Metalcore is a musical subgenre that blends metal and hardcore punk. It fundamentally differs from earlier hybrids like cross-over and grindcore, which also incorporate the styles above.
The genre traces its roots back to the cross-over genre of the late 1980s with bands such as S.O.D., D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Excel, The Accüsed, Crumbsuckers, Wasted Youth, and others. Dutch pioneers include Disabuse and Cry of Terror.
In the 1990s, the genre, especially the second generation of bands, was characterized by a more aggressive hardcore sound, and the sometimes playful and loose element of the 1980s cross-over faded away. The sound became tighter and, in jargon, ‘heavier’. The genre lost popularity within the metal world, which was now dominated by death metal, doom metal, a resurgence of old school hardcore, the emerging black metal, and was suffering from the rise of subdued grunge.
With bands like the New York-based Merauder, who released the album “Master Killer” in 1995, the genre was ‘reinvented’, this time by combining metal with the sound of the old-school hardcore revival that emerged in the early 1990s. Later bands like Morning Again and All Out War followed suit. In 1995-1996, the movement gained momentum in Western Europe with bands like Liar, Congress, Arkangel, Length of Time, Crawlspace, Stamping Ground, and Born from Pain. This style was also referred to as new school hardcore at the time.
After the turn of the century, the style became increasingly combined with other styles of metal, mainly thrash metal, melodic death metal, and heavy metal. With this third generation, the term metalcore gained popularity, and a clear distinction was made between the cross-over of the 1980s and the ‘newer’ metalcore. This genre emerged as one of the most significant metal and hardcore movements in the United States from 2004 onwards. This popular movement is also known as the new wave of American heavy metal (NWOAHM). This is mainly due to the great success of Ozzfest, which introduced many bands to the mainstream metal audience. Its popularity is growing in Europe, particularly in German-speaking countries, Belgium, and Scandinavia.
