METALCORE

'Metalcore' is a fusion genre, combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. Defining the metalcore sound is not an easy task; various bands have fused a hardcore punk sound and attitude with many different types of metal, thus creating a simpler and more mainstream genre that is more palatable to the general public.

Contents

Early scene

Melodic metalcore

Breakdowns

Early scene

Though rarely referred to as "metalcore," Breakdown were arguably one of the earliest to fuse heavy metal-influenced riffing with a traditional hardcore punk sound without being a thrash metal band. Not long after, bands such as Damnation A.D., Integrity, Maximum Penalty, Leeway, Biohazard, Madball, Judge, and Raw Deal began releasing demos and albums, laying the foundation for metalcore bands to come.
Most of the songwriting by these bands was similar to the style of New York hardcore bands but differed in a more metallic sound, due largely to the use of double bass drums, harsher distortion, heavier riffs, and metal-influenced vocals.
This basic form of metalcore has received the epithets "tough guy hardcore"--due to many bands' lyrical content, which often focuses on "the scene" and/or violence--and "moshcore," due to the breakdown-centric, mosh-friendly songwriting that some bands use.
Groups such as Rorschach, Starkweather, Adamantium, and Deadguy expanded the metalcore sound, experimenting with looser, often dissonant songwriting, as well as odd time signatures.

Melodic metalcore

"Melodic metalcore"--a subgenre pioneered by Overcast and Zao--has become immensely popular, with bands playing a combination of melodic death metal, popularized by bands such as At the Gates and In Flames, and early metalcore. This results in a style that has a definite element of melody (such as harmonized leads in bands with two guitarists) juxtaposed against brutal rhythms and vocals. Today, many popular metalcore bands, including Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Caliban, and Darkest Hour play this style.

Breakdowns

Central to the bands of the genre, quite a few of which eschew verse-chorus songwriting, is the breakdown.
Typically, a breakdown consists of slowing a song down, usually to half time, giving the guitars room to play a set of rhythmically oriented riffs, usually on open strings so as to achieve the lowest sound for which the guitars are tuned. Breakdowns can also consist of high pitched, often clashing offsets performed by two guitars in the same band: one band member plays the lower, palm muted chords while the other plays a higher-pitched riff, which is frequently a minor second clash. These riffs are often accented by the drummer through double bass drums and use of the china cymbal.
Breakdowns are usually responded to by an audience by hardcore dancing. Vocalists also often throw in a single, repeated statement throughout the breakdown, giving those who are not dancing an opportunity to sing along. Many Metalcore bands rely on having memorable breakdowns rather than memorable choruses. Some bands have used breakdowns far more often than was previously the norm, with some songs even resembling one elongated breakdown. Bands such as Boston's On Broken Wings and Bury Your Dead, along with New Jersey's Shattered Realm helped pioneer this method of songwriting.