10 Albums That Changed My Life: Late 00s / Early 2010s Metalcore
A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece on ten albums that changed my life in the 00s emo and pop-punk scene, but I’ve wanted to do more of those. I just haven’t had any ideas, but I’ve been listening to a lot of late 00s and early 2010s metalcore. I’m very nostalgic for that time, especially within metalcore, so I wanted to talk about ten albums that really made an impact on me during that time. These are all albums from bands that may or may not be around anymore, and even if they aren’t quite metalcore anymore, these albums are all metalcore albums that I used to listen to all the time. Some of these albums I still listen to, actually, but there are also loads more albums that I could talk about. These are just ten out of many that I wanted to talk about, starting with…
Attack Attack - Someday Came Suddenly (2008)
The most essential band from that era is Attack Attack, and their debut album, 2008’s Someday Came Suddenly, is a metalcore classic. Personally, their 2010 self-titled is better (especially the 2011 deluxe edition), but this album is a monumental album for the genre. Whether it was harsh vocalist Austin Carlile being unleashed into world, Caleb Shomo’s songwriting abilities being brought forth, or the band’s unique style that would go onto be known as “crabcore” and birth so many imitators, this record is seminal for the genre. It was one of the first metalcore albums I ever got into, and so I have some fondness for this album, even if it’s not my favorite of their discography. It is the album that put them on the map, however, and that’s super important.
The Devil Wears Prada - Plagues (2007)
The Devil Wears Prada have fallen off hard, and their latest album was a hot pile of Octanecore trash, but they were once metalcore royalty. Their second album, 2007’s Plagues, is insanely good. While Attack Attack went all in with their brand of electronicore, TDWP had subtle uses of synth in their brand of metalcore. I don’t even know if this is their best album, either, but this is the one that put them on the map. The first song I ever heard from them was on this album, but I first listened to them on a 2008 Warped Tour compilation. This record has some gnarly breakdowns, solid clean choruses, and great harsh vocals. It’s such an essential metalcore album from that era, and one of the first metalcore albums to fall under the “Risecore” label.
Of Mice & Men - S/T (2010)
Yet another Rise Records album, the 2010 self-titled debut Of Mice & Men album is a fantastic slice of metalcore from the early 2010s, but there isn’t quite much to this album. That sounds like a dig, but it’s not meant to be one, although this album is more or less a traditional metalcore album that doesn’t lean into electronicore, like vocalist Austin Carlile’s prior band, Attack Attack. The guitarwork is a bit more technical, but they’ve got the Risecore sound down quite well. Their sophomore album is a bit better, but this debut is an album that blew my mind when I heard it. It was also the culmination of the beef between Carlile and Attack Attack, so I was super excited about this band and album
Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty (2007)
Moving away from Risecore, Every Time I Die was one of the first “big boy” metalcore bands I got into, meaning that they were one of the handful of metalcore bands that were cool to like. Every Time I Doe fused hardcore, heavy metal, mathcore, and southern rock into a unique flavor. They were already a big deal by the time their third album, 2007’s The Big Dirty, came out, and truthfully, this wasn’t the first album from these guys I heard. That would be 2009’s New Junk Aesthetic, but I still have a lot of nostalgia for that album, too. The Big Dirty wins for me, because it has the first song I ever heard from them. That song is “Rendez-Voodoo,” and it’s a bruiser of a song. This record moves the band into a more southern-rock / metal with metalcore breakdowns, and it’s a very accessible metalcore album that fans of 1970s southern rock could enjoy.
Blessthefall - Witness (2009)
Blessthefall was one of my favorite metalcore bands of the late 00s, but more so their second album, 2009’s Witness. This was technically their debut with second vocalist and the only other vocalist they’ve ever had, Beau Bokan. Witness served as a rebirth of sorts, too, because their debut was a post-hardcore record, whereas Witness is a heavier metalcore album. They took notes from their contemporaries, but they became a super popular band for a few years. They’ve become more obscure since, but this album absolutely rules.
Chiodos - Bone Palace Ballet (2007)
Chiodos is kind of cheating, because I always saw them as a post-hardcore band, but going back to this album, there are some really heavy riffs and breakdowns that pop up. Their second album, 2007’s Bone Palace Ballet, is a solid post-hardcore record with some heavier moments, along with some awesome uses of strings. I’ve got the original version of this album, and it sucks that the reissue doesn’t have my favorite Chiodos song, as well as the first song from them I heard, “Teeth The Size Of Piano Keys.” It’s a killer tune, but the reissue has some great stuff as well. Part of why this albums works so well is admittedly vocalist Craig Owens being awesome. In recent years, he’s a left a sour taste in my mouth, but I was a huge fan back in the day, and this was the first album I ever heard from them.
Bring Me The Horizon - Suicide Season (2008)
I also used to be a huge fan of Bring Me The Horizon, especially 2008’s Suicide Season. I hate to admit this, but I used to have pictures of vocalist Oli Sykes on my binder for school. His look was something I absolutely adored, but I also just loved their second album. Suicide Season showed the band flexing their metalcore chops, whereas their debut was a deathcore album. I’ve enjoyed a good chunk of what they’ve done since, but their first couple of albums will always be their best.
Underoath - Define The Great Line (2006)
You can’t talk about important metalcore bands from the late 00s and early 2010s and not mention Underoath. These guys used to be my favorite band, especially 2004’s They’re Only Chasing Safety and 2006’s Define The Great Line. I like the latter one more, even though the former is iconic, but the band went into a heavier sound for Define The Great Line. This is the one album that most fans say is their best, and I agree, despite not listening to this band in years. They got a good balance down between the more accessible post-hardcore sound and a heavier metalcore sound that works so well for them. They would expand on that sound with 2008’s Lost In The Sound Of Separation, but I always went back to Define The Great Line.
Norma Jean - Redeemer (2006)
Norma Jean is one of my favorite metalcore bands from the 00s, and I remember picking up 2008’s The Anti-Mother at Hot Topic when it came out. That was my first album from the band, but before that album came out, I heard a song from 2006’s Redeemer on a 2008 Warped Tour compilation. That’s the album that ended up really resonating with me, although The Anti-Mother is awesome, too. This album is on the mathcore spectrum, and this is one of the first albums that got me into mathcore. I had a period back in 2019 where I really loved mathcore, and I still enjoy it quite a lot, but this was one of the first albums in that vein I ever listened to.
Dance Gavin Dance - Happiness (2009)
The last album I wanted to talk about is the 2009 album, Happiness, by Dance Gavin Dance. As is the case with many of these bands, this isn’t the first DGD album I heard. That would be their 2008 self-titled with Kurt Travis, but that album didn’t totally click with me. Happiness is where their sound really resonated with me, especially when they added a funkier and groovier sound. Their self-titled was good, but it was a bit messy and unfocused, whereas Happiness is a lot shorter and more focused. I remember playing that album a ton during the spring and summer of 2009, and it’s a killer album.
