The other day, I was listening to one of my throwback playlists when "White Washed" by August Burns Red came on, which was the first time I heard it in a few months. When the opening riff hit, my mind immediately went into this weird semi-nostalgic, semi-euphoric state where I was suddenly energized again. I joked to myself that the opening riff was my sleeper agent signal, then started realizing there are a few songs like that where they awaken me in an almost semi-spiritual way (I really don't know the correct way to explain it).
So, I'm curious: what is your metalcore or metalcore-adjacent "sleeper agent" riffs that gets you into an energetic, locked-in, and almost seemingly robotic mental state? I really wish I could explain the feeling better, but I'm hoping you get the idea. Like, it's sort of nostalgic, but also awakens all your senses at once. It doesn't even have to be a riff, but a whole song or a specific part of a song, too.
A few other "sleeper agent" riffs that work for me include:
- "Love Me" x Counterparts (just the whole song tbh)
- "Communion Of The Cursed" x Ice Nine Kills (that first pre-breakdown verse and the breakdown after)
- "The People Under the Stairs" x Ice Nine Kills (the intro riff, man... *chefs kiss*)
- "Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad" x Blessthefall (I don't even need to explain the feeling this song gives me all these years later, man. This is one of the catalysts that got me into this genre back when I was a young teen)
- "You Wear A Crown But You're No King" x Blessthefall (really, this list could just be BTF songs, tbh)
- "Ghost" x Imminence (the whole song activates me like I'm the Manchurian Candidate)
- "It's Myself vs. Being A Man" x Inhale Exhale (Churchgoing OGs will remember this one from the peak Tooth & Nail/Solid State days)
- "Abigail" x Motionless In White (BURN BABY BURNNNN)
- "Vultures and Sharks" x Oceans Ate Alaska (the riffs throughout the entire first verse take me back to the peak days of college when Lost Isles originally dropped)
- "Endseekers" x Oh, Sleeper (the opening riff and verse have me wanting to apply to the CIA)
- "Views from the Sun" x Thornhill (THE LIIIEEESSSSSSS OH HOW DOES IT TASTE)
- "Everyone Looks So Good From Here" x Underoath (13 year old me 🤝 33 year old me turning into a Beyblade from a catatonic state when that second verse and riff hits)
- "Reptar, King Of The Ozone" x The Devil Wears Prada (you know the one right at the start)
I have plenty more I could list, but then this would turn into a BuzzFeed list and NOBODY wants to read that shit.
ETA: How the FUCK did I forget "This Ship, A Coffin" by Adestria (1:00-1:18 specifically) and "Deliverance" (the absolute riffage carnage between 2:38 and 3:00) by The Air I Breathe?! Oh, and "False Profit" by I, The Breather (the riff during the first verse turns me into SpongeBob after Plankton takes control of his brain).