TALK TUESDAY / 5 Hardcore Albums of 2019 You Need to Listen to, Right Now

By Cheyenne Thomas

I’m going to be outlining some of my favorite albums that have been released in the last half of 2019. All of these bands are breaking ground in heavy music so if you haven’t heard of them it’s time to get familiar.

5) Absolute / Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan did not have to snap this hard but they did. It absolutl drags you through the dirt from start to finish. I never knew how much I needed a bass only breakdown until I heard the album’s single Self Destruct. Self Destruct, High Hopes, and The Truest Love are must listens. 

4) No One Goes to Heaven / Left Behind
Left Behind has some of the best vocals I’ve heard out of any band in the past few years. Not to be mistaken for Corey Taylor, but the singer has a similar intensity to their voice to the early days of slipknot. No One Goes to Heaven is even better than their previous release Blessed by the Burn. 

3) Out of Control / Gideon
I stumbled across Gideon when their two song release No Love/No One came out this year. I immediately needed to hear more. Sadly as skimmed their discography I realized that nothing they had made previously sounded like these new songs. Out of Control came out and changed everything. So Gideon was originally coined as a Christian metalcore band. But recently decided they no longer agreed with the religion that they had built the band on. As a result we get Out of Control. A heavy hitting declaration of their liberation from Christianity, and it’s by far their best work yet. The band steered away from their traditional metalcore sound for something a little more hardcore. There is an authenticity to this album knowing that band is embracing their new identities despite the people that hate them for it. If you need a place to start SLEEP and BITE DOWN will not fail you.

2) In Darkness / Varials
Varials easily takes the title as my favorite band I have discovered in 2019. In Darkness is their sophomore effort following up 2017’s Pain Again. The band has refined their style with a sound reminiscent of early 2000s metal. In Darkness really shines because of the bands ability to define an overall aesthetic. From the album to the album artwork to the 3 music videos produced, In Darkness is a cohesive masterpiece. Like a series of paintings that perfectly complement each other, this album listens beautifully from one song into the next. Not to mention some of the hardest hitting vocals and breakdowns I’ve heard. I am stoked to see what Varials has in store for the future. This album deserves to be listened to from front to back but if you can’t manage that then start with South of One, Bleeding, and Romance. 

1) A Different Shade of Blue / Knocked Loose
Honestly if you haven’t listened to A Different Shade of Blue yet, what exactly are you waiting for? This album takes number one because after listening to ADSOB I am fully convinced that Knocked Loose is not capable of writing a song that I don’t like. This band continues to gain momentum with everything they release. ADSOB grabs you by the throat from the very first song, Belleville, and doesn’t let go until the last note of Misguided Son fades out. If you thought Knocked Loose breakdowns couldn’t get any slower or more soul crushing then you’d be mistaken. It has everything that you could possibly want out of a heavy album. If you don’t listen to Knocked Loose it’s time to get with it because this is a band that’s on it’s way up and out. Like I said before, every single song on the album will melt your face but my personal favorites are A Serpent’s Touch, And Still I Wander South, and In the Walls.