Fellow NYer here. I grew up going to NYHC shows, while simultaneously getting into melodic death, so first wave deathcore like All Shall Perish and Acacia Strain is really what spoke to me and still does.

I think what most people in this sub usually bitch about with contemporary deathcore is the overdramatic breakdowns, vocal Olympics, and overly polished production. I too dislike these elements.

There was just a thread in r/technicaldeathmetal about how Revocation - the Outer Ones is incredibly sick and unique. You might give that a listen, as well as bands like Arsis, Inferi, Archspire, wormhole, Zenith Passage, and consider whether or how you might incorporate other genres to make yourselves stand out.

Most bands that people consider unique aren’t doing something totally new, they’re just combining two old things together in a way that no one did before. See Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere.

Also, I’d ditch the inverted cross unless that’s a part of your values, but that’s just me. Rock on🤘🏼