Friday: Unearth - Sanctity of Brothers

     It may take me all fucking week, but by the gods I'm going to get this Song of the Day train back on track. Don't believe me? Read on!

     If you know my musical tastes at all (which you should, if you've been keeping up with your homework) you know I likes me some metalcore. Look with scorn upon that if you will, but the genre represents a significant chapter of my musical history, so it's pretty much always going to have a spot on my playlist.

     There are still some bands out there making good, 'modern' metalcore (ERRA comes immediately to mind, or even Misery Signals) but usually when I want this kind of jam, I've got to go back a bit. For this very belated Friday song we're headed back eight years or so, to the third album from metalcore veterans Unearth.

     If you like metalcore and/or Unearth, III: In the Eyes of Fire has a bunch of solid tracks on it, but for my money one of the standouts is mid-album rager "Sanctity of Brothers". Like any good Unearth song, it's built on a couple of sweet riffs, in particular the main intro riff with its lengthy phrasing. It's not going to bend your brain, but it will bang your head, which is what any good Friday song should do.

Saturday: ERRA - Dreamcatcher

     I've written a number of times about how the now-oft-reviled genre of metalcore is neither completely dead nor wholly worthy of the scorn sometimes heaped upon it. I've also written about today's band before, because they're one example of how to do solid modern metalcore.

     Sure, there's not really any innovation here, and the riffs and melodies sound at least vaguely familiar. Where ERRA succeed is in following the formula well and crafting solid, catchy songs within the conventions of the genre that still manage to have moments of genuine heavy rather than simply "radio" heavy.

     ERRA have a new video out, for the song "Dreamcatcher" off of their upcoming debut Sumerian EP Moments of Clarity. It's not going to blow your mind, but it might just tap your foot or bob your head, so have a listen and see what you think.

ERRA - Hybrid Earth

     If you're one of the people I mentioned at the start of yesterday's post, namely those who are "over" djent, then I shudder to think what you might say about today's post about a modern metalcore band. I will, however, soldier on undetered.

     I've written about ERRA before, and I'm writing about them again now because they're another perfect example of what I was talking about yesterday: you don't have to break the mold in order to craft something kick-ass. ERRA aren't really bringing a whole lot of new "wow" to the established metalcore table, but they're nevertheless demonstrating song after song that they can take this metalcore formula and do it right.

     First it was "Pulse" that I featured, and now it's ERRA's latest track/video, "Hybrid Earth", from their forthcoming record Augment, due out next week. Even if you've had your fill of metalcore -- perhaps especially if you've had your fill -- you owe it to your ears to at least give this one a shot.

Song of the Day: ERRA - Pulse

     If you're one of those people who think "metalcore" is a dirty word, then today's song is dedicated to you.