In October we took a trip to China to attend the East Sea Metal Festival. While there were some amazing guest acts, we were blown away by the homegrown talent that had made the trek to perform.

Inspired by this, we decided to compile a list of Chinese metalcore acts that you should put on your playlist.

An Empty City

Hailing from Guangzhou, this band is one that is starting to make their presence felt outside of China. With a modern metalcore sound that translate exceptionally to their live show, their energy is unmatched. An Empty City recently released a two-track, ‘a fleeting mind captive in a shattered dream/cure’ so we suggest to start there!

赤潮REDTIDE

One of the first bands from China that hit our radar was 赤潮REDTIDE. From Shenzen, these guys have taken the current sound in metalcore and are running into another dimension. Dynamic, heavy and ferocious- we will be following this band very closely. Their latest single, ‘力挽狂澜’ was produced/engineered/mixed/mastered by Pincer+‘s Joshua Ang- so you know it’s going to be good.

Order To Kill

We will be honest, we cannot find much on this band, so when we witnessed their set at the EAST SEA METAL FESTIVAL it totally blew us away. One of our most popular videos on TikTok too, these dapperly dressed gentlemen ripped into some of the most brutal deathcore we’ve heard in years. A crowd favourite and an entertaining show, let us know if you can find more social media information on them!

The Will On Kill

A more established act in the China scene, The Will On Kill have been holding the flag for Chinese post-hardcore. Their experience is immediately noticeable in their live sets and everything they put out is dripping in melody. Again, with social media operating a little different over in China, it can be hard to keep up but check out a few of their tunes.

Life Awaits

Another more established band in their local scene, these guys maybe one of the first you will come across when searching up Chinese metalcore. Furious guitars, catchy melodies and filthy breakdowns- get started with their first ever uploaded to YouTube MV ‘Butterflies’ and go from there.

Cancer Game

Crushingly heavy, excitingly complex- Cancer Game are definitely one our favourite acts in Chinese scene right now. Catchy as hell riffs, gripping lyrics and just packed with unbridled energy, this is one band that we think you need to keep your eye on. Their latest single ‘Obey’ is an absolute banger, but make sure you check out all their music.

There is so much untapped talent in the Chinese metalcore scene- it’s almost unfair that we haven’t got to experience a lot of it yet. If you know some great bands from China too, make sure you let us know! We want to keep discovering that new talent.

What country/scene should we tap into next month? Let us know so we can showcase some more of the best acts our region has to offer. (Or to entice us to fly out to experience it for ourselves)