Essential mathcore listening

The albums that define mathcore.

Our picks for where to start with mathcore — with a one-line read on why each one matters.

The mathcore essentials

Twenty-four picks. Press play on any of them.

Ire Works

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Ire Works

Chaotic mathcore energy collides with experimental elements and unexpected melodic passages throughout this intense album.

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Miss Machine

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Miss Machine

Fractured rhythms and chaotic melodies collide with a visceral intensity that defines mathcore's evolution.

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Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It

Rolo Tomassi

Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It

A labyrinthine blend of chaotic mathcore and atmospheric soundscapes that evokes both tension and release.

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Astraea

Rolo Tomassi

Astraea

A ferocious blend of mathcore chaos and ethereal melodies creates a hauntingly intricate soundscape.

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An Inch of Gold for an Inch of Time

The Number Twelve Looks Like You

An Inch of Gold for an Inch of Time

Mathcore chaos intertwines with sharp, sardonic lyrics to create an exhilarating sonic experience.

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Worse Than Alone

The Number Twelve Looks Like You

Worse Than Alone

Frantic rhythms and chaotic melodies intertwine with introspective lyrics, creating a disorienting yet compelling sonic landscape.

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Ruining It for Everybody

Iwrestledabearonce

Ruining It for Everybody

A chaotic blend of mathcore intensity and playful absurdity that challenges genre conventions.

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It's All Dubstep

Iwrestledabearonce

It's All Dubstep

An exhilarating blend of mathcore intensity and dubstep's heavy bass drops and wobbles.

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Painted

Narrows

Painted

Aggressive mathcore rhythms intertwine with dissonant melodies, creating a visceral and chaotic sonic landscape.

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Challenger

Knut

Challenger

Aggressive mathcore rhythms intertwine with heavy sludge metal, creating an intense sonic landscape.

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Bastardiser

Knut

Bastardiser

Aggressive rhythms and dissonant melodies collide, creating a harrowing sonic landscape that defines the essence of mathcore.

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Hikari

Oceans Ate Alaska

Hikari

A frenetic blend of technical metalcore and atmospheric elements, pulsating with intricate rhythms and melodic interludes.

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New Distances

Narrows

New Distances

A relentless barrage of intricate riffs and harsh vocals that challenge the boundaries of mathcore.

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I Dwell on Thoughts of You

Blood Has Been Shed

I Dwell on Thoughts of You

Pummeling rhythms and chaotic riffs intertwine with introspective lyrics, creating a raw yet cerebral metalcore experience.

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Novella of Uriel

Blood Has Been Shed

Novella of Uriel

A furious blend of mathcore intricacies and metalcore aggression that challenges conventions with its relentless energy.

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Lost Isles

Oceans Ate Alaska

Lost Isles

Intense metalcore riffs intertwine with intricate time signatures and emotionally charged vocals.

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Everything's Watched, Everyone's Watching

Heavy Heavy Low Low

Everything's Watched, Everyone's Watching

Chaotic rhythms and abrasive vocals intertwine with melodic interludes, creating a relentless sonic landscape.

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Turtle Nipple and the Toxic Shock

Heavy Heavy Low Low

Turtle Nipple and the Toxic Shock

A chaotic fusion of mathcore and metalcore, bursting with frenetic energy and absurdist humor.

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He Is Never Coming Back

Gaza

He Is Never Coming Back

A visceral onslaught of chaotic rhythms and piercing vocals that explores existential despair and brutal reality.

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I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die

Gaza

I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die

A chaotic blend of mathcore and sludge metal, teeming with dissonant riffs and visceral intensity.

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The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza

A chaotic blend of intricate time signatures and heavy riffs, all wrapped in irreverent humor.

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Danza III: The Series of Unfortunate Events

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza

Danza III: The Series of Unfortunate Events

Chaotic rhythms and dissonant melodies intertwine with raw, visceral energy, creating a relentless mathcore experience.

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Child Soldier: Creator of God

Greg Puciato

Child Soldier: Creator of God

A complex tapestry of aggressive rhythms and introspective lyrics intertwines with haunting melodies throughout the album.

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Fea Jur

Lye by Mistake

Fea Jur

Complex rhythms intertwine with intricate melodies, showcasing a bold fusion of jazz, metal, and experimental sounds.

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Adjacent sounds