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Melbourne metalcore outfit Alpha Wolf dropped their second LP today, their first with vocalist Lochie Keogh. A thorough evolution of their sound, A Quiet Place to Die picks up where their previous release, the EP Fault, left off and goes bigger, harder and more bone shattering. With this release, Alpha Wolf arguably moves to the forefront of the nu-metalcore movement, combining elements of hardcore with nu-metal. The result is very down-tuned guitars chugging like crazy that occasionally make way for crushing breakdowns and on the fly harmonics. Keogh's vocals are raw and unflinching, as he barks out some dark themes and has come great pit calls. While there is mostly just non-stop chunky riffs, the band shows they can write ballads, in their own way, with tracks Bleed 4 You and Don't Ask.

For fans of Architects, Fit For a King, Stray From the Path and anyone that thought even the heaviest nu-metal bands weren't heavy enough.

Little disclaimer: I posted this on reddit too!

I love melodic music and often prefer instrumental bands. So far I only know Demetori. (Don't judge it by the anime pictures if you're not into that.) They make covers of music from a game series, so it's bound to be melodic. And they're really good! Here's another great one from them. They make some lighter stuff, too.

Another example: The Black Mages. Again, they make video game covers. But Nobuo Uematsu is a member of the band, so they're awesome too!

One more example is Akira Yamaoka, but his style is more like rock.

Are there any melodic but instrumental bands out there? Progressive style is always a bonus.

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/album/snowblood/1525855907?i=1525855910
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/album/393HU6oEXQybzous3p0NC5
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruGgo1MkUj8

New track from one of the pioneers of progressive metalcore, Erra. The band is known for its crunching hardcore riffs combined with singer/songwriter Jesse Cash's technically impressive lead guitar work that feels more like traditional metal. The band has been often praised for great live performances and song writing, but many feel they haven't had the best engineering and mixing in their recordings.

Snowblood is their first album with new label UNFD and it seems to have unlocked the last piece of the puzzle, in my opinion. This track feels grand and open in a way Erra hasn't yet in studio. Drums feel like they are failing from the sky, JT Carvey's snarling unclean vox punch through the insanely busy guitar and bass lines. Cash's vocals still feel a little thin, in my opinion, but they seem free of over digitization, which is an OK trade off.