Let’s face it, Aussie music fans love their metalcore, it’s one of the reasons why the genre has become so popular over the last decade, but have you ever wondered just who the greatest metalcore band to have come out of Australia is?
Sure, it’s not a question we can definitively answer, but it got us thinking about the many brilliant heavy bands from our fine country.
While a list like this barely scratches the surface, we hope this will get you thinking about the bands of today, and begin reminiscing on some of the groups that are no longer with us from Australia’s heavy music scene.
In Hearts Wake
Kicking things off back in Byron Bay in 2006, In Hearts Wake began as a bunch of friends who enjoyed playing music. Soon enough, this evolved into the heavy juggernaut that we know and love today. Having released four albums, and as many EPs, in their career and experiencing a few lineup shuffles, the group has always retained the core membership of Jake Taylor, Eaven Dall, and Ben Nairne, a powerhouse trio that have cemented themselves as one of Australia’s best.
With the release of their fourth album, Ark, in 2017, In Hearts Wake proved that they can help to bring social consciousness and blistering metalcore tunes together in such a way that they’ve become one of the most important bands in Australia today – a well deserved title.
Ocean Grove
Bursting onto the scene back in 2010, Ocean Grove describe their music as “odd world music”, while others call it ‘nu metalcore’. Whatever the case, they’re heavy, they’re brutal, and they’ve well and truly made a name for themselves in just a couple of years. Following the release of The Rhapsody Tapes in 2018, Ocean Grove have exploded in popularity and begun to pave the way for future bands of the genre.
Hellions
Forming in 2013 after the breakup of another group, Hellions have wasted no time in becoming one of more popular up and coming metalcore acts. With their third album, Opera Oblivia, being releasing in 2017, the group have become favourites of triple j, with songs such as ‘Quality Of Life’ and ‘Thresher’ scoring an absolute threshing, er, thrashing, on the station, reaching countless new fans in the process.
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Carpathian
Formed back in 2003, Carpathian were one of the most prominent metalcore bands out of Melbourne, performing with huge names both here and abroad, while managing to pump out plenty of tunes they released on numerous albums, singles, and EPs. Sadly, Carpathian decided to call it quits in 2011, playing their final show at iconic Victorian hardcore hub The Arthouse. Since then, the Aussie music scene has never been quite the same.
The Amity Affliction
A band that need no introduction, The Amity Affliction have gone from strength to strength with almost every release they’ve had. Arguably one of the acts that have helped to make metalcore more well-known within the Aussie music scene, Amity’s fanbase extends all throughout the world, with fans constantly turning their once-small gigs into huge, sellout affairs that are considered some of the best in the country.
Northlane
Ever since Sydney’s Northlane released their first album, Discoveries, back in 2011, they’ve been garnering rave reviews all over the globe for both their recorded output and live performances. Though the band lost and replaced their original vocalist back in 2014, they’ve managed to become stronger than ever, defying the odds, and truly putting them on the map in a way that the group’s members could never have anticipated.
Buried In Verona
In the nine years that Buried In Verona were together, this Sydney group wrote such celebrated music that their fans still lament the band’s breakup as bitterly as if it happened yesterday. With a penchant for crafting some absolutely flawless tunes, and the stage presence of a band who had played for thrice as long, Buried In Verona sadly left a huge hole in the Aussie heavy music scene when they called it a day.
I Killed The Prom Queen
For a long time, it was hard to think of an Aussie metalcore band without thinking of Adelaide’s I Killed The Prom Queen. Originally breaking up in 2008 due to being unable to hold down a vocalist, the group reformed again in 2011, releasing a new album a few years later. While some will debate whether the older or newer version of the band is better, their name is still synonymous with the genre that they helped to popularise in Australia.
Polaris
Following a few years of writing, recording, and touring, Polaris finally released their astonishing debut LP This Mortal Coil in 2017. Arguably one of the greatest metalcore debuts in recent years, the band have proved that they’re on track for a long an illustrious career. Frankly, we can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Parkway Drive
One of the more obvious choices, but Parkway Drive’s influence on Aussie metalcore is well-documented and undeniable. From humble beginnings, this Byron Bay five-piece managed to build on their success to the point where they were selling out shows all over the world, setting themselves up as idols for all up-and-coming Aussie bands, heavy or not.
