| Nu metalcore | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Nu-core |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 2000s–2010s, United States, United Kingdom and Australia |
| Typical instruments |
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| Other topics | |
Nu metalcore (ornu-core)[1] is a fusion genre that combines elements ofnu metal andmetalcore. The genre often makes use of a combination ofscreamed and sung vocals, in addition tobreakdowns,hip hop-influenced drum beats andelectronic music elements.
During the 1990s, many nu metal groups took influence from the hardcore scene, and metalcore bands includingIntegrity,Norma Jean andBury Your Dead embraced elements of nu metal at varying points in their careers. In the late 2000, somedeathcore bands (a subgenre of metalcore) likeSuicide Silence,Emmure andWhitechapel began taking influence from nu metal as well. This led to the first wave of nu metalcore in the 2010s. In 2013, genre defining works such asBring Me the Horizon'sSempiternal,My Ticket Home'sStrangers Only andSworn In'sthe Death Card were released. By 2016, the formations ofCane Hill,Ocean Grove andIssues had led to a solidified first wave. A second strain of the genre, originating from the hardcore scene, soon emerged withCode Orange'sForever (2017),Vein.fm'sErrorzone (2018) andHarm's Way'sPosthuman (2018). In the 2020s, the genre continued to gain traction, with a new wave of groups includingLoathe,Tetrarch andTallah.
Nu metalcore often makes use of bothscreamed and sung vocals,breakdowns, heavy guitar riffs,hip hop-influenced drum beats andelectronic music elements.[2]Loudwire described the style as mostly based around nu metal and hip hop, while also incorporating the breakdowns ofhardcore punk and the guitar tones ofdjent.[3]Metal Injection writer Max Heilman specifically stated the style of metalcore that nu metalcore bands draw on his is the original 1990s "metallic hardcore" style.[4] An editorial forThrash Hits citedContemporary R&B as a key influence on the genre, comparing it to the influence hip hop had on the original nu metal genre.[5]
Since its pioneering,nu metal had been influenced by hardcore, particularlybeatdown hardcore and its ignorant take on heavy riffing.[6]Vision of Disorder's1996 self-titled debut was noted in a 2011MetalSucks article, byFinn McKenty, to blendnu metal with "Victory-style hardcore".[7] Pioneering metalcore bandIntegrity's fifth albumIntegrity 2000 (1999) saw the band collaborate with members of nu metal bandMushroomhead.[8] The same year,Chimaira released theThis Present Darkness EP, which merged elements of nu metal and metalcore, a trend that would be continued on their debut albumPass Out of Existence (2001).[9] Pioneering metalcore bandEarth Crisis released the nu metal albumSlither (2000).[10]Slipknot's 2001 nu metal albumIowa contained elements of late 1990s metalcore, being compared byPopMatters writer Ethan Stewart toDisembodied.[11] Influential metalcore bandNorma Jean formed in 1997 playing nu metal under the name Luti-Kriss, before transitioning into metalcore with the release ofBless the Martyr and Kiss the Child (2002).[12] Japanese bandDir En Grey, formed in 1997, making music whichMetal Hammer writer Alec Chillingworth referred to as "cutting edge, genuinely innovative music, taking influence from every pocket of the genre whether it be extreme metal, metalcore or nu metal."[13]Bury Your Dead's 2006 albumBeauty and the Breakdown described as "straight-ahead, knotty, scorched earth nu-metal" while keeping "the ferocity of Bury Your Dead's hard-and-metalcore attack".[14] Other early bands to merge elements of both genres includedIll Nino,Demon Hunter andMaximum the Hormone.[2] As early as 2007, Lambgoat.com writer Rob Parker used the term "nu metalcore" to refer to the sound of Demon Hunter.[15]
In the mid-to-late 2000s, manydeathcore groups began to embrace elements of nu metal, withWhitechapel andSuicide Silence making use of a "heavier and more groove-driven sound than their predecessors and increasingly bordered nu-metal",[11] andEmmure,Winds of Plague andthe Acacia Strain embracing its urban, aesthetics.[8] As early as 2011, publications includingMetalSucks had begun to use the term "nu-deathcore" or "nu-dethcore" to refer to a wave of bands combining nu metal and deathcore, including Emmure, Suicide Silence,Here Comes the Kraken,Upon a Burning Body andGorelord.[16] Suicide Silence's 2011 albumThe Black Crown, which features elements of nu metal and metalcore/deathcore,[16] peaked at number 28 on theBillboard 200 chart.[17][18] This wave led Japanese band Dir En Grey to return to their nu metal influence sound while also embracing deathcore on songs such as "Different Sense".[19]
These nu deathcore bands, led to a popularisation of nu metal elements in metalcore beginning around 2010, whenInfected Rain,In This Moment,Butcher Babies andAttila began creating a "proto nu metalcore" sound.[2] Metalcore bandBring Me the Horizon's 2013 albumSempiternal embraced elements ofnu metal and was widely influential.[20] It peaked at number 3 on the UK albums chart,[21] and was one of the earliest releases by a UK metalcore band on a major label, throughRCA Records.[22]My Ticket Home'sStrangers Only (2013) too was a notable precedent of this wave, seeing a previously established metalcore act merge their style with dark, nu metal influence, together withSworn In, they were one of the first to establish the modern nu metalcore sound.[23]Issues' merger of nu metal, metalcore andcontemporary R&B gained them significant commercial success, with a number of publications crediting them as ushering a new wave of nu metal.[24][25] Their debutself-titled album (2014) peaked at peaked at number nine on theBillboard 200 chart[26] and their second albumHeadspace (2016) reached number one on theTop Alternative Albums chart.[27]Furthermore, Bring Me the Horizon's fifth albumThat's the Spirit (2015) saw the band fully embrace nu metal,[28] which peaked at number 2 in both the UK and US.[29][30]
By 2016, nu metalcore had solidified itself as a movement,[11] when the fusion began to be embraced byCane Hill,[11]Ocean Grove,[31]Alpha Wolf[32] andDangerKids.[5] According toThe Soundboard in 2016, "nu-metalcore has become [...] omnipresent."[33] Many bands who had already made a name for themselves playing metalcore began to shift their sound towards nu metalcore, includingParkway Drive onAtlas (2012),[5]Of Mice & Men onRestoring Force (2014) andCold World (2016)[34][35][36] andNorthlane onAlien (2019).[37]
Metalcore band Code Orange saw critical acclaim and success with theirRoadrunner Records debutForever in 2017. It saw the band embraced the influence of nu metal, and according toPopMatters writer Ethan Stewart, led to nu metalcore becoming "one of the most prominent flavors of contemporary metal".[11] Forever's title track was also nominated Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2018.[38][39][40][41] Because of its influence, many metallic hardcore bands began incorporating nu metal and industrial into the sound, leading to the releases ofthe White Noise'sAM/PM (2017),Vein.fm'sErrorzone (2018) andHarm's Way'sPosthuman (2018).[42]
In 2020,Metal Hammer published an article titled "The most exciting new sound of 2020 is... nu metal", citingLoathe,Blood Youth,Tetrarch, Ocean Grove andTallah as the bands fronting the newest wave of nu metalcore.[37] Loathe's second albumI Let It in and It Took Everything (2020) saw critical acclaim, and was consistently praised for expanding the scope of metalcore by incorporating elements of nu metal,shoegaze,emo,post-rock,progressive metal andindustrial music.[43][44][45] The band's use of the Fender Bass VI guitar, which tunes to an octave below a standard tuning guitar, became widely sought after following the album's release.[46] The same year,Alternative Press additionally citedSylar andVoid of Vision as "essential nü-metal metalcore bands".[47]