| Melodic metalcore | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1990s – early 2000s, United States and United Kingdom |
| Typical instruments | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Local scenes | |
| Boston | |
| Other topics | |
Melodic metalcore is a fusion genre, incorporating elements ofmelodic death metal andmetalcore; 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 aggressivescreaming anddeath growls to 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 Gates andIn Flames.[3][4]
In the late 1990s, a wave ofmetalcore bands began incorporating elements ofmelodic death metal into 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 Fall onSomber Eyes to the Sky (1997), Undying onThis Day All Gods Die (1999),Darkest Hour onThe Prophecy Fulfilled (1999),Unearth onAbove the Fall of Man (1999) andPrayer for Cleansing onRain in Endless Fall (1999).[5]CMJ writer Anthony Delia also credited Florida'sPoison the Well and 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 Engage have 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 Fall andHeaven 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]
Killswitch Engage released their sophomore albumAlive or Just Breathing in 2002, which has been noted as a significant influence on many bands to follow,[11] such asJinjer,August Burns Red andMiss May I.[12][13][14] By 2004 the genre saw increasing prominence, withShadows Fall'sThe War Within debuting at number 20 on theBillboard album chart.[15]Trivium released 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 Dies was described by Brandon Tadday ofOverdrive Magazine as "without a doubt one of the most impactful releases for melodic metalcore during the mid-2000s",[17] peaking at number 32 on theBillboard 200 and 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 Dying was 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 theBillboard 200.
Welsh melodic metalcore bandBullet for My Valentine's third albumFever debuted 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 Blue reached number three on the Billboard Rock Charts in 2010,[22] along withMiss May I's albumRise of the Lion having reached number 6 in 2014.[23][24] Melodic metalcore bandBury Tomorrow's fifth studio albumBlack Flame reached number eleven on the Billboard albums chart in less than a week.[25][26]
Melodic metalcore bands often take influence from theguitarriffs and writing styles of Swedishmelodic death metal bands, especiallyAt the Gates,In Flames,Arch Enemy andSoilwork.[2][3][27] Practitioners of the genre tend to make use of instrumentalmelody, and many prominently featureclean singing alongside typical death metalgrowls andscreams. Melodic metalcore often promotes "very positive lyrical content."[28] The genre can also feature harmonic guitar riffs,tremolo picking,double bass drums and metalcore-stylized breakdowns.[29][30] Some bands includeguitar solos.[31] Bands such asTrivium,As I Lay Dying andBullet for My Valentine take a significant influence fromthrash metal.[17]
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.
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.
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.
