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Spawned sometime during the 90's, metalcore is, as the name suggests, hardcore punk influenced by metal. Though the style has arguably little resemblance to what is commonly classified as heavy metal or 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, xcanaanx, The Break In, 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.
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 music is a combination of melodic and heavy guitars, fast paces and the inclusion of some hardcore elements, such as mosh breakdowns and two-steps. Sometimes, other influences, such as Meshuggah-esque time signatures or softer (often considered "emo" by some), melodically sung parts.
Although the Gothenburg Death Metal genre was started by At The Gates (later popularized by bands like The Haunted and In Flames), it has spread beyond Gothenburg, Sweden and "true" heavy metal into America with bands like Lamb of God and Bleeding Through.
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, Unearth, As I Lay Dying, Dead To Fall, The Agony Scene, It Dies Today, The Black Dahlia Murder, Poison The Well and Undying.
"Mathcore"
(Also known as "tech hardcore", "chaotic hardcore", and "noisecore".) See the Mathcore article.
"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.
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 tight female 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. A lot of metalcore fans actually hate this category.
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'.
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