Deathcore

Deathcore
Stylistic origins	Death metal, hardcore punk, metalcore
Cultural origins	Early 2000s, North America
Typical instruments	Vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums
Regional scenes
Australia Canada Germany United Kingdom United States
Other topics
Deathgrind list of deathcore artists

Deathcore is an extreme metal fusion genre that combines the characteristics of death metal and metalcore and sometimes hardcore punk. It makes use of death metal riffs and blast beats, as well as metalcore breakdowns. Deathcore gained most prominence within the southwestern United States, especially Arizona and inland southern California (mostly the Coachella Valley), which are home to many notable bands and various festivals.

Characteristics

Guy Kozowyk of The Red Chord.

Deathcore combines death metal characteristics such as blast beats, down-tuned guitars, tremolo picking and growled vocals with metalcore characteristics such as breakdowns. The genre is usually defined by breakdowns and death metal riffs or metalcore riffs played in the usual death metal tuning. Like in other extreme metal fusion genres, deathcore guitarists down-tune their guitars to give their music a heavier sound. Deathcore bands may also employ guitar solos as well.

Low growls and shrieked screams are common vocalizations. Some other techniques that deathcore vocalists have used include what is known as pig squeals. However, the use of pig squeals seem to be abandoned as a deathcore band progresses with newer material. Sung vocals in the genre are extremely rare and most deathcore bands have never used them, but the idea has been experimented with by a few bands such as All Shall Perish (in the song "Awaken the Dreamers") and Oceano (in the song "Incisions").

History

Alexandre Erian of deathcore pioneers Despised Icon performing at Ghostfest in 2009.

The term deathcore originated in the mid-1990s; in 1996, Nick Terry of Terrorizer magazine wrote: "We're probably going to settle on the term deathcore to describe the likes of Earth Crisis (as well as the more NYHC-ish but still as deathly Merauder)." In spite of this, Antagony and Despised Icon are considered to be the pioneers of deathcore. However, Despised Icon have rejected the label.

Decibel magazine wrote that death metal band Suffocation were one of the main inspirations for the genre's emergence by writing: "One of Suffocation's trademarks, breakdowns, has spawned an entire metal subgenre: deathcore."

Deathcore also began to gain moderate popularity in the late 2000s (specifically 2006 and 2007). Notable bands that brought the genre in the highlight include Bring Me the Horizon and Suicide Silence. Suicide Silence's No Time to Bleed peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200, number 12 on the Rock Albums Chart and number 6 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart, while their album The Black Crown peaked at number 28 on the Billboard 200, number 7 on the Rock Albums Chart and number 3 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart. After its release, Whitechapel's album This Is Exile sold 5,900 in copies, which made it enter the Billboard 200 chart at position 118. Their self-titled album peaked at number 65 on the Canadian Albums Chart and also at number 47 on the Billboard 200. Their album A New Era of Corruption sold about 10,600 copies in the United States in its first week of being released and peaked at position number 43 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, British deathcore band Bring Me the Horizon won the 2006 Kerrang! Awards for Best British Newcomer after they released their 2006 debut record Count Your Blessings. However, Bring Me the Horizon abandoned the deathcore genre after the release of this album. Lastly, San Diego natives Carnifex, witnessed success with their first album Dead in My Arms, selling 5,000 copies with little publicity. On top of their non-stop touring and methodical songwriting resulted in Carnifex quickly getting signed to label Victory Records.

A variety of deathcore bands experimented with other genres into their music as influence as time went by. For example, early material by the band Fallujah was described as carrying deathcore and black metal influence respectively. On the other hand, Emmure has been credited to be heavily influenced by nu metal and was described as "the new Limp Bizkit".

Criticism

Deathcore has been criticized and looked down upon, especially by longtime fans of some other heavy metal subgenres. The reason for it is often its fusion of death metal with metalcore and use of breakdowns.

In an interview with vocalist Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain about the deathcore label, he said "Deathcore is the new nu-metal. [...] It sucks. And if anyone calls us 'deathcore' then I might do something very bad to them." While in an interview with Justin Longshore from Through the Eyes of the Dead about the deathcore label, he said "You know, I really hate that term. I know we've been labeled as that but I think there's so much more to our music than just a mixture of death metal and hardcore (sic) even though we incorporate those elements in our music. To me it seems that is just the new and fresh thing that kids are following."

In November 2013, Terrorizer wrote "The term ‘deathcore’ is usually seen as a dirty word in metal circles" whilist interviewing vocalist Bryce Lucien of the Texan-based metal band Seeker. Lucien then stated:

Much like what became of metalcore in the mid-2000s, deathcore is an often maligned term that can instantly diminish a bands credibility. What once conjured images of ridiculously brutal, unapologetically heavy bands like Ion Dissonance and The Red Chord now brings to mind bands full of twenty-year-olds sporting throat tattoos, matching black t shirts, and trying desperately hard to look tough while they jump in sync onstage [...] My band is constantly referred to as deathcore. I personally don’t hear it at all, but that’s fine. I know where we pull our influence from.

In contradiction however, Scott Lewis of the San Diego-based deathcore band Carnifex seemed more lighthearted and less concerned over the label than most musicians in the genre by stating "We're not one of those bands trying to escape the banner of deathcore. I know a lot of bands try and act like they have a big problem with that, but if you listen to their music, they are very 'deathcore.' I know that there is a lot of resentment towards deathcore and kind of younger bands."

See also

• List of deathcore artists