Metalcore Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Spawned sometime during the 90's, metalcore is, as the name suggests, a metal influenced form of hardcore punk. Though the style has arguably little resemblence to what is commonly classified as hardcore punk, it could be said to be a natural progression of the slower, more metallic form of hardcore displayed in Black Flag's post-Damaged work.In its current state, there are several subgenres, that while not having any real, set name, most metalcore bands can be pegged into, usually as follows:
"Moshcore", "tough guy hardcore", etc.
The by far most famous band in this category is Hatebreed, who have managed to come across some mainstream musical acceptance, such as being on the soundtracks for Hollywood movies (XXX and The Punisher) and their vocalist, Jamey Jasta, being the host of MTV2's Headbanger's Ball.
This particular style is considered the simplest style of metalcore, with songs averaging around one or two minutes in length and being written in a tradition closer to aforementioned 80's hardcore punk, with traditional elements such as mosh breakdowns and singalongs, but with guitars having a much heavier, metallic edge to them. Lyrics tend to be focused on personal issues such as self-determination, mental strength, unity (within the hardcore and metalcore scene) and sometimes straight-edge, also a tradition that has been continued from older hardcore bands.
Other notable bands in this style: Throwdown, Walls of Jericho (also famed for having a female vocalist), Terror, Integrity, Most Precious Blood, Bury Your Dead and Earth Crisis. Some bands such as All Out War are despite their sound being closer to thrash metal than old-school hardcore filed under this style due to their image and attitude to the hardcore scene in general.
"Swedish metalcore", "Gothencore"
This particular style of metalcore is slightly looked down upon, as the scene is generally considered filled (some would say "polluted") with a high number of these bands, who all play fairly similar music. The style in question draws upon heavy inspiration from the melodic death metal bands that came out of Gothenburg, Sweden during the 90's, especially At the Gates and In Flames, which usually means a combination of melodic and heavy guitars, fast paces and the inclusion of some slight hardcore elements, such as mosh breakdowns. Sometimes, other influences, such as Meshuggah-esque time signatures or softer (often considered "emo" by some), melodically sung parts.
The "premier" band in this category would most likely be Killswitch Engage, who have been signed to a relatively large metal label like Roadrunner Records.
Other notable bands in this style: Darkest Hour, Bleeding Through, Unearth, As I Lay Dying, Lamb of God, Dead To Fall, The Agony Scene, It Dies Today, The Black Dahlia Murder and Undying. Poison the Well are often credited as one of the bands that made this style of metalcore popular with their full-length debut 'The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation', but some would say they also play almost too chaotically (see below) to be placed under this style, and others would say that they have over time progressed away from it, deciding to go in different musical directions with each album released.
"Chaotic hardcore", "mathcore", "noisecore"
Quite possibly the more progressive of metalcore sub-styles, this particular one is recognized for a high level of technical musicianship, currently pioneered by bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge. The music is usually filled with discordant, almost grindcore-inspired riffing, complex (or in some cases seemingly complex) time signatures and song structures, and usually indecipherable lyrics. Songs played by bands of this style tend to require attention and concentration, as they vary from mere seconds in length to 15+ minutes and rarely feature any attempts to be accessible at all, such as choruses. Other styles of music, such as blues-rock and free jazz have been known to inspire various metalcore bands. Coalesce have been known to be inspired by the former, even going so far as to release a Led Zeppelin cover album named 'There is Nothing New Under the Sun', whereas The Dillinger Escape Plan are known to credit the latter. Converge, while initially being a fairly straight-forward metalcore band, have on later releases been known to experiment with time signatures and progressive song structures while remaining true to their original metalcore origins. This started most notably on 1998's 'The Poacher Diaries', a split with famed grindcore band Agoraphobic Nosebleed.
Other notable bands in this style: Zao, Norma Jean, Botch, Burnt By the Sun, Curlupanddie, Daughters, Between the Buried and Me, The Power and the Glory, Creation is Crucifixion, Isis, Misery Signals, Scarlet, Blood Has Been Shed and Glass Casket. Shai Hulud is again the type of band some would say fall under this category due to their complex song structures, though their lyrical content is an intelligent (or merely wordy, depending on whom you ask) take on tough guy hardcore.
Bands usually accused of being fashioncore bands are amongst others: Eighteen Visions, Bleeding Through and Avenged Sevenfold.
When aimed at individuals, the idea commonly refers to wearing excessively tight girl jeans (even if you are a male), white leather belts (studs or pyramids optional), Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars (preferrably as torn as possible), t-shirts that look like they have been found in a thrift store and meticulously groomed hair.
Fashioncore has become a fairly common occurrence on the Internet, with blogging sites such as Livejournal having a fair number of rating communities, closed communities where applicants must submit forms detailing personal tastes and photos to be voted upon by current members before they can join. This is, again, seen as elitist and antithetical to the spirit of hardcore and metalcore.
This is an Article on Metalcore. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Metalcore "Fashioncore"
During the 2000's, the term "fashioncore" (a hardcore/metalcore version of the word "hipster" or "scenester") started to come in use. It is considered a derogatory term applicable to both individuals and bands. The term in question refers to a band's or individual's use of aesthetics generally considered antithetical to older hardcore values, such as the use of make-up or contemporary fashion, which is usually seen as conforming to the mainstream, or being fairly image-centric in general. The word has also been used to describe bands which the user feels are only in it for money and fame. This has become a fairly common occurrence during the 2000's, as the hardcore and metalcore scenes became a lot more popular and even started receiving mainstream attention.Other styles
Of course, considering that hardcore, and by tradition metalcore were in the very beginning based on non-conformity, every now and then a band that isn't easy to peg even within these styles pops up, such as the quirky and spastic pop-influenced hardcore of The Blood Brothers. During 2003 and 2004, a number of bands also displayed some leanings towards 80's hair metal that had not been common before. Forerunners for this were for example Eighteen Visions and Atreyu, who with their respective 2004 releases 'Obsession' and 'The Curse' drew upon a lot of inspiration from such bands as The Stone Temple Pilots, Guns n' Roses and Poison. Atreyu even went as far as recording a cover of Bon Jovi's 'You Give Love A Bad Name' for a limited edition release of their 2nd full-length album, 'The Curse'.External links