The Fall of Deathcore
 

Some call it the future of metal, others call it the death. Regardless, no one can deny the monstrosity that deathcore has become. In the past year, the former fringe genre has exploded into the single most saturated genre in metal. On the wave of this influx have ridden a number of misconceptions concerning deathcore. As an avid hardcore and metal fan, it brings me great pain--and anger--to see the term being applied to any and every band.

Deathcore--in my opinion--was established by bands such as ASP, pre-Malice TTEOTD, pre-Animal Animosity, ABRB, and a few others. These bands infused metalcore with death metal influence. ASP brought the guitar solo to metalcore, something not many bands in the genre did. TTEOTD, Animosity, and later ABRB brought death metal style riffing and song construction to metalcore, as well as the blastbeat--I can't think of many metalcore bands before them that used the blast. These bands also began to adopt death metal style vocals, that is, darker, lower register growls, rather than the higher register shrieks and cookie monster growls of metalcore. However, they retained the breakdown and two-step devices from metalcore.

Deathcore was still relatively underground; I only stumbled upon it through hxcmp3.com, from which I downloaded a couple TTEOTD songs--keep in mind, this was four or five years ago, maybe more. I had been listening to metalcore for quite awhile; but this sounded different, and I liked it.
I delved into the genre a bit, discovering Animosity and ASP, who expanded the musicianship of the genre.

Then came JFAC, specifically, "Entombment of A Machine". Now, I am not a metalhead, but I blame this song for the explosion of deathcore. I can't even remember how I came across it, but again, I had heard nothing like it*. By "it" I mean the "bree", or "pig squeal" approach to vocals (ASP had used it some, but sparingly enough to where I hadn't considered it a separate style of vocal). Somehow, this song spread like wildfire, at least in the circles I knew. The breakdowns appealed the metalcore kids, and the furious rif***e appealed the metalheads. Copycat bands began springing up everywhere, jumping on the Breewagon.

Fast forward two years, to present day. Very few bands are producing true deathcore. A term more appropriate to today's scene is mosh metal. Bands such as Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, UTG, AOAA fall under this category--a genre I also call Spacecore, for obvious reasons. Every band is the same; musicianship and originality has been thrown to the wind. Generic riffs are recycled over and over, as are generic breakdowns. Everybody and their mom plays mosh metal; and somehow, the kids love it. Ten more bands spring up everyday; even their names are formulaic, seemingly made with a Mad Lib: "(noun) From A (noun)", "(noun) After (noun)", "(noun) For A (noun)", etc. Oh, and alliteration is a must.

But I'm straying away from the music itself. My point is, deathcore is dead. The **** that's being put out now by clone bands like The Argent Dawn, Here Comes The Kraken, Knights of the Abyss is mosh metal. Just as importantly, stop applying the term "deathcore" to bands like The Acacia Strain.
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What do you guys' think? Is deathcore dead, or is it merely changing? Do you think this new style of music is different enough to receive its own label?





* I know now that this style, along with the--what I call--burping style of vocals had been used much earlier in brutal death.

deathcore is so 2006. get with the times, man. it's deathfuzz now. Times New Viking own your f'kin' soul.

There are new sub genres evry week in metal and consequently others get over saturated. This is noting new in the metal scene. NWOBHM, Power, thrash, speed, nu etc etc. Things go in cycle and sometimes come back again. The main reason is that it is so difficult to sound different to an over saturated scene full stop. I am not for one minute saying that there are only generic bands out there, but sub genres come and go.

I'm not particularly familiar with this genre. What do all the acronyms stand for?

ASP = All Shall Perish
TTEOTD = Through the Eyes of the Dead
ABRB = As Blood Runs Black
JFAC = Job For A Cowboy
UTG = Underneath the Gun
AOAA = Annotations of An Autopsy

KK I know what you're talking about now.

Edit* Job For a Cowboy is from my city woot!

I think the deathcore has now been assimilated into what I like to call "Scene Grind". A general term for metalcore/mosh style deathcore or grindcore. There are like hundreds of these bands that just use the same metalcore riffs over brees and insane yelling. That is where deathcore has gone. Only the few real deathcore bands exist to continue it until its true death. Until the originators stop making interesting deathcore, the genre still has its place.

I disagree with you, in that a very small fraction of these bands incorporate actual grind elements. Blastbeats do not equal grindcore, nor do fast tempos, short song lengths, or changeups.

br00t4lty = all you'll ever need in life.

Why after over 20 years of listening to metal am I still finding the same old arguments about the qualities neccessary to belonging to a certain sub genre of what essentially sounds the same?

No don't kid yourselves people. One form of metal is no different to the other, only in tempo or guitar pitch. The delinanation between genres is minimal. It always has been and always will.

Twenty years ago kid's were arguing about who had the heaviest riffs and who belonged to what particular flavour of the day sub genre. It has'nt changed one bit. The only difference is that there is even more sub genres to argue about and pigeon hole.

We need general genre classifications to differentiate of that there is no doubt but some of the criteria that is needed to be a a part of a particular scene is ridiculous.

Many metal fans should drop this pathetic pretence that what they are listening to is new and exciting and different to the other metal out there. GUESS WHAT? It is'nt!

It's a retreading of ideas and formulas that have been around for over 30 years.

The odd band will come through and have a different approach and have something different to say, but in general it is sad to see the genre in virtually the same state as it was 20 years ago.

I totally agree. (not a very contributive post but whatever...)

Well I personally wouldn't call it real Grindcore but they try to draw influences from it. I call it "Scene Grind" because really it is just metalcore bands who think they are grind by adding brees, loud screaming and blast beats. I think while it isn't certainly the only qualities of grind, the things you listed are some that grindcore generally use.

Wow. I could not disagree with a post more.

Are you serious? Do you listen to Devourment and Nile and say, this is the same kind of music? I'm sorry, but you either have a very bad ear or are just lazy and want to label everything as being "metal", or "punk", "rap", etc. The truth is, subgenres are real, and possess distinct qualities, enough to set them apart from other their parent genres and sibling subgenres.

He's not saying all sub-genres are irrelevant, I think he's just saying that getting down to the nitty-gritty of what is and isn't in 2 very closely related genres is pointless.

If you listen to All Shall Perish and then Suicide Silence, they're not very similar at all.

I remember at this percussion clinic I went to in school, this drummer was doing a seminar, and he said something that made alot of sense to me, and might be relevant here. We'll find out.

You take one drum set, and line up 30 or so drummers, and have them play a simple 4/4 rock beat. You'd think; oh, so what? They'll all sound the same. Nope. Each drummer would add something to the beat that can't be heard or seen, but felt, and that's where the uniqueness comes in.

Yeah, there are alot of deathcore and metalcore bands out there, and alot of them play the same chug chug bree bree breakdowns. But they all have something the sets them apart from the other. I could listen to Beneath the Massacre, Elysia, Job For a Cowboy, and Through the Eyes of the Dead (if you consider them deathcore) and while the musical ingenuity would all be very similar, they all have something that makes me think "This is why I like Elysia more than Red Chord," or "this is why I think Beneath the Massacre is better than Through the Eyes of the Dead."

If you hate the bands, I understand that. But don't generalize a whole genre or sub-genre. You could be missing out on something.

What would The Black Dahlia Murder count as? I don't listen to a lot of metal on the hardcore influenced side (other than post-metal/sludge acts like ISIS, CoL, Neurosis, YoNL, Overmars, etc) but I was quite impressed when I heard some of their stuff. Even if they are one of the many bands 'borrowing' riffs from At The Gates.

of course they sound somewhat similar in the broad scope of music. a lot of people would say all four of those bands sound exactly the same. however, if you've listened to enough of it, you begin to recognize distinct differences between groups of bands, enough to separate them into a separate subgenre.


Frewen: TBDM plays melodic death metal, or melodeath.

Not every band has it's own subgenre. Do you know how crazy that would get? It's crazy enough as it is.

What I'm trying to say is that all these sub genres are just rehashing ideas and sounds from each other and coming up with a supposed NEW sound when it is just a variation on themes. NILE and DVOURMENT seem poles apart musically. Listen closely and they are not too disimilar in there approach to music.

If a band takes an outside influence and comes with a different sound (say AGALLOCH) and proclaim a new genre, I would agree because not many bands will sound like them and they are approaching their songs from a completely different angle. Listen to this track and you wont have heard a lot of music that sounds similar, even though it's over 20 years old. If VOIVOD created a subgenre then I would agree again. (incidentally they just called themselves a Metal band)


I am not saying that sub genres suck. You are missing the point. what I am saying is that many many sub genres sound ridiculously similar.

It sucked in 94, and it sucks even harder now.

Anti-chugga-chugga-breakdowncore is the way to be.

that's not what I said at all

agreed.

For the most part I agree with the original post in this thread, that being, that deathcore is on the way down in public acceptance. As an avid hater, I'm thrilled. The only band that has been putting out quality tunes from that camp is All Shall Perish.

EDIT: To jackhammer, who is saying that metal has essentially stayed the same for 20 years; you're not listening to the right things. Out of all the genre's of music, I'd go so far to say metal (specifically the outer fringes of it) has been a hotbed of creativity for the past almost 20 years. Ever since Scream Bloody Gore, metal has been on a strange and turbulent path that has seen the release of such monstrous epics as Lykathea Aflame's Elvenefris, Cynic's Focus, Martyr's Warp Zone, Ephel Duath's Pain Necessary To Know, and countless others.

Metal is still very much alive. You just have to know where to look.

Would you mind recommending a couple of blogs mate? Also i really like Suicide Silence, The Cleansing is a class album.

Deathcore is just like nu-metal or metalcore or the glam metal bands, a trendier form of metal that will be popular untill something else takes its place. It wont die, it will just not get as much attention.

To me deathcore is just like all the other "scene" popular styles of metal in that it is just a watered down version of the real thing, in this case being death metal.

In all i really dont care what happens to deathcore.

Why is all this hate centered on deathcore?

the only band related to this deathcore thing that i actually like is The Red Chord. the rest of these bands could go jump off a cliff.

That's why.

Despised Icon is one of the only deathcore bands I listen to

What the hell does "bree" mean?

Anyways, don't argue that, somehow, a particular band is good because they stay true to a certain genres aesthetics. It's a bad argument and the inevitable result is crappy bands receiving undeserved praise, as well documented by Nokturnal Mortum.

its an onomatopoeia of the "pig squeal" vocals employed by most deathcore bands.

I have only started to listen to deathcore ( or what I thought it was, but after reading this I discovered I'm listening to the wrong bands ;) a few months ago, while I allready liked metal for many years.
I acctually dont care what genre it is called, of if they are 'true' or not. As long as I like it, I will listen to it, whatever people say.

I once read in an interview with Mille from Kreator a brilliant line, wich I think is so true. He stated that If we are judging nowadays bands ( for example NWODC, new wave of deathcore/ whatever you'll like to call it) we would be just as bad as our parents judging bands like kreator back in the days, who are now heroes of the genre.

Finally - somebody who listens to "deathcore" with a taste in music!!

I cannot agree with you more (well, I might be able to if I wasn't so distracted by your avatar LOL). I myself am a metalhead, and the only deathcore band I listened to until just recently was ABRB which I love - I would listen to all that other crapcore out there and my reaction would be something along the lines of "What the hell was that crap? Chug chug chug + really fast bass drums =/= good song... for god's sakes stop all that moshing and ugly hardcore dancing... OMFG ANOTHER BREAKDOWN PLEASE SHOOT ME!".

I have to say, bands like Suicide Silence and Whitechapel are bands that, rather than focusing on creating actual music, they focus on the 1) mainstream appeal and 2) putting on a good show. If I wanted that crap, I'd just listen to Lady GaGa or something (hey at least she has boobs..).

Anyway, my friend tried to get me into all that pukecore and I ended up tossing out 90% of what he recommended to me. I must say, I do love ASP though- they are amazing! And I don't even think most of their songs have any breakdowns in them (at least the ones I'm listening to from Hate.Malice.Revenge) :love:. Beneath The Massacre is another highlight, but they are pretty much metal so yea. (IMO at least)

Oh and as for that guy who says there is no variation in metal.. you are one ignorant person. Ever listen to blues? Metal is way more innovative than 90% of the blues out there (and this is coming from somebody who's two favorite genres are Metal and Blues).

Listen to the following bands and tell me there is no variation: (remember I said LISTEN) Cryptopsy (early stuff), Nile, Opeth (really prog-gy), Death, Meshuggah, Atheist, the list goes on.

Holy shit, that was seriously really good. She should start a death metal band. Wow... I am just blown away... Actually I wish I was blown away... hehe... but seriously... that was really good...wow. I am impressed.