With new single “Dear God”, have Avenged Sevenfold finally accepted their saviour Jesus Christ into their spiritual lives?

Elysia’s second album Lion Of Judas seeks to shake off their reputation for lyrical immaturity with a barrage of brutal discordant metalcore.

Frailty is presumably an ironic name for this album - New Jersey hate-heroes The Banner bring a relentless saturation to the metalcore format.

A Will Of Fire is a strong début offering from Glasgow’s young metalcore contenders Azriel.

So, you think you know angry music, huh? Listen to Shai Hulud’s Misanthropy Pure, and then try to tell me that you were not entirely mistaken about that.

The Tide And Its Takers shows 36 Crazyfists are leagues ahead of the metalcore mob on the basis of their intelligence and songwriting alone.

Alaskan metalcore legends 36 Crazyfists bracket their Download set with some UK club shows, and release a video for “We Gave It Hell”.

Toronto’s finest Cancer Bats deliver a perfect blend of hardcore and southern metal in Hail Destroyer – an early candidate for album of the year.

It’s all lengthy titles and studio trickery from Phoenix post-hardcore mob Greeley Estates on their third album Go West Young Man, Let The Evil Go East.

Super-surreal Nintendocore originators HORSE the Band get a European re-release of their latest album, A Natural Death.