Poor old groove, abused and over-used by the nü metal, so bands who base their sound around the kind of stomping grooves can’t help but sound a little dated.
The hardcore component LOA always tried to shy away from has been almost entirely dropped, replaced by a slick, vaguely punchy post-grunge rock-out vibe.
NYC female-fronted electro-rockers KHZ have largely looked beyond the pleasing electro-noir slinkiness, and turned into a full-on aggro industrial rock act.
Where Sentenced, Tiamat, and HIM leave off: Sometimes ultra-cheesy and weak, other times it gels, with bold guitars and keyboards playing off each other.
Like most straight-ahead metalcore, it’s one-dimensional, but unlike Hatebreed, at least these troops of doom have a pretty clear idea of who the enemy is.
Hailing from MA, Torque tread where the likes of Staind, Chevelle, or Godsmack have before them, with some decent enough angst-ridden grunge-imbued metal.
Gritty, nasty, and uncompromising metal-tinged hardcore with nary an opening for melody or hope anywhere in sight. Breakdowns, yelling, and brutality aplenty.