The Handshake Murders - Usurper (2007)

Genre: Mathcore / Metalcore / ProgressiveThrough the rise and demise of "metalcore", some bands have actually made an effort to not seem completely redundant. Such pushes in the directions of technicality, brutality, speed and experimentation created some mildly interesting niches, each not without their own pinnacles and champion bands. The Handshake Murders, a relatively small band on Goodfellow, have done something different than parting out their music to build a new machine, and have yet not maintained a sound that would allude to a chance in the mainstream. This is the apex of heavy, brutal, somewhat technical "metalcore". Somehow ridding themselves of the guilt-laden, childish cheesiness that plagues the bands making up the actual fan base generally associated with such a sound, they have the Golden Gun with Usurper. From the tone to the album flow to all the individual components, this makes mice of men in both metal and hardcore (and all other 'cores' as well) with angular, loud guitars playing precisely calculated off-times; not to mention, perhaps one of the best vocalists around. Don't let the production fool you, they pull this off live with perfection.