21. Chelsea Grin – Suffer In Heaven
The second half of a double LP concept that began with 2022’s Suffer In Hell, deathcore outfit Chelsea Grin’s latest—Suffer In Heaven—raises the bar massively high for both the band and genre, thanks in large part to frontman Tom Barber and Co.’s dizzying interlaced vocal attack and the unrelenting onslaught of blast beats and guttural guitar churn. Whether you’re a deathcore OG or just discovering the scene now, this record is a must-have.
Don’t Miss: “Orc March”, “Soul Slave”, “Yhorm The Giant”
22. Currents – The Death We Seek
With The Death We Seek, Connecticut metalcore heavyweights Currents showed the naysayers that it’s possible for the band to craft a record that appeals to all the disparate factions of its fanbase, merging elements of sheer brutality with melodic accessibility and musical innovation. Throw in some tasty use of electronic sounds to create atmosphere and rhythmic texture, and you’ve got one hell of a banger for both the mosh pit and your workday drive.
Don’t Miss: “Unfamiliar”, “Vengeance”, “Remember Me”
23. Drain – Living Proof
Literally from the second you start Living Proof, the latest by Santa Cruz hardcore punks Drain, and singer Sammy Ciaramitaro screams, “Run your fucking luck,” you know what’s about to go down, and this absolute banger never lets up from there. The riffs are inventive and the rhythms brisk, with a tinge of that killer vintage crossover style that sounds equal parts Slayer and Cro-Mags.
Don’t Miss: “FTS (KYS)”, “Intermission”, “Devil’s Itch”
24. Knuckle Puck – Losing What We Love
Chicago’s Knuckle Puck like to kid around (and even have t-shirts) about no longer being the “cool” band in the scene, but nothing could be further from the truth. The group’s blend of shimmery post-hardcore guitars, jutting rhythms and twin vocal attack sounds pretty damned current on their fourth and latest full-length, Losing What We Love. If anything, Knuckle Puck have cultivated an identity that’s entirely theirs and they keep refining it over time, which is mad cool.
Don’t Miss: “October”, “Groundhog Day”, “Out Of Touch”, “Better Late”
25. Jesus Piece – …So Unknown
Philly’s Jesus Piece have been a shot in the arm for metallic hardcore this year, serving up a release that’s unrelentingly brutal but also musically compelling, eschewing many of the genre’s cliches. Frontman Aaron Heard’s vocals are superbly caustic, and this band takes breakdowns to new levels of intensity, often focusing on riffs that sound engineered for maximum floor-punch factor.
Don’t Miss: “Fear of Failure”, “Profane”, “The Bond”
26. New Found Glory – Make The Most Of It
It’s been a turbulent few years for Floridian pop-punk icons New Found Glory, specifically guitarist and songwriter Chad Gilbert, who’s endured countless surgeries and treatments since nearly dying of a rare form of cancer in late 2021. The band issued a truly beautiful response: an all-acoustic offering of seven new originals and a host of live favorites, with much of the former poignantly documenting Gilbert’s latest struggles. It’s also nice to hear and appreciate the growth of singer Jordan Pundik, who’s evolved over the decades from a nasally kid into one of the genre’s steadiest, most identifiable voices.
Don’t Miss: “Dream Born Again”, “Mouth To Mouth”, “Get Me Home”
27. MxPx – Find A Way Home
It’s almost impossible to imagine how MxPx—one of the longest running pop-punk bands, with 30+ years and 13 studio albums to their credit—can continue to produce fantastic, incredibly consistent music, that never seems to lose sight of what fans love or what makes the group great, but with their latest, Find A Way Home, they’ve done it yet again. From front to back, it’s a classic MxPx album, chock-full of bouncy riffs and big sing-along choruses, delivered flawlessly by seemingly ageless singer-bassist Mike Herrera. This album, like MxPx’s career, is proof positive that nice guys do win, in the end.
Don’t Miss: “What I Tell Myself”, “Excuse My French”, “Undone”, “Mistakes Will Be Made”
28. The Milk Carton Kids – I Only See The Moon
If you’ve got room in your rotation for just one modern folk/Americana act, our money is on The Milk Carton Kids—Eagle Rock, CA, singer-guitarists Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan—who have a supernatural ability to craft beautiful harmonized vocal melodies and timeless, haunting guitar passages that whisper and beckon from a place of glowing warmth and tranquility. True to form, on I Only See The Moon, there’s a joyful ease and confident musical mastery evident in the duo’s collaboration that’s ever mind blowing, providing countless moments when the human/performance element elevates the duo’s perpetually gorgeous songs still higher.
Don’t Miss: “Running On Sweet Smile”, “All Of The Time In The World To Kill”, “North Country Ride”, “Will You Remember Me?”
29. Millington – Welcome Home [EP]
Get ready world, Millington is coming to your home. The Niskayuna, NY, ska-punk outfit—who call their sound “brass emo”—have found the ideal blend of pop-punk hooks and big brass melodies, delivered with a darker, more introspective lyrical bent than what is typical from the genre. The band’s latest independent, self-produced EP, Welcome Home, marks another major step forward in both maturity and production quality, and the group haven’t even dropped their first full-length yet.
Don’t Miss: “Maryanne”, “Hollywood”, “Push Your Luck”
30. Scowl – Psychic Dance Routine [EP]
The noisy, angular, grungy female-fronted hardcore that pulses and roars on Scowl’s new five-song, 10-minute EP, Psychic Dance Routine, couldn’t be better suited for the moment, serving up a frantic modern take on the genre, seasoned with a liberal splash of ’90s alt aesthetics. Coming soon to a mosh pit and cool t-shirt near you.
Don’t Miss: “Sold Out”, “Shot Down”, “Wired”
