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| Thrashcore | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Fastcore |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1980s, United States |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
| Bandana thrash | |
| Other topics | |
Thrashcore (also known asfastcore) is a fast-tempo subgenre ofhardcore punk that emerged in the early 1980s. Thrashcore is essentially sped-up hardcore, adopting a slightly more extreme style by means of its vocals, dissonance, and occasional use ofblast beats. Songs are usually very brief, and thrashcore is in many ways a lessdissonant, minimallymetallic forerunner ofgrindcore. The genre is sometimes associated with theskateboardersubculture.
Thrashcore is often confused withcrossover thrash and sometimesthrash metal.[3][4] Further confusion is added by the fact that many crossover bands, such asD.R.I., began as influential thrashcore bands.[3] Throughout the '80s, the term "thrash" was in use as a synonym forhardcore punk (as in theNew York Thrash compilation of 1982). It eventually came to be used for the faster, more intense style of hardcore punk. The term thrashcore is of recent vintage but dates from at least 1993.[5] The "-core"suffix is necessary to distinguish it from the thrash metal scene, which is also referred to as "thrash" by fans. Still more confusingly, the term "thrashcore" is occasionally used by themusic press to refer to thrash metal-inflectedmetalcore.[6]
Just ashardcore punk groups distinguished themselves from theirpunk rock predecessors by their greater intensity andaggression, thrashcore groups (often identified simply as "thrash") sought to play at breakneck tempos that would radicalize the innovations of hardcore. Early American thrashcore groups includedCryptic Slaughter (Santa Monica),D.R.I. (Houston), HYPE (Toronto, Canada),Septic Death (Boise, Idaho) andSiege (Weymouth, Massachusetts). The BritishElectro Hippies, the DutchLärm, the ItalianRaw Power, and the JapaneseS.O.B. also practiced important examples of the style. Some ofNegative Approach's later work was influential on the scene.
The powerviolence scene grew out of thrashcore as an American counterpart to the Britishgrindcore scene, which had emerged fromcrust punk, with bands such asSeptic Death,Infest andSiege being the first to move towards the style.[7] Powerviolence groups saw themselves as distinct from grindcore because of the increasing proximity of grindcore groups to thedeath metal being performed in Florida, Sweden, and Brazil.[8] Powerviolence groups wished to avoid the association withheavy metal music andculture thatcrossover thrash,thrash metal, and grindcore had made, while also incorporating "tempo changes with droney and sludgey down tempo parts".[7] As well as from thrashcore, powerviolence groups also took inspiration from crust punk, and eventually fromnoise music. Main groups associated with powerviolence includedNo Comment,Hellnation,Man Is The Bastard,Crossed Out,Charles Bronson,Spazz andRorschach.
Thrashcore groups such asS.O.B.,[9][10][11]Cryptic Slaughter,[12]Siege andDeep Wound[13] were major influences on early grindcore acts such asNapalm Death,Carcass andRepulsion. Grindcore is considered to be more metallic, due to its influence fromcrust punk.[7][13]
The '90s saw a revival of the thrashcore style, as groups that had previously been associated withpowerviolence orgrindcore began to explore their debt to this earlier form of extreme music such as rock and metal. This was sometimes referred to asbandana thrash, in reference to the headgear preferred by many of the performers.[14] Prominent '90s thrashcore groups included Code 13, MK-ULTRA,Guyana Punch Line,What Happens Next? andR.A.M.B.O. (from the United States),Vitamin X (from the Netherlands),Vivisick (from Japan) andVoorhees (from the UK). These groups sometimes felt a greater association with other elements of '80s hardcore punk, such asstraight edge,anarcho-punk,youth crew, orcrust punk, than most initial thrashcore groups did.