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Metalcore



 
 
Metalcore is an umbrella term used to describe fusion genre
Fusion genre

A Fusion genre is a music genre that fuses two or more other musical genres.Examples:*jazz-rock fusion: jazz + Rock music*jazz funk: jazz + funk...
s that incorporate elements of the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in North America and the UK in the late 1970s. The new sound was generally thicker, heavier and faster than earlier punk rock....
 and heavy metal
Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States. With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified Distortion , extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall...
 genre
Genre

A genre is a loose set of criteria for a category of composition; the term is often used to categorize literature and speech, but is also used for any other Art#Art forms or utterance....
s; but this isn't a true metal genre. The term is a portmanteau
Portmanteau word

A portmanteau word is used broadly to mean a blend of two words, and narrowly in linguistics fields to mean only a blend of two or more function words....
 of heavy metal
Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States. With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified Distortion , extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall...
 and hardcore
Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in North America and the UK in the late 1970s. The new sound was generally thicker, heavier and faster than earlier punk rock....
 punk. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands like Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis

Earth Crisis is a straight edge metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, that recorded and performed from 1991 until they broke up in 2001. They have reunited and been active again since 2007....
, Deadguy
Deadguy

Deadguy was a metalcore band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA....
 and Integrity
Integrity (band)

Integrity, formed in 1988, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based band. They are credited as one of the first hardcore bands to successfully incorporate Heavy metal music elements into hardcore punk....
. The earliest of these groups, Integrity, began performing in 1989. Metalcore is distinguished from other punk metal
Punk metal

Punk metal is an umbrella term, or cross-genre term used to describe music that fuses elements of Heavy metal music with punk rock. Often the fusion involves extreme metal and hardcore punk genres....
 fusions by its emphasis on breakdown
Break (music)

In popular music a break is an instrumental or percussion instrument section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main section of the song or piece....
s: slower, intense passages conducive to moshing.

lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m2295956",this)' onMouseout='hide("m2295956")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Black_Flag_%28band%29">Black Flag
Black Flag (band)

Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes....
 and Bad Brains
Bad Brains

Bad Brains are an American hardcore punk/roots reggae band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1977. They are widely regarded as being among the pioneers of the genre, though the band's members objected to the term "hardcore" to describe their music....
, among the originators of hardcore, admired and emulated Black Sabbath.






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Encyclopedia


Metalcore is an umbrella term used to describe fusion genre
Fusion genre

A Fusion genre is a music genre that fuses two or more other musical genres.Examples:*jazz-rock fusion: jazz + Rock music*jazz funk: jazz + funk...
s that incorporate elements of the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in North America and the UK in the late 1970s. The new sound was generally thicker, heavier and faster than earlier punk rock....
 and heavy metal
Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States. With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified Distortion , extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall...
 genre
Genre

A genre is a loose set of criteria for a category of composition; the term is often used to categorize literature and speech, but is also used for any other Art#Art forms or utterance....
s; but this isn't a true metal genre. The term is a portmanteau
Portmanteau word

A portmanteau word is used broadly to mean a blend of two words, and narrowly in linguistics fields to mean only a blend of two or more function words....
 of heavy metal
Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States. With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified Distortion , extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall...
 and hardcore
Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in North America and the UK in the late 1970s. The new sound was generally thicker, heavier and faster than earlier punk rock....
 punk. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands like Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis

Earth Crisis is a straight edge metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, that recorded and performed from 1991 until they broke up in 2001. They have reunited and been active again since 2007....
, Deadguy
Deadguy

Deadguy was a metalcore band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA....
 and Integrity
Integrity (band)

Integrity, formed in 1988, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based band. They are credited as one of the first hardcore bands to successfully incorporate Heavy metal music elements into hardcore punk....
. The earliest of these groups, Integrity, began performing in 1989. Metalcore is distinguished from other punk metal
Punk metal

Punk metal is an umbrella term, or cross-genre term used to describe music that fuses elements of Heavy metal music with punk rock. Often the fusion involves extreme metal and hardcore punk genres....
 fusions by its emphasis on breakdown
Break (music)

In popular music a break is an instrumental or percussion instrument section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main section of the song or piece....
s: slower, intense passages conducive to moshing.

History


Precursors (1977-1984)

Black Flag
Black Flag (band)

Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes....
 and Bad Brains
Bad Brains

Bad Brains are an American hardcore punk/roots reggae band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1977. They are widely regarded as being among the pioneers of the genre, though the band's members objected to the term "hardcore" to describe their music....
, among the originators of hardcore, admired and emulated Black Sabbath. British street punk
Street punk

Street punk is a working class genre of punk rock which took shape in the early 1980s, partly as a rebellion against the increasingly artistic pretensions of the first wave of British punk....
 groups such as Discharge
Discharge (band)

Discharge is a United Kingdom hardcore punk band formed in 1977 by Terry "Tezz" Roberts and Roy "Rainy" Wainwright. They are often considered among one of the very first bands to play hardcore punk, and mixing punk with metal....
 and The Exploited
The Exploited

The Exploited are a Scotland punk band from the UK82, formed in 1979.They started out as an Oi! band, before transforming into a faster street punk and hardcore punk band....
 also took inspiration from metal. The Misfits began to borrow from Motörhead
Motörhead

Mot?rhead are a British hard rock band formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy, who has remained the sole constant member. Usually a power trio, Mot?rhead had particular success in the early 1980s with several successful singles in the UK Singles Chart....
, becoming a crucial influence on thrash
Thrash metal

Thrash metal , is an extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal music that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with Shred guitar-style lead work....
. Nonetheless, punk and metal cultures and music remained separate through the first half of the 1980s.

Crossover thrash (1984-1988)

Cross-pollination between metal and hardcore eventually birthed the crossover thrash
Crossover thrash

__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains even more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash....
 scene, which gestated at a Berkeley
Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland, California and Emeryville, California....
 club called Ruthie's, in 1984. The term "metalcore" was originally used to refer to these crossover groups. Hardcore punk groups Corrosion of Conformity
Corrosion of Conformity

Corrosion of Conformity is an United States heavy metal music band from Raleigh, North Carolina, North Carolina formed in 1982....
, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles

Dirty Rotten Imbeciles are a crossover thrash band that formed in 1982.The band never gained any mainstream audience, but were an influence on their contemporaries ? most notably Suicidal Tendencies, Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtroopers of Death ? alongside whom they are considered the early pioneers of the sound that would later be...
 and Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies

Suicidal Tendencies is an American hardcore punk and Heavy metal music band. They were formed in Venice, Los Angeles, California, in 1981 by the leader and only permanent member, singer Mike Muir....
 played alongside thrash metal
Thrash metal

Thrash metal , is an extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal music that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with Shred guitar-style lead work....
 groups like Metallica
Metallica

Metallica is an American heavy metal music band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists....
 and Slayer
Slayer

Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981. The band was founded by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King....
. This scene influenced the skinhead
Skinhead

A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world....
 wing of New York hardcore
New York hardcore

New York Hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat....
, which also began in 1984, and included groups such as Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags

The Cro-Mags were a hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential....
, Murphy's Law
Murphy's Law (band)

Murphy's Law is a hardcore punk band from New York City. While vocalist Jimmy Gestapo remains the only founding member of the band, the constantly changing lineup has consisted of former and future members of bands such as Skinnerbox, Danzig , The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog , Hanoi Rocks, Agnostic Front, and D Generation....
, Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front

Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band that formed in New York City in 1980. The band began playing hardcore punk similar to bands like Black Flag and Negative Approach, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 in music classic Victim in Pain bef...
 and Warzone
Warzone (band)

Warzone was a hardcore punk American skinhead band from New York City.Skinhead frontman, Raymond "Raybeez" Barbieri, was the group's only consistent member between its formation on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1982 until Barbieri's untimely death due to pneumonia on September 11, 1997....
. The Cro-Mags were among the most influential of these bands, drawing equally from Bad Brains, Motörhead, and Black Sabbath. Cro-Mags also embraced straight edge
Straight edge

Straight Edge refers to a lifestyle that started within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents make a lifetime commitment to refrain from drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and taking recreational drugs....
 and, surprisingly enough, Krishna consciousness
International Society for Krishna Consciousness

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , also known as 'the Hare Krishna' movement, is one of the Hindu Vaishnava groups. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A....
. Other New York straight edge
Straight edge

Straight Edge refers to a lifestyle that started within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents make a lifetime commitment to refrain from drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and taking recreational drugs....
 groups included Gorilla Biscuits
Gorilla Biscuits

Gorilla Biscuits are a New York hardcore band consisting of Anthony Civarelli, Walter Schreifels, Arthur Smilios, Alex Brown and Luke Abbey. The band is currently signed to Revelation Records....
, Crumbsuckers
Crumbsuckers

Crumbsuckers was a 1980s hardcore band that formed in 1982 on Long Island by bass player Gary Meskil in their home town of Baldwin, Nassau County, New York....
, and Youth of Today
Youth of Today

Youth of Today was an American straight edge hardcore punk band whose vocalist was from Danbury, Connecticut, and whose remaining members were from various parts of New York....
, who inaugurated the youth crew
Youth crew

Youth Crew is a subgenre of hardcore punk that was pioneered by Youth Of Today in the early to mid-1980s, and thrived in the New York hardcore scene of 1988....
 style. 1985 saw the development of the hardcore breakdown
Break (music)

In popular music a break is an instrumental or percussion instrument section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main section of the song or piece....
, an amalgamation of Bad Brains' reggae
Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
 and metal backgrounds, which encouraged moshing. Agnostic Front's 1986 album Cause for Alarm
Cause for Alarm (album)

Cause for Alarm is the second full-length studio album from New York hardcore band, Agnostic Front. It was released in 1986 on Relativity Records/Combat Records and follows 1984's Victim in Pain....
, a collaboration with Peter Steele
Peter Steele

Peter Steele is the lead singer, bassist, and composer for the gothic metal band Type O Negative. At 6' 7" , Peter's low, basso heavy voice is one of the most recognizable features in Type O Negative's music....
, was a watershed in the intertwining of hardcore and metal.

Metallic hardcore (1989-2000)

Between 1989 and 1995, a new wave of metalcore bands emerged. These included Integrity
Integrity (band)

Integrity, formed in 1988, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based band. They are credited as one of the first hardcore bands to successfully incorporate Heavy metal music elements into hardcore punk....
, Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis

Earth Crisis is a straight edge metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, that recorded and performed from 1991 until they broke up in 2001. They have reunited and been active again since 2007....
, Converge
Converge (band)

Converge is a four-piece band from Salem, Massachusetts, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and extreme metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the rudiments of the metalcore genre....
, Starkweather
Starkweather (band)

Starkweather is a hardcore punk/metalcore band from Philadelphia, United States that formed in 1989. Starkweather pioneered the hardcore/heavy metal crossover sound that would later be known as "metalcore"....
, Judge
Judge (band)

Judge was a New York hardcore straight edge band; formed in 1987 by Youth of Today guitarist, Porcell, and former Death Before Dishonor /Youth of Today drummer, Mike Ferraro ....
, Bloodlet
Bloodlet

Bloodlet was an United States metalcore band that formed in Florida in 1992....
, Strife
Strife (band)

Strife is an United States of America hardcore punk band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1991....
, Rorschach
Rorschach

Rorschach is a Municipalities of Switzerland, in the District of Rorschach in the Cantons of Switzerland of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It is on the south side of Lake Constance ....
, Cave In
Cave In

Cave In is an alternative rock/ metalcore band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. As of 2006, they are on indefinite hiatus....
, Vision of Disorder
Vision of Disorder

Vision of Disorder is a band from Long Island, New York, USA. The band's frenetic and socially aware amalgam of hardcore and thrash metal gained the band a strong underground following before their demise in 2002....
, Hatebreed
Hatebreed

Hatebreed is a Grammy Award-nominated quintet from Bridgeport, Connecticut and New Haven, Connecticut, Connecticut. The band was founded in November 1994 by Jamey Jasta, Dave Russo, Larry Dwyer, and Chris Beattie....
, and Candiria
Candiria

Candiria is a band from Brooklyn, New York. They blend various styles of music, including metalcore , jazz , hip hop music, and even ambient music sounds....
. Integrity drew influence primarily from the hardcore of The Cro-Mags and the thrash metal of Slayer, with more subtle elements of Septic Death
Septic Death

Septic Death was a hardcore punk band fronted by artist Brian "Pushead" Schroeder on vocals. Septic Death's music became a major influence on bands like Integrity , Citizens Arrest, Infest , and many other bands tied to the hardcore punk, thrashcore, crust punk etc....
, Samhain
Samhain (band)

Samhain was an United States rock music rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from Misfits . Samhain played in more of a death rock- and heavy metal music-infused style of horror punk than Danzig's previous band....
, Motörhead
Motörhead

Mot?rhead are a British hard rock band formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy, who has remained the sole constant member. Usually a power trio, Mot?rhead had particular success in the early 1980s with several successful singles in the UK Singles Chart....
, and Joy Division
Joy Division

Joy Division were an English Rock music band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris ....
. Earth Crisis, Converge, and Hatebreed also borrowed from death metal
Death metal

Death metal is an extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs fast tempos, heavily distorted guitars, deep death growl vocals, morbid lyrics, blast beat drumming, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
. Earth Crisis's 1995 album Destroy the Machines
Destroy the Machines

Destroy the Machines is the first full-length album released by the United States metalcore band Earth Crisis, it was released in 1995....
 was particularly influential. In Karl Buechner
Karl Buechner

Karl Buechner is the original singer for the band Earth Crisis from Syracuse, New York, United States. Since the early 1990s he has been at the forefront of the hardcore punk music scene....
's words, Biohazard
Biohazard (band)

Biohazard was a band originally based out of Brooklyn, New York. They are acknowledged as one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal music with elements of hip hop....
, Coalesce
Coalesce

Coalesce is a 4-piece hardcore punk/metalcore band from Kansas City, Missouri....
, Shai Hulud
Shai Hulud (band)

Shai Hulud is an United States hardcore punk band with progressive metal influences, originally formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, the band later moved up to Poughkeepsie , New York....
 and Overcast
Overcast (band)

Overcast is a metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, who some credit as being one of the pioneers in the Metalcore#Metallic hardcore scene....
 were also important early metalcore groups. These groups are sometimes referred to as "metallic hardcore".

Melodic metalcore (1997-Present)

In the late 1990s, a third wave of metalcore groups appeared, who placed significantly greater emphasis on melody
Melody

In music, a melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity....
. Such bands as As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying

As I Lay Dying is a novel written by the American author William Faulkner. The novel was written in six weeks while Faulkner was working at a power plant, published in 1930, and described by Faulkner as a "tour de force"....
, Still Remains
Still Remains

Still Remains was a melodic metalcore band from Grand Rapids, Michigan signed to Roadrunner Records, that formed out of previous local bands Shades of Amber and Unition....
, Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold is an American rock music band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. The band has achieved mainstream success with their 2005 album City of Evil, which included singles such as "Burn It Down ", "Bat Country," "Beast and the Harlot" and "Seize the Day ." The band's success followed with their Avenged Sevenfold...
, Eighteen Visions
Eighteen Visions

Eighteen Visions were an Orange County, California, United States-based band, signed to Epic Records and Trustkill Records. Evolving from Metalcore to Alternative metal throughout the years, the band broke up in April 2007, less than a year after their major label debut came out....
, Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage is an American melodic metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts. Formed following the disbandment of the bands Overcast and Aftershock in 1999, Killswitch Engage's lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones , bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer Justin Foley....
, All That Remains
All That Remains

All That Remains may refer to:*All That Remains a melodic metalcore band from Springfield, Massachusetts*All That Remains , an album by the band Fozzy...
, Darkest Hour, Poison the Well
Poison the Well

Poison the Well is a post-hardcore/experimental music band from South Florida currently signed to Ferret Music. Guitarist Ryan Primack and drummer Chris A....
, Trivium
Trivium (band)

Trivium is an American Heavy metal music band formed in 2000 in Orlando, Florida. The band has released Trivium discography, eleven singles, and twelve music videos....
, Underoath
Underoath

Underoath is an American Grammy Award-nominated metalcore band originally formed November 30, 1997 in Ocala, Florida, Florida, but since then, the new members that joined were from Tampa, Florida....
 and Atreyu
Atreyu (band)

Atreyu is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of Lead vocalist/lyricist Alex Varkatzas, Guitarist Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Marc McKnight and Drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller....
 are the most commercially successful practitioners of metalcore. These groups took major influence, cues, and writing styles from melodic death metal
Melodic death metal

Melodic death metal is a subgenre of death metal which combines the melody of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with the intensity of death metal....
 bands, particularly In Flames
In Flames

In Flames is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 1990. The band is considered to be a pioneer and major influence to the melodic death metal music genre....
 and At the Gates
At the Gates

At the Gates are a Sweden melodic death metal band from Gothenburg, progenitor of the Melodic_death_metal#Gothenburg_sound of Death_metal. Initially active from 1990 to 1996, the band reformed in 2007....
. Melodic metalcore frequently makes use of clean vocals
Clean vocals

The term clean vocals is used to describe melody and clear singing styles. It is most notably used to refer to heavy metal music, as an alternative to harsh, Screaming or death growl vocals, which are mainly seen in extreme metal bands, and occasionally in some hardcore punk rock bands....
, and is significantly less dissonant than other metalcore. Some of these groups, such as Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall

Shadows Fall is an American Heavy metal music band formed in Springfield, Massachusetts, Massachusetts in late 1995. They are one of the few bands who take their lyrical influence from Buddhism....
, have voiced an affection for '80s glam metal
Glam metal

Glam metal is a term used to describe the visual style of certain heavy metal music bands that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States....
. Melodic metalcore groups have been described as "embrac[ing] '80s metal clichés", such as "inordinate amounts of smoke machines, rippin' solos, [and] three bass drums".

In the mid-2000s, metalcore emerged as a commercial force, with several independent metal labels, including Century Media and Metal Blade
Metal Blade Records

Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded in 1981 in music by Brian Slagel. It has offices in the USA, Germany, and Japan. The label is distributed in the U.S....
, signing metalcore bands. By 2004, melodic metalcore had become popular enough that Killswitch Engage's The End of Heartache
The End of Heartache

The End of Heartache is the 2004 album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. The album is the first to feature vocalist Howard Jones , of the band Blood Has Been Shed, who joined in 2002, replacing Jesse Leach....
, and Shadows Fall's The War Within
The War Within (album)

This article is about the album. For other uses, see 'The War Within.The War Within is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Shadows Fall....
 debuted at numbers 21 and 20, respectively, on the Billboard album chart. Welsh metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine's second album, Scream Aim Fire
Scream Aim Fire

Scream Aim Fire is the second studio album by Welsh metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine, released worldwide January 28, 2008 and January 29, 2008 in the US....
, went straight to 4 on the Billboard 200. Underoath's album Define the Great Line
Define the Great Line

Define the Great Line is the fifth full-length album by American Metalcore band Underoath. The album was released in the United States on June 20th, 2006, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 charts and generating over 98 000 sales in its first week....
, released in 2006, peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts. Hatebreed, God Forbid
God Forbid

God Forbid is an American heavy metal music band formed in 1996 in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey. They are one of the leaders of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal....
, and As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying (band)

As I Lay Dying is an American Grammy Award-nominated metalcore band from San Diego, California, formed in 2000. Their band name derives from the novel by William Faulkner with As I Lay Dying ....
 have also charted. Metalcore bands have also received prominent slots at Ozzfest
Ozzfest

Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal music and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne....
, Download Festival
Download Festival

The Download Festival is a three day music festival held annually at Donington Park . It takes place at the end of spring, and is owned and managed by Live Nation....
, and Warped Tour
Warped Tour

The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected....
.

Characteristics


Instrumentation

Metalcore bands generally feature two electric guitar
Electric guitar

An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickup to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker....
ists who often play fast riff
RIFF

The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic meta-format for storing data in tagged chunks.It was introduced in 1991 by Microsoft and International Business Machines, and was presented by Microsoft as the default format for Windows 3.1x multimedia files....
s with dual leads
Lead guitar

Lead guitar refers to the use of a guitar to perform melody lines, fill , and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock music, heavy metal music, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop music contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays rhythm guitar, which consists of accompan...
. Bassists
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
 usually follow the rhythm guitar. The drummer usually performs using double-kick or double-bass drums.

Vocals

Vocals in metalcore are often screamed
Screaming (music)

Screaming is a form of singing, most commonly heard in sub-genres of heavy metal music and hardcore punk, though screamed vocals also feature in music genres such as alternative rock, and more experimental music genres such as noise music....
 or shouted. Growling vocals
Death growl

A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, unclean vocals, Cookie Monster vocals, among other names, is a vocalization style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal music genre, but also used in a variety of other heavy metal music subgenres....
 became common among many 1990s metalcore groups. Melodic metalcore groups combine these with clean vocals
Clean vocals

The term clean vocals is used to describe melody and clear singing styles. It is most notably used to refer to heavy metal music, as an alternative to harsh, Screaming or death growl vocals, which are mainly seen in extreme metal bands, and occasionally in some hardcore punk rock bands....
.

Ideologies

Metalcore initially emerged from the milieu surrounding youth crew
Youth crew

Youth Crew is a subgenre of hardcore punk that was pioneered by Youth Of Today in the early to mid-1980s, and thrived in the New York hardcore scene of 1988....
 hardcore, with many of the groups adhering to straight edge
Straight edge

Straight Edge refers to a lifestyle that started within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents make a lifetime commitment to refrain from drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and taking recreational drugs....
 beliefs (that is to say, abstention from drugs and alcohol), though Integrity
Integrity (band)

Integrity, formed in 1988, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based band. They are credited as one of the first hardcore bands to successfully incorporate Heavy metal music elements into hardcore punk....
 was a notable exception. Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis

Earth Crisis is a straight edge metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, that recorded and performed from 1991 until they broke up in 2001. They have reunited and been active again since 2007....
 proselytized for veganism
Veganism

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind....
 and animal rights
Animal rights

Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings....
, which had an enduring effect on numerous bands, including Converge
Converge (band)

Converge is a four-piece band from Salem, Massachusetts, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and extreme metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the rudiments of the metalcore genre....
. Converge was also notable for their focus on personal anguish
Anguish

Anguish is a term used in contemporary philosophy, often as a translation from the German and Dutch angst. It is a paramount feature of existentialism philosophy, in which anguish is often understood as the experience of an utterly free being in a world with zero absolutes ....
 and experiences of failed romantic love. One Life Crew
One Life Crew

One Life Crew was a straight edge, Hardcore punk band originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Members included "Mean" Steve Murad , Blaze Tishko , John Lockjaw ...
 and other skinhead hardcore
Hardcore skinhead

Hardcore skinheads are skinheads who mainly associate with Hardcore punk instead of Oi!, ska, Soul music or other genres associated with the skinhead subculture....
 groups, were controversial for their right-wing political beliefs. Dwid Hellion, frontman of Integrity, advocated the "Holy Terror Church of Final Judgment", an outlook related to Satanism
Satanism

Satanism is a term that refers to a number of related belief systems. Their commonality is that they all feature the symbolism of Satan or similar figures....
. Several members of contemporary melodic metalcore groups are practicing Christians
Christian hardcore

Christian hardcore or Christcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore Musical ensemble that promote Christianity beliefs. How these bands promote Christianity, and to what extent, varies between bands....
: Zao, As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying (band)

As I Lay Dying is an American Grammy Award-nominated metalcore band from San Diego, California, formed in 2000. Their band name derives from the novel by William Faulkner with As I Lay Dying ....
, Underoath
Underoath

Underoath is an American Grammy Award-nominated metalcore band originally formed November 30, 1997 in Ocala, Florida, Florida, but since then, the new members that joined were from Tampa, Florida....
 and Norma Jean
Norma Jean (band)

Norma Jean is a Christian mathcore band from Douglasville, Georgia, USA, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia....
 are the most famous examples.

Styles


Mathcore

Mathcore began with the mid-'90s work of Converge, Botch
Botch (band)

Botch was a mathcore band from Tacoma, Washington, that formed in 1993 and disbanded in 2002....
 and The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan

The Dillinger Escape Plan is an United States Experimental rock mathcore band from Morris Plains, New Jersey. The band originated in 1997 after the disbanding of Arcane, a hardcore punk trio consisting of Ben Weinman, Dimitri Minakakis, and Chris Pennie....
. The term mathcore is suggested by analogy with math rock
Math rock

Math rock is a rhythmically complex, guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the late 1980s. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures , angular melodies, and Consonance and dissonance chords....
. Mathcore is characterized by speed technical riffing, and unusual time signatures
Time signature

The time signature is a notational convention used in Western culture musical notation to specify how many beat s are in each bar and what note value constitutes one beat....
. Bands such as Ion Dissonance
Ion Dissonance

Ion Dissonance is a mathcore band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They have often been compared to The Dillinger Escape Plan, Gorguts and Meshuggah....
, Fear Before the March of Flames, Protest the Hero
Protest the Hero

Protest the Hero is a Canadian hardcore punk and Neo-classical influenced progressive metal band from Whitby, Ontario, Ontario. The Protest line-up has stayed the same since the band formed in 1999, when they were just 12 years old....
, and The Number Twelve Looks Like You
The Number Twelve Looks Like You

The Number Twelve Looks Like You is a mathcore band from Bergen County, New Jersey.Their music combines elements of Grindcore, Progressive Metal, Jazz, Hardcore Punk, and much more....
  are additional examples of mathcore bands.

Deathcore

Deathcore, an amalgamation of metalcore and death metal
Death metal

Death metal is an extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs fast tempos, heavily distorted guitars, deep death growl vocals, morbid lyrics, blast beat drumming, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, was pioneered by Despised Icon
Despised Icon

Despised Icon is a deathcore band from Montreal, Quebec. The band was formed by members of Neuraxis, In Dying Days and Heaven's Cry, in January 2002....
, Job for a Cowboy and The Red Chord
The Red Chord

The Red Chord is a band from Revere, Massachusetts whose sound incorporates elements of death metal, grindcore, experimental music and metalcore....
 in the early years of the 21st century. While remaining a subgenre of metalcore, deathcore is heavily influenced by death metal in its speed, heaviness, and approach to chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic

Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterise Scale , and are also applied to Interval , Chord , notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony....
, heavily palm mute
Palm mute

The palm mute is a playing technique for the guitar or bass guitar. This technique is known as pizzicato by classical guitar players .Palm mutes are executed by placing the side of the picking hand below the little finger across all of the strings very close to the bridge and then plucking the strings with the fingers while the damping is i...
d riffing, dissonance
Consonance and dissonance

In music, a consonance is a harmony, Chord , or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance ? considered unstable . The strictest definition of consonance may be only those sounds which are pleasant, while the most general definition includes any sounds which are used freely....
, and frequent key changes
Modulation (music)

In music, modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature....
. Deathcore often features breakdowns
Break (music)

In popular music a break is an instrumental or percussion instrument section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main section of the song or piece....
 and melodic riffs. Other examples include As Blood Runs Black
As Blood Runs Black

As Blood Runs Black is an United States deathcore band from Los Angeles, California....
, Through the Eyes of the Dead
Through the Eyes of the Dead

Through the Eyes of the Dead is an American Death Metal band from Florence, South Carolina, which originally started as a deathcore band, and have moved on to a death metal style on their recent works....
, Whitechapel
Whitechapel

Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Hanbury Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and Commercial Road on the south....
, The Red Shore
The Red Shore

The Red Shore is an Australia deathcore band from Geelong, Victoria, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalist Jamie Hope, guitarists Jason Leombruni and Roman Koester, drummer Jake Green, and bassist Jon Green....
, Dead To Fall
Dead to Fall

Dead to Fall was originally a straight edge Metalcore band from the Chicago suburbs and later stretched from Chicago to Minneapolis. Formed in 1999, it drew influences from Swedish Gothenburg metal, death metal, and other genres, but was usually labeled a metalcore band....
, Bring Me The Horizon
Bring Me the Horizon

Bring Me The Horizon are an English deathcore band from Sheffield, Yorkshire. The band formed in the year 2004 from members of other bands within their local area....
, Suicide Silence
Suicide Silence

Suicide Silence is a four-piece deathcore band from Riverside, California, California....
, Carnifex
Carnifex (band)

Carnifex is a deathcore band from San Diego, California, which formed in 2005....
, All Shall Perish
All Shall Perish

All Shall Perish is a deathcore quintet from Oakland, California formed in 2002, which combines various genres, including death metal, deathgrind, metalcore, and sludge metal....
, With Blood Comes Cleansing
With Blood Comes Cleansing

With Blood Comes Cleansing are a Christian music deathcore band from Albany, Georgia....
 and Germany's Heaven Shall Burn
Heaven Shall Burn

Heaven Shall Burn is a Deathcore band from Saalfeld, Germany. They combine an aggressive metal sound with lyrics that show a militant support of anti-racism and fighting social injustice....
. Underoath
Underoath

Underoath is an American Grammy Award-nominated metalcore band originally formed November 30, 1997 in Ocala, Florida, Florida, but since then, the new members that joined were from Tampa, Florida....
 also employed a strong deathcore-influenced sound on their first two albums.

Bibliography

  • Haenfler, Ross. Straight Edge: Clean-living Youth, Hardcore Punk, and Social Change, Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0813538521
  • Mudrian, Albert (2000). Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore. Feral House. ISBN-10: 193259504X
  • Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005). New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Zonda Books. ISBN-10: 0958268401


See also

List of metalcore musical groups
  • Crossover thrash
    Crossover thrash

    __FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains even more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash....
  • Hardcore punk
    Hardcore punk

    Hardcore punk is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in North America and the UK in the late 1970s. The new sound was generally thicker, heavier and faster than earlier punk rock....
  • Heavy metal
    Heavy metal music

    Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States. With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified Distortion , extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall...
  • Hatecore
    Hatecore

    The term hatecore historically refers to the music style of specific Hardcore punk bands in New York City in the mid 1980s and early 1990s. The term was coined by the New York City-based band SFA in the mid-1980s....
  • Punk metal
    Punk metal

    Punk metal is an umbrella term, or cross-genre term used to describe music that fuses elements of Heavy metal music with punk rock. Often the fusion involves extreme metal and hardcore punk genres....
  • Thrash metal
    Thrash metal

    Thrash metal , is an extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal music that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with Shred guitar-style lead work....