:Deathcore
{{Short description|Fusion of death metal and metalcore genres}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name = Deathcore
| image = 20170422 Oberhausen Impericon Carnifex 0046.jpg
| caption = Carnifex during a 2017 performance
| stylistic_origins = * Death metal
| cultural_origins = Late 1990s – early 2000s, North America
| other_topics = List of bands, nu metalcore, slam death metal
}}
Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore.{{cite web|url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/desolation-of-eden-mr0002871032|publisher = AllMusic|access-date = June 26, 2015|title = Desolation of Eden|last = Henderson|first = Alex|quote = Deathcore -- the type of noisy, caustic, abrasive mixture of metalcore and death metal that Chelsea Grin offer on their first full-length album, Desolation of Eden -- is bound to annoy a lot of parents, which is exactly the point."|archive-date = August 16, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180816062202/https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/desolation-of-eden-mr0002871032|url-status = live}}{{cite web|last=Rivadavia|first=Eduardo|title=Heaven Shall Burn|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p519192|work=AllMusic|publisher=Rovi Corporation|access-date=March 25, 2011|archive-date=October 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019002935/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p519192|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Henderson|first=Alex|title=Burning Skies|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/burning-skies-p671407/biography|work=AllMusic|publisher=Rovi Corporation|access-date=March 25, 2011|archive-date=January 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115044021/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/burning-skies-p671407/biography|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title = Dan Kenny of Suicide Silence Picks the Top Five Underground Death-Metal Bands|url = http://www.revolvermag.com/news/dan-kenny-of-suicide-silence-picks-his-top-five-underground-death-metal-bands.html|website = Revolver|access-date = December 11, 2015|date = October 19, 2012|last = Chichester|first = Sammi|archive-date = October 20, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121020232118/http://www.revolvermag.com/news/dan-kenny-of-suicide-silence-picks-his-top-five-underground-death-metal-bands.html|url-status = live}} The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore breakdowns.{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Cosmo|title=Doom|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/r854978|work=AllMusic|publisher=Rovi Corporation|access-date=March 25, 2011|archive-date=October 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019002935/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r854978|url-status=live}} While there are some precursors to the concept of death metal fused with metalcore and hardcore elements seen in the 1990s, deathcore itself emerged in the early 2000s and gained prominence beginning in the mid-2000s.
Some of the genre's earliest examples include Antagony, Despised Icon, and the Red Chord. Deathcore's expansion in the mid-2000s saw bands like All Shall Perish, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Bring Me the Horizon, Suicide Silence, Carnifex, Job for a Cowboy, Chelsea Grin and Whitechapel taking off. In the 2010s, deathcore bands began experimenting with an eclectic selection of other genres.
The genre is noted for its criticism from longtime fans of heavy metal music, usually for its frequent use of breakdowns, usually associated with hardcore. Some musicians classified as deathcore have rejected the label.
Characteristics
Compared to metalcore, the fulcrum of deathcore is "weight and volume".{{cite book |last1=Coles |first1=T |title=Death Metal |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |page=105 |quote=In comparison to other bands from the time, say Mastodon, Trivium or KillSwitch Engage, deathcore was focused on weight and volume."}} A fusion genre, deathcore combines death metal characteristics such as blast beats, down-tuned guitars, tremolo picking, and growled vocals with metalcore characteristics such as breakdowns.{{Citation needed|date=November 2014}} The genre is usually defined by breakdowns and death metal riffs or metalcore riffs played in the usual death metal tuning.{{cite web|url=http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=407731|title=chorus.fm|website=chorus.fm|access-date=May 6, 2017}} Like in other extreme metal fusion genres, deathcore guitarists down-tune their guitars to give their music a heavier sound. Deathcore bands may also employ guitar solos as well.{{cite web |url=http://www.deadtide.com/reviews/albums/page.php?id=4393 |title=Bring Me the Horizon, "Count Your Blessings" |publisher=Dead Tide |access-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219211758/http://www.deadtide.com/reviews/albums/page.php?id=4393 |archive-date=December 19, 2014 |url-status=usurped }}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpengine.php/templateid/13151/menuid/2/tempidx/4/link/1 |title=Bring Me The Horizon - Count Your Blessings |magazine=Blistering |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104015751/http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpengine.php/templateid/13151/menuid/2/tempidx/4/link/1 |archive-date=November 4, 2013 }}{{Cite web |url=http://punkworldviews.com/whitechapel-self-titled-album-review/ |title=Whitechapel "Self-Titled" Album Review |publisher=Punk World Reviews |date=June 15, 2012 |access-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103041004/http://punkworldviews.com/whitechapel-self-titled-album-review/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicabuse.com/2012/07/whitechapel-self-titled-album-review/ |title=Whitechapel - Self-Titled Album Review |publisher=Sonic Abuse |date=July 6, 2012 |access-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213023524/http://www.sonicabuse.com/2012/07/whitechapel-self-titled-album-review/ |archive-date=December 13, 2014 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.metalunderground.com/reviews/details.cfm?releaseid=3583 |title=Whitechapel - "A New Era of Corruption" CD Review |publisher=Metal Underground |date=June 5, 2010 |access-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-date=November 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102183745/http://www.metalunderground.com/reviews/details.cfm?releaseid=3583 |url-status=live }}
Low growls and shrieked screams are common types of vocals in deathcore.{{cite news |url=http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/carnifex-until-i-feel-nothing |title=CD Review: CARNIFEX Until I Feel Nothing |work=Metal Injection |date=October 27, 2011 |access-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703064154/http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/carnifex-until-i-feel-nothing |url-status=live }} Some other techniques that deathcore vocalists have used include what is known as pig squeals.{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/doom-mw0000787310 |title=Doom - Job for a Cowboy |website=Allmusic |access-date=January 5, 2013 |archive-date=February 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215114536/http://www.allmusic.com/album/doom-mw0000787310 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/08/26/poll-are-deathcore-vocalists-interchangeable/ |title=Poll: Are Deathcore Vocalists Interchangeable? |publisher=MetalSucks |date=January 5, 2013 |access-date=January 6, 2013 |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524034601/http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/08/26/poll-are-deathcore-vocalists-interchangeable/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://psychocydd.co.uk/details.php?id=1205fdbf4cb14ae5dec638ea9d8881dbe85e7c30 |title=Interrupting Cow - Desecration of the Universe (EP) (2012) |publisher=Psychocydd |date=November 7, 2012 |access-date=January 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221171029/http://psychocydd.co.uk/details.php?id=1205fdbf4cb14ae5dec638ea9d8881dbe85e7c30 |archive-date=February 21, 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.reviewtheworld.com/content/staff/deathcore.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216182644/http://www.reviewtheworld.com/content/staff/deathcore.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 16, 2013 |title=A Deathcore Extravaganza |publisher=Review the World |access-date=January 5, 2013 }}{{cite web|url=http://americanaftermath.net/2010/09/26/leave-the-pig-squeals-on-the-farm/ |title=Leave The Pig Squeals on The Farm |publisher=American Aftermath |date=September 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524023223/http://americanaftermath.net/2010/09/26/leave-the-pig-squeals-on-the-farm/ |archive-date=May 24, 2013 }} Sung vocals in the genre are rare and most bands seldom if ever use them, but the idea has been experimented with by a few bands such as All Shall Perish (in the song "Awaken the Dreamers") and Oceano (in the song "Incisions").{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/song_premiere_oceano_incisions|title=Song Premiere: Oceano, "Incisions" - Features - Alternative Press|website=Alternative Press|access-date=May 6, 2017|date=August 12, 2013|archive-date=July 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718085604/http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/song_premiere_oceano_incisions|url-status=live}}
Some lyrical themes common in deathcore songs include antireligion, psychological pain and body horror.{{cite book |last1=Coles |first1=T |title=Death Metal |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |page=105 |quote="Despite the aesthetic changes, deathcore bands were singing about the same things: Railing against religion in Job for a Cowboy's Reduced to More Filth, mental turmoil in Carnifex's The Diseased and the Poisoned and body horror in Suicide Silence's Eyes Sewn Shut."}}
History
=Predecessors (1990s)=
File:Suffocation Summer Breeze Open Air 2017 27.jpg]]
The term "deathcore" has had convoluted uses on-and-off in various metal/hardcore scenes far before it was considered an established or recognized genre. The earliest known use of "deathcore" as a word was by New York band N.Y.C. Mayhem, a self-description for their merger of hardcore punk and thrash metal.{{cite news |last1=Doe |first1=Bernard |title=MAYHEM (N. Y. C.) Mayhemic Destruction (1985) |url=http://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/demo-review-mayhem-nyc-mayhemic-destruction/ |access-date=July 28, 2018 |issue=12 |publisher=Metal Forces |date=1985 |archive-date=July 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728191453/http://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/demo-review-mayhem-nyc-mayhemic-destruction/ |url-status=live }} However it wasn't until 1996 that "deathcore" eventually began gaining traction to describe a musical style; Nick Terry of Terrorizer magazine that year publicized: "We're probably going to settle on the term deathcore to describe the likes of Earth Crisis (as well as the more NYHC-ish but still as deathly Merauder)."Terry, Nick (December 1996). "So, Did Earth Crisis Move You?". Terrorizer #37, page 23. {{issn|1350-6978}}. Embrace the Eternal (1998) by Embodyment, Yesterday Is Time Killed (1999) by Eighteen Visions, and Rain in Endless Fall (1999) by Prayer for Cleansing are early examples of albums that feature a metalcore sound combined with death metal influences,{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/rain-in-endless-fall-2003-mw0000692737|title=Rain in Endless Fall (2003 reissue) - Prayer for Cleansing
The Belgian H8000 music scene was also influential to the development of the sound, with bands like Deformity, and Liar helping to pioneer a prototype for the genre in the late-1990s and early-2000s.{{cite AV media |people=Hans Verbeke |date=2019 |title=H8000 Documentary — Anger & Distortion; 1989 - 1999 |language=nl}} When writing about deathcore pioneers Despised Icon, Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer wrote: "blending death metal with hardcore was by no means a new thing when Despised Icon emerged."{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/a-matter-of-life-and-deathcore-how-metal-s-most-maligned-genre-has-survived |title=The rise and rise of deathcore: that genre that refuses to die |work=Metal Hammer |last=Lawson |first=Dom |date=August 15, 2016 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102021628/https://www.loudersound.com/features/a-matter-of-life-and-deathcore-how-metal-s-most-maligned-genre-has-survived |url-status=live }} Suffocation bassist Derek Boyer says Suffocation "were influenced by many early metal and hardcore bands". Death metal bands like Dying Fetus, Suffocation, and Internal Bleeding were influential on deathcore due to their use of "crushing, mid-paced grooves and breakdowns", according to Lawson.
File:20160422 Oberhausen Impericon Festival Despised Icon 0085.jpg
=Origins (early to mid-2000s)=
Despite a few earlier metalcore/death metal hybridizations, Antagony{{Cite web |url=http://www.metalinjection.net/video/watch-dawn-of-deathcore-the-story-of-antagony-for-maximum-deathcore-history |title=Metal Injection - Watch Dawn of Deathcore: The Story of Antagony For Maximum Deathcore History! |date=August 2017 |access-date=February 21, 2019 |archive-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220062950/http://www.metalinjection.net/video/watch-dawn-of-deathcore-the-story-of-antagony-for-maximum-deathcore-history |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.nocleansinging.com/2013/01/28/antagony-why-you-need-to-know-this-band/|title=NO CLEAN SINGING » ANTAGONY – Why you need to know this band…|access-date=May 6, 2017|date=January 28, 2013|archive-date=May 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522055224/http://www.nocleansinging.com/2013/01/28/antagony-why-you-need-to-know-this-band/|url-status=live}} and Despised Icon are considered to be the true pioneers of deathcore,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.decibelmagazine.com/magazine/baroness-61-nov-2009/despised-icon/ |title=Despised Icon |magazine=Decibel |date=November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060904/http://www.decibelmagazine.com/magazine/baroness-61-nov-2009/despised-icon/ |archive-date=October 23, 2013 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=97517/ |title=Despised Icon: New Video Interview Available |work=Blabbermouth |date=May 22, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} however both bands have rejected the label.{{cite web |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/7qvech/despised-icon-despise-deathcore-plus-himsa-dekapitator-more-news-that-rules-in-metal-file |title=Despised Icon Despised 'Deathcore' |publisher=MTV |date=June 8, 2007 |access-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021064852/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1561995/metal-file-despised-icon-himsa-dekapitator-amp-more.jhtml |url-status=dead }} Antagony founder and frontman Nick Vasallo is credited as being the "father of deathcore" due to his work in the band.{{Citation|last=RiffShop|title=Meet The Father of DEATHCORE! {{!}} Riffcast - The Songwriting Podcast #1|date=March 1, 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl0tWKLjRcQ|access-date=March 3, 2017|archive-date=April 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406063853/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl0tWKLjRcQ|url-status=live}} The Red Chord is referenced as an early influential source for the genre due to their hybridization of metalcore and death metal sounds (among other genres).{{Cite web |url=https://www.metalblade.com/us/artists/the-red-chord/ |title=Metal Blade artists |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102021626/https://www.metalblade.com/us/artists/the-red-chord/ |url-status=live }} New Hampshire band Deadwater Drowning and Californian group All Shall Perish are also seen as notable early entries of the genre. Deadwater Drowning's 2003 EP was remarked as "basically the blueprint for every current deathcore band out today,"{{cite web |url=http://www.metalinjection.net/av/monday-wake-up-call/deadwater-drowning-heavy-fuck |title=Deadwater Drowning are heavy as fuck! |date=March 30, 2009 |work=MetalInjection.com |publisher=Metal Injection LLC |access-date=May 22, 2010 |archive-date=December 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230161625/http://www.metalinjection.net/av/monday-wake-up-call/deadwater-drowning-heavy-fuck |url-status=live }} while All Shall Perish's debut album Hate, Malice, Revenge (2003) "never got tied down to [simply] death metal or metalcore."{{cite web |title=HATE.MALICE.REVENGE ALL SHALL PERISH |url=https://www.nuclearblast.com/en/music/band/discography/details/75608.71027.hate-malice-revenge.html |website=Nuclear Blast |quote=ALL SHALL PERISH never got tied down to death metal or metalcore, they simply have become metal that breaks down genres and gets EVERYONE moving. |access-date=June 26, 2020 |archive-date=June 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626121548/https://www.nuclearblast.com/en/music/band/discography/details/75608.71027.hate-malice-revenge.html |url-status=live }} Music journalist T Coles said, "in a similar fashion to their grindcore ancestors, cultural barriers melted away as kids with earnest interests in various heavy sounds melded ideas together [...] they were earnestly trying to be as ruthlessly heavy as possible, taking elements from everything they liked and pushing them as hard as they could, just as bands [in the 1990s], and a decade before that, had done."{{cite book |last1=Coles |first1=T |title=Death Metal |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |pages=104–105}}
In the mid 2000s, deathcore spiked in popularity shortly after Job for a Cowboy released their EP Doom in 2005, which is heavily credited as one of deathcore's most significant and influential releases for the genre.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=doom-mw0000787310|pure_url=yes}}|title=Doom > Review|last=Lee|first=Cosmo|publisher=Allmusic|access-date=October 24, 2008}} The genre saw an increase in popularity even further when English band Bring Me the Horizon released their deathcore debut full-length Count Your Blessings in 2006. The band were presented the 2006 Kerrang! Award for "Best British Newcomer" shortly after the album's release,{{cite web|url=http://kerrang.typepad.com/kerrang_awards_2006_blog/2006/08/best_british_ne.html|title=Kerrang! Awards 2006 Blog: Best British Newcomer|access-date=January 6, 2013|archive-date=April 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410223246/http://kerrang.typepad.com/kerrang_awards_2006_blog/2006/08/best_british_ne.html|url-status=live}} however the band abandoned the deathcore genre soon thereafter.{{cite web|url=http://drownedinsound.com/directory/artists/Bring_Me_The_Horizon |title=Bring Me The Horizon // Drowned In Sound |work=Drowned in Sound |access-date=March 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054215/http://drownedinsound.com/directory/artists/Bring_Me_The_Horizon |archive-date=September 21, 2013 }}
=Expansion (late 2000s and 2010s)=
Image:Suicide Silence @ Arena Joondalup (12 12 2010) (5273245862).jpg of Suicide Silence]]
In the mid-to-late 2000s, many deathcore groups began to embrace elements of nu metal, with Whitechapel and Suicide Silence making use of a "heavier and more groove-driven sound than their predecessors and increasingly bordered nu-metal",{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Ethan |date=31 August 2021 |title=SLIPKNOT TRANSFORMED MODERN METAL WITH 'IOWA' 20 YEARS AGO |url=https://www.popmatters.com/slipknot-iowa-album-atr20 |access-date=7 September 2021 |website=PopMatters}} and Emmure, Winds of Plague and the Acacia Strain embracing its urban, black aesthetics.{{cite web |last1=McKenty |first1=Finn |title=What is UR Favorite Classic Nu-Metal Band?? |url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2010/09/29/what-is-ur-favorite-classic-nu-metal-band/ |website=MetalSucks |date=September 29, 2010 |access-date=7 September 2024}} As early as 2011, publications including MetalSucks 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 and Gorelord.{{cite web|author-link=Finn McKenty |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/10/24/is-nu-dethcore-the-next-big-thing-bouncewitme/ |title=Is Nu-Dethcore The Next Big Thing?|publisher=MetalSucks |date= October 24, 2011|accessdate=June 27, 2014}} 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".{{cite web |last1=NEILSTEIN |first1=VINCE |title=APPARENTLY DIR EN GREY PLAY NU-DEATHCORE NOW |date=July 5, 2011 |url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2011/07/05/apparently-dir-en-grey-play-nu-deathcore-now/ |access-date=10 September 2024}} Suicide Silence's No Time to Bleed (2009) peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200, number 12 on the Rock Albums Chart and number 6 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart,{{cite magazine|title=Suicide Silence Album & Songs Chart History|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=suicide silence|chart=all}}|magazine=Billdboard|publisher=Billboard.com|access-date=January 5, 2013}} while their album The Black Crown peaked at number 28 on the Billboard 200, number 7 on the Rock Albums Chart and number 3 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart. Whitechapel's album This Is Exile sold 5,900 in copies, which made it enter the Billboard 200 chart at position 118.{{cite news |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=100980 |title=Whitechapel's This Is Exile Lands on Billboard Chart |date=July 16, 2008 |work=Blabbermouth |access-date=January 5, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803031857/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=100980 |archive-date=August 3, 2008 }} Their self-titled album peaked at number 65 on the Canadian Albums Chart{{cite web |url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20041226005640/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=December 26, 2004 |title=Albums Charts |access-date=January 5, 2013 }} and also at number 47 on the Billboard 200.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/whitechapel/chart-history/778140 |title=Whitechapel's Chart History |magazine=Billboard.com |access-date=January 5, 2013 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Their third album A New Era of Corruption sold about 10,600 copies in the United States in its first week of being released and peaked at position number 43 on the Billboard 200 chart.{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/page-not-found|title=Roadrunner Records Page Not Found|website=Roadrunner Records Official Website|access-date=May 6, 2017|archive-date=May 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526052254/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/page-not-found|url-status=dead}}
San Diego natives Carnifex witnessed success with their first album Dead in My Arms (2007), selling 5,000 copies with little publicity. On top of their non-stop touring, the band's methodical songwriting resulted in Carnifex quickly getting signed to label Victory Records.{{cite web|url=http://www.massconcerts.com/event/83083-all-in-merch-14th-annual-new-worcester/|title=Event – MassConcerts|website=www.massconcerts.com|access-date=May 6, 2017|archive-date=July 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731161929/https://www.massconcerts.com/event/83083-all-in-merch-14th-annual-new-worcester/|url-status=live}} Australian deathcore band Thy Art Is Murder debuted at number 35 on the ARIA Charts with their album Hate (2012),{{cite web |author=Steffen Hung |url=http://australian-charts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a&year=2012&date=20121104 |title=Australian charts portal |publisher=Australian-charts.com |date=April 13, 2015 |access-date=April 17, 2015 |archive-date=November 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106181405/http://australian-charts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a&year=2012&date=20121104 |url-status=live }} making them the first extreme metal band to ever reach the Top 40 of this chart.{{cite web |last=Eliezer |first=Christie |url=http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-news/industry/2012/10/31/thy-art-is-murder-break-aria-record/ |title=Thy Art Is Murder break ARIA record - Music Industry - The Music Network |access-date=July 27, 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926071241/http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-news/industry/2012/10/31/thy-art-is-murder-break-aria-record/ |archive-date=September 26, 2013 }}
In the 2020s, deathcore experienced a resurgence in popularity—especially on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, with bands like Fit for an Autopsy, Ingested, Paleface Swiss and AngelMaker bringing somewhat of a revived recognition to the genre. Lorna Shore, in particular, went viral with their 2021 song "To the Hellfire".{{cite web|title=Lorna Shore and the Deathcore Resurgence|url=https://metalinjection.net/news/fit-for-an-autopsys-pat-sheridan-discusses-deathcores-resurgence-lorna-shores-role-in-it|website=Metal Injection|access-date=February 24, 2025}}{{cite web |last1=ENIS |first1=ELI |title=HOW LORNA SHORE BEAT THE ODDS TO BECOME THE NEW FACES OF DEATHCORE |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/how-lorna-shore-beat-odds-become-new-faces-deathcore |website=Revolver |access-date=16 May 2023}} Recent bands introduced more symphonic and progressive elements to the genre while maintaining its tradtional heaviness.{{cite web|title=The Deathcore Resurgence: How Modern Bands Are Evolving the Genre|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-rise-of-modern-deathcore|website=Kerrang!|access-date=February 24, 2025}} Russian deathcore group Slaughter to Prevail reportedly reached over 3.5 million streams on music services for their song "Hell" (2015); the band also performed a line of sold-out shows in China, which made the group the only foreign metal band to perform a sold-out concert in the country in all of 2020.[https://thenewfury.com/slaughter-to-prevail-unleashes-aptly-titled-new-song-demolisher/ Slaughter to Prevail unleashed aptly titled new song] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802013536/http://thenewfury.com/slaughter-to-prevail-unleashes-aptly-titled-new-song-demolisher/|date=August 2, 2020}} The New Fury[http://www.insaneblog.net/2020/05/slaughter-to-prevail-watch-full-show.html SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL - Sold Out Show in Shanghai, China]
Fusion with other genres
A variety of deathcore bands experimented with other genres into their music as influence and time progressed. Emmure has been credited to be heavily influenced by nu metal{{cite web |url=http://www.metalinsider.net/guest-blog/guest-insider-mike-gitter-reviews-emmures-felony |title=Guest Insider: Mike Gitter Reviews Emmure's 'Felony' |publisher=Metal Insider |date=September 10, 2009 |access-date=October 3, 2012 |archive-date=June 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617142735/http://www.metalinsider.net/guest-blog/guest-insider-mike-gitter-reviews-emmures-felony |url-status=live }} and was described as "the new Limp Bizkit".{{cite web |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/08/27/further-proof-that-emmure-are-the-new-limp-bizkit/ |title=FURTHER MORE PROOF THAT EMMURE ARE THE NEW LIMP BIZKIT |publisher=MetalSucks |date=August 27, 2012 |access-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-date=May 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523170924/http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/08/27/further-proof-that-emmure-are-the-new-limp-bizkit/ |url-status=live }} Suicide Silence's 2011 album The Black Crown is a deathcore album with some nu metal influences.{{cite web |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/10/24/is-nu-dethcore-the-next-big-thing-bouncewitme/ |title=IS NU-DETHCORE THE NEXT BIG THING???? #bouncewitme |publisher=MetalSucks |author=Sergeant D |date=October 24, 2011 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=April 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407180039/https://www.metalsucks.net/2011/10/24/is-nu-dethcore-the-next-big-thing-bouncewitme/ |url-status=live }} Other examples of nu metal-inspired deathcore bands include Here Comes the Kraken's later material. The early 2010s saw bands fusing the genre with influences from djent and progressive metal, which began to achieve underground popularity. Examples of the aforementioned include Veil of Maya,{{cite web |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/veil_of_maya_announce_first_album_with_new_singer_share_video |title=Veil of Maya Announce First Album with New Singer, Share Video |work=Exclaim! |last=Zorgdrager |first=Bradley |date=March 23, 2015 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102021627/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/veil_of_maya_announce_first_album_with_new_singer_share_video |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/id-mw0001968166 |title=[Id] - Veil of Maya |publisher=AllMusic |last=Heaney |first=Gregory |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102021624/https://www.allmusic.com/album/id-mw0001968166 |url-status=live }} Born of Osiris,{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/born-of-osiris-mn0000722448/biography |title=Born of Osiris {{!}} Biography & History |publisher=AllMusic |last=Jurek |first=Thom |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102021623/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/born-of-osiris-mn0000722448/biography |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://loudwire.com/born-of-osiris-free-fall-exclusive-song-premiere/ |title=Born of Osiris, 'Free Fall' - Exclusive Song Premiere |last=DiVita |first=Joe |website=Loudwire |date=October 8, 2015 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102021623/https://loudwire.com/born-of-osiris-free-fall-exclusive-song-premiere/ |url-status=live }} and After the Burial.{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/after-the-burial-dig-deep |title=After the Burial: Dig Deep |work=Metal Hammer |last=Morton |first=Luke |date=March 1, 2016 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102021627/https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/after-the-burial-dig-deep |url-status=live }} Some bands, such as Make Them Suffer and Winds of Plague, mix deathcore with symphonic/classical elements.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/winds-of-plague-mn0000667554/biography |title=Winds of Plague - Biography & History : AllMusic |last=True |first=Chris |work=AllMusic |access-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209103226/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/winds-of-plague-mn0000667554/biography |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.impericon-mag.com/de/make-them-suffer-mozart-trifft-deathcore-3003|title=Make Them Suffer – Mozart Trifft Deathcore|author=Marcel|publisher=Impericon|date=March 13, 2015|access-date=March 17, 2017|language=de|archive-date=March 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315175353/http://www.impericon-mag.com/de/make-them-suffer-mozart-trifft-deathcore-3003/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.metalinjection.net/video/make-them-suffers-new-song-ether-is-pretty-damn-catchy|title=MAKE THEM SUFFER's New Song "Ether" Is Pretty Damn Catchy - Metal Injection|newspaper=Metal Injection|language=en-US|access-date=January 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202005430/http://www.metalinjection.net/video/make-them-suffers-new-song-ether-is-pretty-damn-catchy|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}} French band Betraying the Martyrs has been described as "[the] punishing brutality of deathcore with melodic flourishes pulled from symphonic and progressive metal, giving it a theatricality that feels distinctly European."{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/betraying-the-martyrs-mn0002437936/biography |title=Betraying the Martyrs - Biography & History : AllMusic |last=Heaney |first=Gregory |work=AllMusic |access-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209103148/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/betraying-the-martyrs-mn0002437936/biography |url-status=live }}
Criticism
Deathcore has been criticized, especially by longtime fans of other heavy metal subgenres, often because of its fusion of death metal with metalcore and use of breakdowns.{{cite web |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/05/16/why-do-metal-nerds-like-these-deathcore-bands/ |title=Why Do Metal Nerds Like All These Deathcore Bands???? |publisher=Sergeant D from MetalSucks |date=May 16, 2012 |quote=I like this band OK, but I think it's really funny how when they first came out everybody was like "WTF this band sucks they are posers/not real death metal!!!" Then they put out their second album, which was basically generic late-90s death metal like any of the 8962323 jillion bands who ripped off Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation at the time, and then everybody was all "I guess they are OK this record is pretty sweet." |access-date=January 6, 2013 |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524032433/http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/05/16/why-do-metal-nerds-like-these-deathcore-bands/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.daviddawson.com.au/music/deathcore-and-how-hard-it-is-to-find-good-bands/ |title=Deathcore... and how hard it is to find good bands??? |publisher=David Dawson |date=October 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419185908/http://www.daviddawson.com.au/music/deathcore-and-how-hard-it-is-to-find-good-bands/ |archive-date=April 19, 2013 }} Music journalist T Coles observed, "Whilst kids were eating this up, the old guard saw it as a further death blow. The established traditions were being tinkered with, old rules were being broken, and, having already lost out to Slipknot, it was now seeing its ideas taken and warped by a younger generation that was reaping the financial benefits."{{cite book |last1=Coles |first1=T |title=Death Metal |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |pages=106–107}} They also state that an oversaturation of artists within the scene during the 2010s "[homogenized]" the genre.{{cite book |last1=Coles |first1=T |title=Death Metal |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |page=109 |quote="As history could have forseen, deathcore's rapid growth could not be sustained forever. By the beginning of the 2010s, the genre had swollen drastically, homogenizing the sound."}}
In addition to this, members of certain deathcore bands do not take a liking to being labeled "deathcore". In an interview with vocalist Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain about the deathcore label, he said "Deathcore is the new nu-metal. [...] It sucks. And if anyone calls us 'deathcore' then I might do something very bad to them."{{cite web |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2008/12/30/exclusive-interview-with-the-acacia-strains-vincent-benett/ |title=Exclusive Interview with The Acacia Strain's Vincent Bennett |last=Bee Roth |first=David |publisher=MetalSucks |date=December 30, 2008 |access-date=August 7, 2011 |archive-date=May 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519154552/http://www.metalsucks.net/2008/12/30/exclusive-interview-with-the-acacia-strains-vincent-benett/ |url-status=live }} While in an interview with Justin Longshore from Through the Eyes of the Dead about the deathcore label, he said, "You know, I really hate that term. I know we've been labeled as that but I think there's so much more to our music than just a mixture of death metal and hardcore ({{sic}}) even though we incorporate those elements in our music. To me it seems that is just the new and fresh thing that kids are following."{{cite web|url=http://www.decoymusic.com/blog_posts/201 |title=Justin Longshore (Through the Eyes of the Dead) |publisher=Decoymusic |date=March 25, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521231441/http://www.decoymusic.com/blog_posts/201 |archive-date=May 21, 2013 }}
In November 2013, Terrorizer wrote, "The term 'deathcore' is usually seen as a dirty word in metal circles" while interviewing vocalist Bryce Lucien of the Texas-based metal band Seeker. Lucien then stated:{{cite web|url=http://www.terrorizer.com/news/features-2/seekers-bryce-lucien-term-deathcore|title=Seeker's Bryce Lucien On The Term 'Deathcore'|date=November 4, 2013|access-date=May 6, 2017|archive-date=September 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924075235/http://www.terrorizer.com/news/features-2/seekers-bryce-lucien-term-deathcore/|url-status=live}}
{{blockquote|Much like what became of metalcore in the mid-2000s, deathcore is an often maligned term that can instantly diminish a bands credibility. What once conjured images of ridiculously brutal, unapologetically heavy bands like Ion Dissonance and The Red Chord now brings to mind bands full of twenty-year-olds sporting throat tattoos, matching black T-shirts, and trying desperately hard to look tough while they jump in sync onstage. }}
In contrast, some bands appear to be more lighthearted and less concerned over being described as deathcore. Scott Lewis of the San Diego–based deathcore band Carnifex stated, "We're not one of those bands trying to escape the banner of deathcore. I know a lot of bands try and act like they have a big problem with that, but if you listen to their music, they are very 'deathcore.' I know that there is a lot of resentment towards deathcore and kind of younger bands."{{cite web |url=http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/03/16/carnifex-deathcore-tag/ |title=Carnifex Vocalist Doesn't Fear the Deathcore Tag |website=Noisecreep |date=March 16, 2010 |access-date=January 28, 2014 |archive-date=April 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409215338/http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/03/16/carnifex-deathcore-tag/ |url-status=live }} In a 2012 interview, former Chelsea Grin guitarist Jake Harmond said, "Everyone likes to flap their jaw and voice their own opinion how 'embarrassing' it is to be in a band that can be labeled 'deathcore,' but honestly we have never given a fuck".{{cite web |url=http://lambgoat.com/features/interviews/151/Chelsea-Grin-interview |title=Chelsea Grin interview |publisher=Lambgoat |date=January 7, 2012 |access-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222211240/http://lambgoat.com/features/interviews/151/Chelsea-Grin-interview |url-status=live }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Extreme metal}}
{{Hardcorepunk}}
{{Heavy metal music}}