Kurt Ballou

Following our lists on '90s metalcore and 2000s post-hardcore, this edition of 'In Defense of the Genre' looks at 15 classic albums from metalcore's most popular era.

The once-mysterious band are now entirely open about their eight-piece lineup (which you can also see in their killer new live performance video), and the album also features Mark Lanegan and members of Queens of the Stone Age and Converge...

It also includes members of Kowloon Walled City, Toxic Holocaust, and more taking on the early Journey song “Of A Lifetime.”

The video for the song features tons of awesome musicians and their pets, including Julien Baker, Jim Adkins, Walter Schreifels, Aaron Weiss, Frank Iero, Tim McIlrath, Barry Johnson, Ned Russin, Tim Kasher, Mike Park, and many more...

The album was recorded with Converge's Kurt Ballou and it comes out in September.

It's the Portland post-rock band's first song with vocals, and it's off their upcoming album for Translation Loss.

Original vocalist Mookie Singerman isn't involved but the band now includes vocalist Tony Wolski (The Armed) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Sumac, Baptists).

The Maryland band's new album was recorded by Converge's Kurt Ballou and mastered by Cult of Luna's Magnus Lindberg.

The great post-metal trio Sumac (members of Isis, Botch, Russian Circles, Baptists) made their new album with Converge's Kurt Ballou and Botch/Isis collaborator Matt Bayles.

Old Man Gloom's new album includes recordings by the late Caleb Scofield, and it was made with help from Kurt Ballou, Matt Bayles, and Randall Dunn.