I Love/Hate Deathcore
May 3, 2009 by Scott
I have this love/hate relationship with the deathcore genre. On one hand I really like some of the bands in the mix and on the other I really hate the genre all together.
The problem is that there are so many deathcore bands out there and it’s become so trendy and I feel that a lot of the bands out there doing it are doing it for the sheer popularity of it. That and perhaps it’s easy. Some are so simplified that they are more hardcore in the metal sense that their music isn’t really all that technical and the only thing that holds it in the “death” genre of it all is the lyrics and vocals.
I think a lot of bands are mistakenly thrown in to the genre and there are others that are extremely technical that deserve more credit that they get because they are thrown in to the deathcore cesspool.
There are the bands that over-do the breakdowns and other bands that their songs sound like one big run on sentence. There are the ones that try to be too technical with their lead rhythms and it takes away from the rhythm and makes the music stale. It’s nice when I find a deathcore band that has found the comfortable medium of these two problems and can make it all flow.
See, Deathcore is like the new Nu-Metal. It’s hated by many and loved by many more. Some people want to listen but are ashamed or afraid that their metal reputation will be tainted if they admit to liking a deathcore band. Like most bastard genres, it started out small and then multiplied like rabbits when it started to become popular.
So as I said. It’s really a love hate thing going on here, just like nu-metal was. There were some really cool bands that you liked but you didn’t like the genre as a whole because it was being ruined by so many wanna-be’s. I think over time it will phase itself down to the bands that really matter and the rest will just be myspace bands again, wondering what the hell happened as they return to their day jobs. If they have fun doing it and put their heart in to it while it lasts, then good for them. If they’re just out there because they think it’s the cool thing to do then they deserve to be forgotten.
(Image: ©MetalMartyr.com)
I feel the same way about metalcore/deathcore. I really haven’t heard much deathcore, but bands like Through the Eyes of the Dead, The Red Chord, and Despised Icon are all quality bands who should not be dismissed simply because they play a trendy genre.
One thing I have noticed about metalcore is that a lot of the bands have been dropping most of the “core” influences, such as Trivium, Shadows Fall, God Forbid, and Lamb of God. These bands can’t really be considered metalcore anymore. I would guess the deathcore bands that are going to survive the collapse of the genre will adapt similarly.
Well, I might agree, at least about how decent bands are too often relegated to this so-called genre. However, you said that there are many ‘good’ deathcore bands that you feel don’t get the recognition they deserve. Could you possibly name one? I am actually interested to learn of one… \m/ x x \m/
There’s a few other deathcore bands, other than the ones shadowking86 mentioned, that i kind of enjoy too, like All Shall Perish, Maroon, Heaven Shall Burn, Neaera, Bring me The Horizon and few other ones, but as far the music most of it is not really bad music, it’s just the most of the bands sound so similar to each other.
I totally agree with the love/hate thing. I hate being classified as “not metal” by my peers because i enjoy a few bands in this genre. But there definately are way to many bands that are similar and most people end up having a very biased opinion and it pisses me off because they don’t have a clue what they are missing. Im glad I came across your blog. I am doing a media studies assignment on blogging and this will help a great deal. But back on topic. Some of the great bands in the genre in my opinion are Carnifex, Suicide Silence, and Thy Art Is Murder. But other than that I get totally sick of most other bands. Deathcore is an easy genre to love/hate like you say. Any other opinions of people? Good bands and bad bands?
The Faceless get tossed in to the Deathcore genre and they are absolutely awesome. Born Of Osiris are ok, but not my favorite.
I have plenty of opinions on people, but I’m trying to be a lot less negative and cynical than I was before.
I know the “deathcore” genre is now over used, abused, and heavily marketed by places such as Hot Topic. I’m a huge fan of metal; however, all my guilty pleasure bands fall into this category of deathcore. The faceless put out an awesome record Planetary Duality. I’ve seen Suicide Silence three times live and I tip my hat off for those guys. Despite the fact they are popular among scene kids they can actually shred with the best plus its accompanied by devastating vocals. Noteworthy bands would have to be After the Burial, Born of Osiris, All Shall Perish, and Bring Me the Horizon(only Count your Blessings).
I agree with your article. Deathcore seems to get tossed around a lot, strictly by teenage scene kids that listen to it just because they’ll be considered “cool” or “popular” amongst their scenester friends. Music, in general, shouldn’t be treated like this. You either listen to it because you enjoy it or you don’t listen to it at all. I was into the love/hate phase of deathcore for a long time. I finally got tired of it after a while. Bands like Suicide Silence, Carnifex, Emmure, and Whitechapel, all sound the same. Same boring vocals, chugging breakdowns, palm-muted riffs, tremolo picks, and bree bree’s. I honestly thought it was the nu-metal, as I still do to this day. However, after searching down under the genre further and finding newer bands that are being added to the genre (Whisteria Cottage, Misericordiam, Trigger The Bloodshed, Veil Of Maya, Molotov Solution, Here Comes The Kraken), the future for deathcore is starting to look bright. Technicality and improved song structures are a few things that those bands have to offer. They change it up. Yeah, they have breakdowns, so what? At least they aren’t Bring Me The Horizon. Breakdown after breakdown. And I respect that. Hopefully the future will be enlightened by the newer, more technical bands that are added to the deathcore genre.
And btw, The Faceless is Technical Death Metal. Bullshit that they’re labeled as Technical Deathcore or Deathcore or whatever.
I looove deatchore and I haaate bad deathcore, I listen to carnifex, faceless, bleed from within, bring me the horizon, Veil of maya, all shall perish, some winds of plague, Fallen figure, salt the wound, between the buried and me but they are like everyting core with breakdowns
Brenden, I consider The Faceless as Tech Death metal too, but they do get thrown in the the deathcore mix whether you like it or not. For example, look at the comment above me.
Deathcore and metalcore are not mental, not only due to their repetitious breakdowns, whinny vocals, and because they all dress like faggots, they do not have the metal ideology.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE DEATHCORE!!! Fuck any piece of shit who tells you that you are “unmetal” for liking deathcore… If anything they are “unmetal” for not opening their ears and their minds from commercial metal… Sounds like someone needs to get their head out of their ass and listen to some real music.;-)
THE FACELESS ARE NOT DEATHCORE. If someone can name a single attribute of deathcore in their music I would be suprised. No “core” breakdowns, no Bree-bree’s, no boring pal mutes, no “br00tal” chugging… Its a fucking joke. However, as far as GOOD Deathcore go… I would have to tip my hat to: The Crimson Armada, Veil Of Maya, As Winter Burns White, Hiroshima Will Burn (Though they border Tech-Death, they use very core breakdowns that would at least affilate them within the genre), The End Of All Reason…
Nice blog though ^_^