August Burns Red - Frosty the Snowman
This was a late addition to the list as it's only just been released but the lack of festive metalcore on this list was enough to warrant its last minute inclusion - the concept of a bunch of humourless Yank chug-metal nerds throwing out a Xmas record is not a particularly palatable one but I have to confess that August Burns Red have succeeded with considerable aplomb! 'Sleddin Hill' is worth a listen in its entirety if you're partial to widdly guitar solos, pugilistic breakdowns and thunderous tempos and the band manage to inject a dozen festive staples with enough manic energy to turn them into perfect moshpit fodder - you could line up their version of 'Frosty the Snowman' against classic Hatebreed or Shadows Fall and nobody would bat an eyelid. I've been playing the album with such regularity in the run up to Xmas that my neighbours are probably sick to the back teeth of it - well fuck 'em I say, it's Christmas fer Chrissakes!! You don't get the chance to bust out the festive metalcore more than once a year so I'm all for taking full advantage while I can. Their manic romp through 'Sleigh Ride' is worth a listen too, as is their pinch harmonic take on 'Jingle Bells' (trust me, it sounds better than you might imagine) and you wonder whether there's enough mileage in all this for them to set up a tour this time next year to bring it to the masses. In the meantime I will take my Santa hat off to these guys for producing one of the most enjoyable Xmas records I've heard in a long time - the Twisted Sister record was basically one good idea stretched thin over an entire album but these dudes have gone the whole hog and made a record you can bang your head to from start to finish. Treat someone you love to this feast of X(mas)core and watch their little face light up as they hear 'Frosty' for the first time.
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