Black Map
Heavy, muscular riffs meet soaring melodic hooks. It is cinematic alternative rock that feels like driving through a city at night with the volume pushed to the limit.
Heavy, muscular riffs meet soaring melodic hooks. It is cinematic alternative rock that feels like driving through a city at night with the volume pushed to the limit.
Black Map creates a sound that is simultaneously massive and intricate. It is the kind of rock music that feels physically heavy, anchored by a rhythm section that favors complex, driving grooves over simple beats. The guitars alternate between jagged, aggressive riffing and wide, atmospheric textures that shimmer with delay and reverb, creating a sense of vast space even in their loudest moments.
What truly sets them apart is the vocal approach. Instead of the expected screams of post-hardcore, you get soaring, earnest melodies that provide a human counterpoint to the mechanical precision of the instruments. It is a sophisticated take on heavy music, where the technicality of the playing never gets in the way of a memorable, anthemic chorus.
Start with the album In Droves. It perfectly captures their ability to balance raw power with cinematic ambition, offering a gateway into their world of high-fidelity tension and release.
Black Map (stylized as BL∀CK MAP) is an American post-hardcore supergroup based out of San Francisco, California. The trio consists of Ben Flanagan on bass and vocals, Chris Robyn on drums and Mark Engles on guitar. The band most recently has toured with Chevelle, Bush, and Circa Survive. Black Map formed following a hiatus from the members' respective bands: Dredg (guitarist Mark Engles), Far (drummer Chris Robyn), and The Trophy Fire (vocalist/guitarist Ben Flanagan). The band's first release was a four-song EP, titled Driver, released in February 2014. On October 27, 2014, the band's debut LP, ...And We Explode, was released through Minus Head Records. Their second full-length album, In Droves, was released on March 10, 2017. through their current label EOne. On February 9, 2018, Black Map released a four-song EP, titled Trace the Path. Black Map released their third studio album, Melodoria, on February 18, 2022, through Minus Head Records. Produced with Zach Ohren and mixed by Beau Burchell, the album was praised for its dynamic range and sonic ambition. Highlights included the anthemic single “Super Deluxe” and fan-favorite “Chasms.” In September 2024, Black Map announced their signing with Spinefarm Records, a milestone for the band. Alongside this announcement, they released their first new single in over two years, “Disintegrate,” which MetalSucks described as “a towering, cinematic anthem that captures the band’s evolving sound.” The partnership with Spinefarm Records is expected to mark a new phase in their career, with additional releases anticipated in 2025.
Shares post-hardcore, alternative rock, alternative metal (subgenres); layered dense, studio polished, dynamic range (production style)
Shares studio polished, layered dense, dynamic range (production style); intense, harmonized, belting (vocal style)
Shares studio polished, layered dense, dynamic range (production style); post-hardcore, alternative rock, art rock (subgenres)
Shares studio polished, layered dense, dynamic range (production style); intense, harmonized, belting (vocal style)
Shares post-hardcore, alternative metal, alternative rock (subgenres); defiant, intense, urgent (moods)
Shares studio polished, dynamic range, layered dense (production style); intense, harmonized, belting (vocal style)
Shares studio polished, layered dense, dynamic range (production style); intense, harmonized, belting (vocal style)
Shares studio polished, layered dense, dynamic range (production style); post-hardcore, alternative metal, art rock (subgenres)
Shares studio polished, layered dense, dynamic range (production style); intense, harmonized, belting (vocal style)
Shares studio polished, layered dense, dynamic range (production style); post-hardcore, alternative rock, art rock (subgenres)
Shares post-hardcore, alternative metal, dynamic range, art rock (subgenre)
Shares dynamic range, post-hardcore, urgent, art rock (signature)
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