METALCORE

Genre Research

Introduction To Metalcore

Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion genre that incorporates elements of the hardcore punk and heavy metal genres.

The main genres, heavy metal and hardcore punk, has it’s influences on the way Metalcore bands play. Their singing styles, guitar tuning, bass lines and drum beats are all influenced heavily by the these styles of music.

Key Characteristics

Songs often contain a variety of singing techniques: screams, growls and clean singing.

Song structures within the genre are often similar also: Screamed verses, melodic and often clean choruses and songs also may have a breakdown (when the song is slowed to half-time and the guitarists play open strings to achieve the lowest-pitched sound).

Generally, Metalcore guitarists use heavy guitar riffs and solos, drummers use hardcore d-beats and double bass drums.

Metalcore Bands

Integrity Integrity are defined as one of the very first Metalcore bands. The group originally formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988, but

founding member Dwid relocated to Belgium in the mid-2000s.

Their lyrical themes include religion, the supernatural, mental illness, individualism, and the occult.

They are known for their revolving line-up, and they have new band members in almost every album.

The only consistent member has been vocalist Dwid.

Metalcore Bands

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American Metalcore band from

Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, bassist

Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer Justin Foley.

There has been a double switch between vocalists however, as Jesse Leach was the initial vocalist, then Howard Jones was named the vocalist, and then after a nine year reign, Jesse Leach took over again in 2012.

(With Howard Jones (front) as lead vocalist.)

Metalcore Bands

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage rose to fame with its 2004 release The End

of Heartache, which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the RIAA in December 2007 for over 500,000 shipments in the United States. The title track, “The End of Heartache”, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Metal Performance, and a live DVD titled (Set This) World Ablaze was released in 2005.

The band has sold over four million records in the US and has been widely referred to as “one of the founders of Metalcore.”

Killswitch Engage mixes crushing riffs, double bass drum patterns, power chords, dual-guitar harmonies, often punctuated with pinch harmonic squeals in their music.

Metalcore Bands

Killswitch Engage On the 2009 self-titled album however, lead vocalist (at the

time) Howard Jones noted the change in lyrical meaning – “I've got enough to draw on to write some stuff that can be dark. Maybe there's still a hint of positivity in it, but there are some songs on there that are not positive at all.”

Both current vocalist Jesse Leach and former vocalist Howard Jones write lyrics that are considered positive. Jesse Leach stated on (Set This) World Ablaze, that the lyrics contain “unity, positivity, and love.”

(With Jesse Leach (front) as lead vocalist.)

Metalcore Bands

Parkway Drive Parkway Drive is an Australian Metalcore band from Byron

Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2002. Winston McCall, Ben Gordon, Luke Kilpatrick, Jeff Ling, Jia

O'Connor In late May 2006, bass player Shaun Cash left the band for

personal reasons. The band soon found a replacement in their "merch guy" and long-time friend, Jia "Pie" O'Connor, who didn't know how to play the bass at the time, and got 3 days to learn the songs.

The band's sound consists of screamed vocals,guitar riffs and hardcore punk breakdowns, they are also one of the few modern Metalcore bands not to include clean vocals as well as screamed vocals.

Metalcore Bands

While She Sleeps While She Sleeps is a British Metalcore band from Sheffield,

England and was formed in 2006. The group consists of vocalist Lawrence Taylor, guitarists Sean

Long and Mat Welsh, bassist Aaran Mackenzie and drummer Adam Savage.

Their debut studio album This Is the Six was released on 13 August 2012, whilst While She Sleeps have received a lot of praise from the UK press and won the award for Best British Newcomer at the Kerrang! Awards 2012.

The band's sound typically features heavily down-tuned guitars, thick bass tones, screaming vocals and fast-paced drumming – occasionally complimented by melodic guitar tones and piano interludes.

Vocalists

Sam Carter~Architects~2007-PresentLoz Taylor

~While She Sleeps~

2008-Present

Jonathan Vigil~The Ghost

Inside~2004-

Present

Vocalists in Metalcore use a combination of screams, growls and clean singing.

Vocalists

Oli Sykes~Bring Me The

Horizon~2004-Present

Matt Tuck~Bullet For

My Valentine~1997-Present

Matt Heafy ~Trivium~

2000-Present

Song structures often see them sing verses through screams and growls and choruses through clean singing, though this does vary.

Guitarists

Tom Searle~Architects~2004-Present

Adam Dutkiewicz~Killswitch Engage~

1999-Present

JB Brubaker~August

Burns Red~2002-

Present

Metalcore guitarists use heavy guitar riffs and solos

Guitarists

Justin Aufdenkampe~Miss May I~2006-Present

Erick Edwards~Earth Crisis~1998–2001,

2007–Present

Chris Rubey~The Devil

Wears Prada~2005-Present

A lot of the guitarists are very familiar with the guitar, and they are not shy to manipulate the entire fret board at times.

Drummers

Aaron Gillespie~Underoath~1997-2010

Chris Adler~Lamb Of God~1994-Present

Jason Costa~All That Remains~

2007-Present

Metalcore drummers use hardcore d-beats and double bass drums.

Drummers

Adam Jackson~Bury

Tomorrow~2006-

Present

Jeremy Spencer~Five Finger Death

Punch~2005-

Present

Matt Nicholls~Bring Me The

Horizon~2004-

Present

Drum beats are often fast and complicated, and drummers are almost always manipulating both bass pedals. The drum beat slows to half time at a breakdown.

Bassists

Aaran Mckenzie

~While She Sleeps~

2008-Present

Davyd Winter-Bates~Bury

Tomorrow~2006-Present

Aaron Evans~Like Moths

To Flames~2010-

Present

The bassist usually plays very tightly in sync with the drummer but also has to have a serious relationship with the rhythm guitar (assuming there is one).

Bassists

Anthony Altamura~Stray From The

Path~2011-Present Ryan

Wombacher~Bleeding Through~

2001-2013

John "Slo" Maggard

~Unearth~2001-Present

Metalcore Since 1985

1985 saw the development of the hardcore breakdown, an amalgamation of Bad Brains' reggae and metal backgrounds, which encouraged moshing. Agnostic Front's 1986 album Cause for Alarm, a collaboration with Peter Steele, was a watershed in the intertwining of hardcore and metal. During this time, thrash metal groups began to borrow a great deal from hardcore punk,

Between 1989 and 1995, a new wave of hardcore bands emerged. These included Merauder, All Out War, Integrity, Biohazard, Earth Crisis, Converge, Shai Hulud, Starkweather, Judge, Strife, Rorschach, Vision of Disorder and Hatebreed.

Metalcore Since 1985

In the early-2000s, Metalcore emerged as its own genre, with several independent metal labels, including Century Media and Metal Blade, signing Metalcore bands.

Killswitch Engage are considered one of the breakthrough bands to bring Metalcore to the spotlight.

Welsh Metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine's second album, Scream Aim Fire, went straight to number 4 on the Billboard 200, later surpassing this in 2010 with their third album Fever, which debuted at number 3 selling more than 71,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. and more than 21,000 in the UK.

Underoath's fifth album Define the Great Line, released in 2006, peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling 98,000 copies in its first week.

 In 2007, the song "Nothing Left" by As I Lay Dying was nominated for a Grammy award in the "Best Metal Performance" category.

The Metalcore Scene Nowadays

The 2000’s have almost completely eclipsed the pioneers of Metalcore. This decade saw it take the spotlight, and now many bands are defined by the genre:

ArchitectsThe Devil Wears PradaWhile She SleepsThe Ghost InsideAs I Lay DyingBury TomorrowStray From The PathNorthlaneParkway DriveBring Me The Horizon

Miss May ITriviumKillswitch EngageBullet For My ValentineMotionless In WhiteAsking AlexandriaLike Moths To FlamesAugust Burns RedStick To Your GunsBlack TideOf Mice And Men

Etc, etc, etc!

Albums

Metalcore sees an interaction between Albums and EPs. They can be conceptual, although there is often variation between the meaning of songs.

The Here And Now~Architects~

The Union Of Crowns ~Bury Tomorrow~

Get What You Give~The Ghost Inside~

At Heart~Miss May I

Singularity~Northlane~

Sempiternal~Bring Me The Horizon~

The End Of Heartache~Killswitch Engage~

With Roots Above And Branches Below

~The Devil Wears Prada~

EPs

On Waxed Wings~Bury Tomorrow~

Parkway Drive ~Don’t Close Your Eyes~

Bullet For My Valentine~Bullet For My Valentine~

Life Gone Wild~Asking Alexandria~

Sweetalker~Like Moths To Flames~

Trivium~Trivium~