This was a tough one to make given how I absolutely love each and every one of these, but that's part of the fun of doing these lists :
1.) Ithaca - They Fear Us :
From the moment I heard the first single for this album I knew Ithaca were going to crush it this year and that is exactly what they did! Mathy, melodic, confrontational with a lot of emotional depth and boiling with visceral rage along with some fantastic production work to top it off; what's not to like?
2.) Vein.fm - This World Is Going To Ruin You :
I went back and forth a lot with my feelings on this latest effort from Vein; but I think I settled on the fact that yes, I preferred Errorzone, but I also like that they tried new things on this one. Some worked, some didn't but they're still one of the most batshit crazy, high-energy hardcore band currently pushing the limits of the genre in my opinion.
3.) Vatican - Ultra :
Speaking of pushing the limits of the genre, it seems like Vatican are already living in the future with their refreshing mix of hardcore, metalcore, mathcore and glitchy electronics. In a way, Ultra made me think of what would happen if Loathe decided to go full-on hardcore and that's a great compliment in my book.
4.) Wounded Touch - Americanxiety :
Definitely the most underrated pick of this list, Americanxiety is sharp and vicious, both modern and nostalgic and has a great sense of conceptual narrative flow.
5.) Varials - Scars For You To Remember :
I expected to be disappointed solely based on the album art, but as Varials proceeded to kick my teeth in for half an hour,
I remembered that you should indeed never judge a book by its cover.
6.) 156/Silence - Narrative :
Considering how much I loved their previous LP, I was surprised and a little disappointed to see that Narrative did not have that same effect on me and didn't encourage me to revisit it more often. That being said, 156/Silence continue to boast one of the best and most original voices as well as some of the best lyrics in the scene.
7.) Drug Church - Hygiene :
Mixing classic punk rock with post-hardcore and shoegazy grunge to deliver their signature brand of socially and politically conscious satirical hardcore, Drug Church offer a record that is equally catchy and feel-good as it is dark and depressing.
8.) Fleshwater - We're Not Here To Be Loved :
Somewhere in between nostalgia and forward-thinking present tense, this mix of 90's alternative metal, grunge, shoegaze and hardcore becomes rapidly infectious.
9.) Birds in Row - Gris Klein :
Probably gonna get some shit for ranking this one this low but hey, music tastes are completely subjective, remember? But yeah, even though I did enjoy what Birds In Row had to offer here, it just didn't resonate with me as strongly as some of those other albums did. That being said, they're still one of the hardest post-hardcore bands to do it.
10.) Pianos Become The Teeth - Drift :
I realise that including this one in the hardcore category is a bit of a stretch;
its more of an indie/post-rock record with a background of post-hardcore DNA that rears its head now and again. Is indie hardcore a thing? Anyway, although you probably won't be crowdkilling your furniture to this one, Drift is full of sincere emotions and blunt discussions that take place over some of the lushest, warmest sounding compositions you will find in the hardcore-adjacent world this year, as far as I know.