The 2010s were a fascinating decade for metalcore. At the tail end of the 2000s, several new developments in the genre (the incorporation of dancey synths, uber-catchy choruses and squeaky-clean breakdowns) primed the scene for a commercial high-point at the turn of the decade, and within a few years, bands like Bring Me the Horizon and Architects were reshaping the very essence of metalcore for a whole new generation of listeners.
While we're only a few years removed, the 2010s already feels like its own distinct era, and we asked our readers to pick the single best metalcore record to emerge from that 10-year period. The top five vote-getters are ranked accordingly below.
5. Wage War - Deadweight
Albums by 2000s-born vets like Killswitch Engage and the Devil Wears Prada nearly made the cut here, but our readers ultimately swarmed over a band who got their start in the 2010s. Released in 2017, the second album by Wage War matched new-school catchiness with the bone-crushing breakdowns that have been central to the genre since its inception. Building upon where metalcore was in the early 2010s, Deadweight took the sound into its next era.
4. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
A decade removed from their genre-defining 2001 breakthrough, Jane Doe, Converge set another high watermark for metalcore. Released in 2012, All We Love We Leave Behind is a striking refinement of their multi-faceted sound, retaining the feral power of their early work while seamlessly incorporating elements of doom-metal and post-hardcore — and coating the songs in what might be Kurt Ballou's greatest production job yet.
3. Architects - Holy Hell
Holy Hell is right. Reeling from the death of founding guitarist Tom Searle, Architects funneled their anguish into a towering tribute to their late bandmate that features the U.K. band's most emotionally intense performances to date. Massively heavy yet also hugely anthemic, pristinely produced while still totally crushing, Architects not only proved their will to continue with their eighth full-length, they reassured fans that they were still operating at peak capacity.
2. Every Time I Die - Low Teens
Let's face it, bands who start their career with as much jagged intensity as Every Time I Die typically lose their edge over time. Not these Buffalo bruisers. Heralded by fans as one of their single best opuses, 2016's Low Teens flaunts some of their most engrossing songwriting, tackling the near-death pregnancy complications that almost took the life of frontman Keith Buckley's daughter, and animating that harrowing tale with instrumentation that's as raucous and violent as anything they ever released.
1. Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal
Sempiternal took metalcore into its next evolutionary phase. After achieving deathcore notoriety in the late 2000s, Bring Me the Horizon hinted at their nuanced, forward-thinking potential on 2010's There is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen it..., but their powers weren't fully-realized (or recognized) until Sempiternal's canon-blast opener, "Can You Feel My Heart?" — a grand explosion of synth-assisted, chugging metalcore that sounds like a royal entrance theme. From there, the record snakes between throaty ragers and smartphone-age electroni-rock, showing a way forward for heavy, screamy bands who still want to be artists. There hasn't been a more seismic metalcore album since.
