Best of 2018: Leftovers Edition

I know our original list was pretty comprehensive, but we're not finished yet. Here is some more good shit from 2018 that you may have missed, some of which we forgot entirely. Additionally, some of these aren't necessarily mathcore*, just some good music we liked that came out last year, OK? Alright then.

*we here at Mathcore Index like to keep it eclectic, so brace yourself if you're expecting absolutely no crossover.

Read the full list after the jump.

Best of 2018

Mathcore Index's Best of 2018

Christian:

There were so many incredible releases this year I was having a bit of anxiety about leaving some stuff out, so apart from my top 10 full-lengths I also did a comprehensive roundup of EPs and honorable mentions that I believe deserve just as much attention as the LPs listed below. Finally, this list was determined by a combination of Bandcamp, Spotify, and Last.fm (go ahead and laugh, charted 10+ years of listening) and naturally my level of enjoyment, so rest assured your boy gave this a lot of thought. Let's go.

Read the full list after the jump.

Best of 2017

Mathcore Index's Best of 2017

Christian:

After various delays, complications, and delinquent submissions, we decided to finally bring you our 2017 year end lists in article form, despite the fact it's absurdly late. Better late than never though, right?

Full-lengths:

10) Worry - "A Celebration of Suffering"

Ex-The Great Redneck Hope members illustrating just how much Colorado knows heavy.

9) Artificial Brain - "Infrared Horizons"

Brooklyn's best angular death metallars give the plethora of other Gorguts acolytes a run for their money.

8) Czar - "Life Is Way No Way to Treat an Animal"

Czar are keeping the lost art of jazzcore alive.

7) Puncture - "Form and Void"

Those of you complaining about Cult Leader's stylistic change after Gaza should immediately investigate this highly aggressive album.

6) Cleric - "Retrocausal"

An absolutely expansive masterpiece that took a long time to truly digest, given the sheer magnitude and ambition of the song writing.

5) Yowie - "Synchromysticism"

Speaking of expansion, Yowie's latest mind-expanding release is their magnum opus, and is as challenging as it is infectious.

4) Mico - "Segunda Muerte"

Columbia brings one of the most inspired yet conversely under-recognized hardcore albums this year, with a seamless darkened tinge that could be compared to Plebeian Grandstand.

3) Helpless - "Debt"

One of Holy Roar's best signings ever, Helpless appear on Mathcore Index: Volume 1, and show with this effort that they can deliver a masterful full-length performance that is filled with earwig riffs and Gaza-laced evil passages.

2) Converge - "The Dusk In Us"

Big surprise, right? Not even being lazy here, just genuinely jammed this a ton, according to both Last.fm and Spotify.



1) The Heads Are Zeros - "The Heads Are Zeros"

The Heads Are Zeros' self-titled full-length is both their magnum opus and their swan song, and bands like this are the reason I started "writing" about music.

EPs:

10) The Callous Daoboys - "Animal Tetris"

9) Ladybird - "I Feel Nothing / I Exist Nowhere"

8) Mouthbreather - "Pig"

7) End - "From Unforgiving Arms of God"

6) THECHEESEBURGERPICNIC - "Iodine"

5) secondgradeknifefight - "pg1"

4) SOUNDING - "Trepanation"

3) Good Game - "Don't Blow It"

2) Snooze - "Actually, Extremely"

1) SeeYouSpaceCowboy - "Fashion Statements of the Socially Aware"

Levi:

So Christian did EPs and full-lengths, but I'm just gonna do a mixed top 10.

10) Dying Fetus - "Wrong One to Fuck With"

Wanted this higher on my list, but it was nowhere near as good as other albums like "Reign Supreme."

9) End - "From the Unforgiving Arms of God"

Just angry and good.

8) Kublai Khan - "Nomad"

Solid heavy hardcore.

7) Converge - "The Dusk In Us"

Thought I would've jammed this more, but didn't quite as much as I expected.



6) Snooze - "Actually, Extremely"

Go-to feel good music



5) Good Game - "Don't Blow It"

A no-brainer.



4) King Krule - "The Ooz"

My genre switch up.

3) The Heads Are Zeros - "The Heads Are Zeros"

A ride off into the sunset.



2) Less Art - "Strangled Light"

Members of Curl Up and Die, 'nough said.

1) Primitive Man - "Caustic"

"It's doom, dude."

Best of 2016

Mathcore Index's Best of 2016

Christian:

I hate ranking things I love (especially when it comes to music), and because this year was so exceptionally challenging, I decided to organize my lists based upon pure volume of listens. I also took the time to make a list for unsigned/underground acts, another for signed/major acts (bands that are well known within our scene), and finally 2 smaller lists for EPs and honorable mentions, respectively. Lastly, most of these bands appear on our compilations, so hopefully that doesn't come as a surprise. Allons-i.

Unsigned/underground:

10) Cyprus - "The Librettist"

Australia continues to illustrate they are better at music than you.

9) Jitters - "You're In Therapy"

Instrumental math-rock wizardry.

8) Église - "Église"

The perfect blend of Botch and Converge.

7) Unyielding Love - "The Sweat of Augury"

Feedback, blast beats, and tortured screams, these are a few of my favorite things.

6) Spurn - "Comfort In Nothing"

Sonic filth.

5) Noise Trail Immersion - "Womb"

Heavy, dissonant mathcore. Sleeper hit of the year.

4) The Central - "Discovery of A Rat"

Outstanding musicianship, new favorite two piece.

\

3) Forests - "Sun Eat Moon Grave Party"

Prepare for all the feels, because this Singaporean band does American-style emo / math-rock better than America.

2) Mothman - "Answers to No One"

Spiritual successor to bands like His Hero Is Gone and Ed Gein, meanest record with serious replay value.

1) Arms - "Blackout"

Paul Hundeby (also of City of Ifa and City Pro Recordings), the mastermind behind this once one-man project, wrote and recorded all instruments as well handling all engineering and production duties on this powerhouse of a record. I love this record because each song holds truly memorable passages, and I find myself absentmindedly humming the riffs a lot. Arms shared the stage with many notable national touring acts in 2016, and this year they are making their first European appearance along with our friends in Frontierer at Complexity Fest 2017, which is sponsored by Mathcore Index.

Signed/major acts:

10) Every Time I Die - "Low Teens"

I've said this many times, but it bears repeating: this band cannot make a bad record.

9) Nails - "You Will Never Be One of Us"

Say what you will, but it's mean and it makes me wanna mosh.

8) Plebeian Grandstand - "False Highs, True Lows"

Another near perfect effort.

7) Wormrot - "Voices"

Grindcore AOTY, Singapore is strong on our charts this year.

6) Coma Cluster Void - "Mind Cemeteries"

One of the most underrated and interesting bands in modern death metal.

5) Vermin Womb - "Decline"

This is what perfect deathgrind sounds like.

4) American Football - "American Football LP2"

All the Kinsella charm is still there.

3) Ion Dissonance - "To Cast the First Stone"

"To Cast the First Stone" recalls the chaos of "Solace" while still retaining the heaviness of "Minus the Herd," and, simply put, is a banger. Many thanks to Good Fight Music for allowing them to appear on our second compilation, Mathcore Index: Volume 2.

2) The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Dissociation"

The perfect band, and a perfect end (allegedly) to their career. I would say music is better now, them having existed, and there is no band more influential in our scene. 

1) Car Bomb - "Meta"

Here I have included my Bandcamp review for "Meta," as it still seems the most effective description:

"Absolutely outstanding and incredibly innovative, Car Bomb are one of the most compelling bands in extreme music, and they have truly outdone themselves (again) with "Meta." I could continue heaping praise or add comparisons to other bands, but the fact is: there is no comparison to Car Bomb."



Top 5 EPs:

Wolf King - "Into the Infinite"
Sundrainer - "I Hope This Breaks Your Spirit"
Infernal Coil - "Infinite Prayer of Burning Hatred"
Worry - "Burden EP"
Gif From God - "2016 Winter Tour Tape"

Honorable Mentions*:

Telos - "Telos"
Cognizant - "Cognizant"
Brazen Bull - "Soiree"
Munt - "The Mind Is a Cage"
undō - "Deep Down"
Prissy Whip - "RIP AF"
Panthallasa - "Temper"
Cronauta - "The Bullring"
Jesus Horse - "Arguably More Productive Than Being Dead"
SeeYouSpaceCowboy - demo
Autocatalytica - "Vicissitudes"
Minerva Superduty - "Ground Zero"
Drivetime Commute - "Bag of Snakes"
The Guts - "Birth"
The Divorcée - "All My Heroes Are Dead and They Are Never Coming Back"
Car Made Of Glass - demo
Steaksauce Mustache - "Eat What We Kill For You"

*yes, a few of these were totally added last minute. -Christian

~

Simon:

In no particular order...

Plebeian Grandstand - "False Highs, True Lows"

Coma Cluster Void - "Mind Cemeteries"

Deathspell Omega - "The Synarchy of Molten Bones"

Ulcerate - "Shrines of Paralysis"

Teramobil - "Magnitude of Thoughts"

Gendo Ikari - "Unit 1" (ep)

Meshuggah - "The Violent Sleep of Reason"

The Apex - "Underbelly" (ep)

Behold... the Arctopus - "Cognitive Emancipation"

Car Bomb - "Meta"

Mathcast: Episode 4 1/1/17

 This is the 4th episode of "Mathcast," in which we discuss SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Scumacide, Autocatalytica, The God Awful Truth, müłçh, and reveal our Best of 2016 lists.

Also available on iTunes.