Matt Guglielmo. No wonder it rips.
Violent hardcore is thriving. Sunami and Pain of Truth sell out 1,000-cap rooms, where bruises and blood are badges of honor. That’s cool, but it’s not my favorite. My favorite hardcore is pile-ups and singalongs that inspire hope and belonging. The experience that bands like Bane, Betrayed, and Have Heart brought in the 2000s. OUSTED’s Self Hate for People Who Love Self Hate nails that feeling. My favorite track in recent memory.
But if you do want some heavier hardcore, xNullifyx and Peace of Mind both put out new music this week.
That’s all for now, let me know if I missed anything!
PS - Reba Meyers of Code Orange dropped her first solo EP "Clouded World." I haven't had a chance to listen yet but I'll forever be a fan of anything the Code Orange kids do.
