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Melodic metalcore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Melodic metalcore
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate 1990s – early 2000s, United States and United Kingdom
Typical instruments
Regional scenes
Local scenes
Boston
Other topics

Melodic metalcoreis a fusion genre, incorporating elements ofmelodic death metalandmetalcore;it has a heavy emphasis on melodic instrumentation, distorted guitar tones,palm muting,double bass drumming,blast beats,metalcore-stylizedbreakdowns,and vocals that range from aggressivescreaminganddeath growlsto clean singing. The genre has seen commercial success for employing a more accessible sound at times compared to other forms of extreme music.[2]Many notable melodic metalcore bands have been influenced byAt the GatesandIn Flames.[3][4]

History[edit]

Origins[edit]

Unearth performing in 2016

In the late 1990s, a wave ofmetalcorebands began incorporating elements ofmelodic death metalinto their sound. This formed an early version of what would become the melodic metalcore genre. The first band to make use of this fusion wasOvercast,who were soon followed byShadows FallonSomber Eyes to the Sky(1997), Undying onThis Day All Gods Die(1999),Darkest HouronThe Prophecy Fulfilled(1999),UnearthonAbove the Fall of Man(1999) andPrayer for CleansingonRain in Endless Fall(1999).[5]CMJwriter Anthony Delia also credited Florida'sPoison the Welland their first two releasesThe Opposite of December... A Season of Separation(1999) andTear from the Red(2002) as "design[ing] the template for most of" the melodic metalcore bands to come.[6]Killswitch Engagehave also been called a pioneering force in the genre by publications such asRevolver,[7]along with artists such as7 Angels 7 Plagues,Chimaira,Dead to FallandHeaven Shall Burn.[8][9][10]Belgian groups also played a large part in the development of the genre in its early years, as bands such as Arkangel began embracing the sounds of melodic death metal in their traditional metalcore sound, as early as 1998.[1]

Commercial success[edit]

Melodic metalcore bandDarkest Hour

Killswitch Engage released their sophomore albumAlive or Just Breathingin 2002, which has been noted as a significant influence on many bands to follow,[11]such asJinjer,August Burns RedandMiss May I.[12][13][14]By 2004 the genre saw increasing prominence, withShadows Fall'sThe War Withindebuting at number 20 on theBillboardalbum chart.[15]Triviumreleased their sophomore album,Ascendancy,in 2005, which peaked at 75 on theUK Albums Chart,made the band one of the more prominent bands in the scene at that point, despite changing their style away from melodic metalcore on many occasions.[16][17]Killswitch Engage's 2006 effortAs Daylight Dieswas described by Brandon Tadday ofOverdrive Magazineas "without a doubt one of the most impactful releases for melodic metalcore during the mid-2000s",[17]peaking at number 32 on theBillboard 200and spending 22 weeks in the charts, being certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2021.[18]In 2008 theAll That Remains' single "Two Weeks"peaked at number 9 at the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the U.S., and on the Modern Rock Tracks chart at number 38.[19]In 2007, the song "Nothing Left"byAs I Lay Dyingwas nominated for a Grammy award in the "Best Metal Performance" category.An Ocean Between Us(the album that included "Nothing Left" ) itself was a commercial success, debuting at number 8 on theBillboard200.

Welsh melodic metalcore bandBullet for My Valentine's third albumFeverdebuted at number 3 selling more than 71,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. and more than 21,000 copies in the UK during 2010 alone.[20]Australian melodic metalcore bandParkway Drive's[21]third albumDeep Bluereached number three on the Billboard Rock Charts in 2010,[22]along withMiss May I's albumRise of the Lionhaving reached number 6 in 2014.[23][24]Melodic metalcore bandBury Tomorrow's fifth studio albumBlack Flamereached number eleven on the Billboard albums chart in less than a week.[25][26]

Characteristics[edit]

Melodic metalcore bandAll That Remainsperforming at theOzzfestin 2006

Melodic metalcore bands often take influence from theguitarriffsand writing styles of Swedishmelodic death metalbands, especiallyAt the Gates,In Flames,Arch EnemyandSoilwork.[2][3][27]Practitioners of the genre tend to make use of instrumentalmelody,and many prominently featureclean singingalongside typical death metalgrowlsandscreams.Melodic metalcore often promotes "very positive lyrical content."[28]The genre can also feature harmonic guitar riffs,tremolo picking,double bass drumsand metalcore-stylized breakdowns.[29][30]Some bands includeguitar solos.[31]Bands such asTrivium,As I Lay DyingandBullet for My Valentinetake a significant influence fromthrash metal.[17]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abHans Verbeke (2019).H8000 Documentary — Anger & Distortion; 1989 - 1999(in Dutch).
  2. ^abGiffin, Brian (2015).Encyclopaedia of Australian Heavy Metal.Australia: DarkStar.ISBN9780994320612.
  3. ^ab"At The Gates Albums Ranked".Loudwire.23 May 2017.Retrieved2017-05-29.
  4. ^Alderslade, Merlin (2014-09-16)."Under The Influence: How In Flames Changed Metal".Metal Hammer Magazine.
  5. ^Sfetcu, Nicolae (7 May 2014).The Music Sound.While death metal and hardcore had always intermingled to an extent, the first clearly identifiable instances of melodic Swedish metal being combined with hardcore seem to have sprung almost simultaneously, with Undying's This Day All Gods Die, Darkest Hour's The Prophecy Fulfilled, Prayer for Cleansing's The Rain in Endless Fall, Shadows Fall's With Somber Eyes to the Sky, and Unearth's Above the Fall of Man all being released within a year of each other (1998-99). It is unclear who first got the idea to combine the two styles. Darkest Hour had released an EP called The Misanthrope in 1996 which arguably contained elements of their later sound but was for the most part aggro-hardcore in the vein of Damnation a.d. On the other hand, Day of Suffering's 1997 album The Eternal Jihad is cited as an influence for many of the North Carolina bands that followed, such as Undying and Overcast is seen as having started the genre in Massachusetts.
  6. ^Delia, Anthony (7 July 2003)."CMJ Magazine".No. 821.CMJ.Retrieved27 April2018.Poison The Well designed the template for most of today's melodic metalcore acts, spawning countless copycats in the process. The band's last two efforts, 1999's The Opposite Of December...A Season Of Separation and 2002's Tear From The Red, are genre essentials, but no one is going to argue that those albums were constructed of memorable parts, rather than complete, efficiently executed songs; you knew when to rock out and when to sing along.
  7. ^"How Killswitch Engage's Pioneering Odd Couple Defy the Odds".Revolver.August 8, 2019.
  8. ^"Part 2.3: When Acting As A Wave (Second-Wave Metalcore, 2000 - 2008)".Retrieved10 May2018.
  9. ^Deneau, Max."7 Angels 7 Plagues Bucketworks, Milwaukee WI - December 17, 2006".
  10. ^"Heaven Shall Burn".Archived fromthe originalon 15 January 2021.Retrieved25 September2019.
  11. ^Lawson, Dom (10 March 2016)."Killswitch Engage: Incarnate review – melodic metalcore veterans still fiery".The Guardian.Retrieved13 May2018.
  12. ^Brown, Gavin."INTERVIEW: Jinjer".Retrieved13 May2018.
  13. ^Briggs, Sam."Interview: Miss May I".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-09-28.Retrieved13 May2018.
  14. ^Ditzel, Elearnor."AllMusic Related".AllMusic.Retrieved13 May2018.
  15. ^"Shadows Fall - Chart history | Billboard".billboard.Retrieved2017-05-29.
  16. ^"Trivium UK albums charts".UK Albums Charts.Retrieved28 April2018.
  17. ^abc"Overdrive".SHAPING METAL: THREE INFLUENTIAL MELODIC METALCORE ALBUMS OF THE NOUGHTIES.Retrieved28 April2018.
  18. ^"KILLSWITCH ENGAGE CHART HISTORY".Billboard.Retrieved28 April2018.
  19. ^"All That Remains - Chart history | Billboard".billboard.Retrieved2017-05-29.
  20. ^"Bullet for My Valentine - Chart history | Billboard".billboard.Retrieved2017-05-29.
  21. ^Parker, Matt (14 February 2014)."Killswitch Engage's 8 tips on mastering metalcore".Retrieved28 April2018.
  22. ^"PARKWAY DRIVE CHART HISTORY".Billboard.Retrieved28 April2018.
  23. ^"Miss May I Chart History".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon May 25, 2018.Retrieved28 April2018.
  24. ^"Miss May I Rise of the Lion".AllMusic.Retrieved28 April2018.
  25. ^Jamieson, Brii."BURY TOMORROW ARE SET TO ACHIEVE THEIR HIGHEST CHART DEBUT WITH 'BLACK FLAME'".Rock Sound.Retrieved17 July2018.
  26. ^White, Jack."The Vamps' Night and Day is heading back to Number 1 following its Day Edition re-release".OfficialCharts.Retrieved17 July2018.
  27. ^D. Taylor, Jason."Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kissesreview ".Allmusic.RetrievedJune 24,2008.Atreyu's debut album, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses, is an invigorating foray into melodic metalcore in the vein of Darkest Hour, Poison the Well, and Eighteen Visions.
  28. ^"20 albums we can't believe turn 10 this year - Features - Alternative Press".Alternative Press.4 January 2017.Retrieved2017-05-29.
  29. ^"It's Through the Approach".El Paisano.September 12, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon January 14, 2009.RetrievedJune 24,2008.
  30. ^"Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kissesreview ".mp3.Archived fromthe originalon February 12, 2009.
  31. ^"Taste of Chaos",Revolver,June 2008, p. 110. "This is the Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour, a night when heavier melodic-metalcore bands like Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold intend to position themselves as the next generation of bands to actually pack arenas (...)".
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