15. THE ARMED
The Armed are bending and breaking hardcore into something entirely new. The Detroit collective’s absolutely essential 2018 opus Only Love paints Botch-indebted hardcore erraticism with streaks of synths, pulsating drum machines, and shockingly hooky alt-metal vocal melodies. The band are infamous for their rotating lineup of (mostly) anonymous contributors, although Converge’s Kurt Ballou has been outed as the project’s orchestrator. Although there’s no shortage of mosh-worthy riffs throughout their varied discography, they’re one of the few bands on this list that are best absorbed in solitude through a nice pair of headphones. Their sound is incredibly detailed and you don’t want to miss a note.