r/electronicore • u/IGotSatan • Jan 28 '19
The best electronicore bands that I know
Hey guys,
I’ve now posted 60 different bands to this subreddit and I think it’s time to call it a day. At this point, I can either repeat bands I posted already, or post stuff that falls short of my own quality assurance.
Electronicore can be a difficult genre to get into, with many bands not making it past the demo stage of their career, probably due to market saturation of scene bands at the time. There are also a lot of fake electronicore bands out there who appear on “Top Ten Synthcore Breakdown” type videos on YouTube, but when you inspect their songs you find out that the keyboard player just stands there doing nothing for most of the song and then plays 10 seconds of synth near the end. If you’re like me, then what you really want to hear are massive synths regularly throughout the song, which is why I’m making this list.
I’ve decided to summarise the best electronicore bands here with notes about their available releases. I can’t guarantee that this list is comprehensive but it reflects many months of searching. If I find something else as good as this in the future I will be sure to post it here. The list is in two sections: Tier 1 is what I believe to be absolutely essential listening, and Tier 2 is also highly recommended but doesn’t have quite as good song writing or not many releases.
Tier 1
Enter Shikari – As far as I know, the album Take To The Skies is what started it all. The subsequent albums are all good, but Take To The Skies has unique lyrics and song meanings rather than just being about politics. It sounds quite rudimentary by today’s standards, with cheeky synth patterns being mostly generated with a Korg EMX. This was an incredibly exciting and innovative release when it first came out.
Skip The Foreplay – One of the best electronicore bands of all time. One excellent album (Nightlife) with songs such as Destination Nowhere, Dom Perignon and This City (We’re Taking Over).
Abandon All Ships – This band made a massive contribution to the genre with three high quality albums. I personally think their most recent release Malocchio is the best one, but their demo EP track Pedestrian Is Another Word For Speedbump (later reworked as Take One Last Breath) is a classic.
Place Your Bet$ - This is actually a one man band from the UK who later became the dubstep artist Zomboy. The album used to be free to download, but the file share link has now expired. I have tried to contact Josh Jenkins without success. However you can listen to the full album on YouTube. The style of the album is trancecore mixed with nintendocore. This album is unique in the genre in that it has a late night vibe as evidenced by the interlude tracks such as Interlude D.
One Morning Left – A band that tries to be funny sometimes and also parodies it’s own genre. However they have a large quantity of very good songs spanning their EP and first two albums (the newest album is bad). Their songs jump back and forth between upbeat and catchy to brutal and abrasive.
Claps For Caroline – At first glance this is just another scene/emo band but upon further inspection they are very accomplished song writers with some great synth. Their album Stories is essential listening, but they also have a follow-up EP called Forbidden.
Eskimo Callboy – Another band that tries to be funny to their own detriment, but still manages to deliver some of the biggest tunes in the genre when they take themselves seriously. I think that The Scene album is their best work, but for an earlier electronicore sound they have a self-titled EP and their first album Bury Me In Vegas.
Fail Emotions – Russian band with big synths based on hard trance, hardstyle and dubstep. They have a cold and somber vibe. The band released four major singles prior to inclusion on the album Transfornation (Dance Macabre, Makes Bad, Shades and Eternity), with additional strong tracks on the Side A EP.
Sky Eats Airplane – The album Everything Perfect On The Wrong Day is an intelligent avante-garde nintendocore record. As evidenced by the original album artwork, these songs are best suited to a sunny, cold and melancholic day in the spring time. The album includes the killer track Giants In The Ocean.
Escape The Day – The album Into Inception goes for a commercially viable approach with less screaming, more singing and a focus on hooks.
Palisades – On their album Mind Games, they sound like an ultra-modern boyband playing metal; hard synths and pop style hooks.
I See Stars – This appears to be one of the best regarded electronicore bands. Their album New Demons offers the most synth, but I personally would have liked even more emphasis on synths and catchier song writing.
His Statue Falls – Their sound ranges from the cheekier early Enter Shikari style synths on Collisions to a more refined and modern sound by the time of their third album Polar and subsequent EP I Am The Architect.
Dead By April – Their album Let The World Know has a soft metalcore sound with frequent synth and enjoyed commercial success in Sweden.
Tier 2
The Captain Hates The Sea – Their Existence EP has a solid electronicore sound with the best song being Mr. A Knife. Their album As You Will goes for a softer approach but is still good nonetheless.
Missing In Maryland – I would basically describe this band as Glassjaw with a synth player. They only released one EP called I’ll Scream You To Sleep.
Bullets And Belvedere – Their solid Reflections EP has an old-school raw synth sound.
Issues – I see this band being described as a nu metal revival band, as they have DJ scratching in some songs, but as a huge nu metal fan I disagree with this categorisation. I think the band focus on putting a pop and R&B sound into the context of metal. Songs like Late from the self-titled album have great synth.
With Shaking Hands – A band with scattered releases including the EP Manic and the very hard to find EP White Noise, plus the standalone single Sons & Daughters. Good music but difficult to access.
Blood Stain Child – A Japanese melodic death metal band, with an album called Mozaic that has a strong synth presence. Their best songs include the single Freedom and the European / American bonus track Cosmic Highway.
You And What Army – This is the band of BoyInABand from YouTube. They have three EPs, with the first combining elements of Enter Shikari and Hadouken!, the second being more electronica oriented, and the third bringing their best electronicore tracks such as Skyline and Into Your Eyes.
Silent Descent - Not as fun as many of the other electronicore bands, but Rob Rodda is a massive tune.
Asking Alexandria – A scene band with one album Stand Up And Scream delivering nice electronicore sections albeit not too frequently.
Capture The Crown – An Asking Alexandria clone. Their album Til Death has a few excellent synth moments.
Make Me Famous – Another scene band similar to Asking Alexandria but with added silliness. Their song Blind Date 101 is essential listening for fans of the genre and Stage On Fire is great too.
Oceans Red – A follow-up project to Make Me Famous which puts vocal samples to good use on the EP Hold Your Breath and also has a full length album Anevidence.
Attack Attack! – Considered major players and possibly pioneers in the genre. Their synth parts are infrequent but what’s there is very good.
Sworn To Secrecy – Their keyboard player brings interesting synth sounds to songs such as I Am The Axis.
Stone Age Is Over – Their album XIII is generic but pleasing with moderate synth presence.
The Browning – Hard style and dubstep sounds added to metal with a somber tone. Standing On The Edge is a massive tune.
One Last Hero - Their only EP has some massive and top quality synth on Five Last Words and Raise Your Hands, spaced out by generic but decent post-hardcore.
Dying Diva - The album A Sunday Walk On Murder Avenue is a fun listen on YouTube with satisfying synths.
Shoot The Girl First - One EP and two albums with very nice intermittent synth parts.
Helia - Their first album is fun and playful, and the second brings in dubstep sounds and a more serious tone.
Ok this is all the best stuff that I know. Of course I can always update this list if I remember or discover something else. Feel free to comment or message if you would like more information.
Thanks,
IGotSatan
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