Melodic hardcore

Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore pioneers Bad Religion formed in 1980 in California.
Other names	Melodic punk
Stylistic origins	Hardcore punk
Cultural origins	Early 1980s, California and Washington, D.C., United States
Derivative forms	Skate punk trallpunk
Local scenes
Boston Chicago Los Angeles Washington, D.C.
Other topics
List of melodic hardcore bands emo metalcore pop punk post-hardcore melodic metalcore

Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and screaming. Nevertheless, the genre has been very diverse, with different bands showcasing very different styles. Many pioneering melodic hardcore bands (such as Bad Religion and Descendents), have proven influential across the spectrum of punk rock, as well as rock music more generally.

Melodic hardcore is broadly defined, however generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and screaming. Many notable bands, such as Dag Nasty and Lifetime use minor interval chords on guitar, such as minor ninth and seventh chords, as well as fifth or ninth harmonies on vocals. Many groups also drop tune their instruments. Tempos commonly range from 180 to 210 beats per minute, with very few bands ranging outside of a 4/4 time signature.

Many modern melodic hardcore bands are incorporating elements of melodic hardcore and emo, relying more heavily upon melody than their hardcore punk predecessors.^[1][2] There are also bands that take influence from post-hardcore and melodic metalcore.^[3][4]

The earliest melodic hardcore emerged from the Californian hardcore punk scene by the early 1980s. This includes Descendents, who formed in 1978. Their earliest work was simple, pop-influenced punk rock, but they went on to mix this melodic approach with hardcore, inspiring both melodic hardcore and pop punk groups.^[5] Bad Religion, who formed in Los Angeles in 1979, played in a somewhat similar vein, but their approach was more "angry" and politically charged.^[6] They recorded their debut album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, in 1981.^[7]

The Faith's 1983 EP Subject to Change is thought of as one of the first melodic hardcore records, as significant as the music of Bad Religion or the Descendents.^[8] On the release, the band added and moved away from the more straightforward hardcore punk of their earlier work towards a more complex, textured, and melodic sound, accompanied by introspective lyrics; the release is notable for its influence on post-hardcore.^[9]

Dag Nasty are a key melodic hardcore band^[10] that formed during the mid-1980s as part of the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, with Brian Baker (ex-Minor Threat) on guitar. In 1988, the band All formed, featuring three members of The Descendents. The band made music in a broadly similar vein to the Descendents, and were initially fronted by Dave Smalley of Dag Nasty.^[7] Gorilla Biscuits came out of the late 1980s New York hardcore scene, and played a melodic form of the hardcore subgenre known as youth crew. Youth crew itself takes a lot of influence from 7 Seconds, who ventured into melodic hardcore on albums such as The Crew. Turning Point, a New Jersey hardcore band, also emerged from the youth crew movement, but their later material moved towards melodic hardcore, with more complex music and introspective lyrics.^[11]

In 1994, H₂O formed, mixing melodic elements of Washington D.C., with New York and California hardcore punk. Lifetime was a notable emo group whose sound drew heavily on pop punk and melodic hardcore.^[12] Along with other melodic hardcore groups, they had much influence on subsequent pop punk, including bands such as Fall Out Boy and Saves the Day.^[13][14] When Lifetime broke up, some of their members formed Kid Dynamite.^[15] During the 1990s, the "Epi-Fat" sound (a variant of skate punk named after the labels that housed its key bands, Epitaph Records and Fat Wreck Chords) was popular, and key bands such as NOFX, Pennywise and Strung Out bordered on melodic hardcore influenced by the likes of Descendents and Bad Religion.^{[16][17][18][19]}

The mainstream success of pop-punk in the 2000s led to an increase in commercial success of other melodic styles of punk, including melodic hardcore. This was prominent with Chicago band Rise Against, who formed in 1999, and achieved significant mainstream radio play and MTV coverage, with the release of their major label debut Siren Song of the Counter Culture (2004). Additional bands in the genre to benefit from this were Strike Anywhere, Kid Dynamite, the Movielife and the Suicide Machines.^[20]

With their 2001 debut album Background Music, Boston hardcore band American Nightmare pioneered a new style of melodic hardcore, which callbacked to the 1980s punk-based style of hardcore, while also embracing the influence of the dark lyrics of gothic rock.^[21] American Nightmare's influence was apparent promptly leading to a wave bands including Ceremony, Ruiner, Modern Life Is War, the Hope Conspiracy and Killing the Dream.^[22][23] A reaction against American Nightmare's negative melodic hardcore sound soon took place, beginning with Mental, who were quickly followed by Have Heart.^[24] Have Heart's success led to the rise in popularity of other positive hardcore groups like Champion, Verse and Sinking Ships.^[25][26] Other prominent groups playing these styles included the Carrier, Ruiner, This Is Hell and Comeback Kid, many of which are housed by key hardcore labels Bridge 9 Records and Deathwish Inc.^[10] In western Australia, this sound become one of its most commercially successful exports, with Break Even and Mile Away.^[27]

Between 2005 and 2009, groups including Defeater, Touché Amoré and Being as an Ocean morphed Bridge Nine and Deathwish's melodic hardcore style into what Alternative Press writer Brian Kraus termed "melodic, emotional hardcore".^[10] By the 2010s this sound evolved into the experiment movement the Wave. Typified by emotional lyrics, concept albums and the revival of elements of 1990s emo, screamo and post-hardcore, the movement was originally fronted by Touché Amoré, Defeater, La Dispute, Pianos Become the Teeth and Make Do and Mend. As the movement continued into the 2010s, it also came to be embraced by Tigers Jaw, Title Fight, Balance And Composure and State Faults.^[28][21]

In the late 2000s, a wave of groups cross-pollinating the influence of melodic hardcore, like Killing the Dream, and metalcore bands like Shai Hulud and Misery Signals began to gain traction. This wave often made use of serious, solemn lyrics and sometimes clean vocals in addition to the commonplace screams. Music commentators including Stuff You Will Hate, Alternative Press and Bradley Zorgdrager of Exclaim! used the name "serious hardcore" or "srscore" to refer to this style.^[29][30] Groups in this wave included Hundredth, the Ghost Inside, Counterparts^[30] and Stick to Your Guns.^[31]

Through the 2010s, the melodic, emotional hardcore style grew an underground following in Wales, fronted by Casey and Holding Absence.^[32] By the time of Casey's 2023 reunion shows, they had entered a level of cult status which Noizze writer Ethan Young stated made them "one of the most notable melodic hardcore groups of the decade".^[33] Australia too developed a prominent scene in the genre, with Vacant Home and Ambleside gaining some international success.^[34][35] At this time, the YouTube channel Dreambound was one of the most prominent sources for finding bands, uploading music videos for many prominent bands.^[36]

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, some underground hardcore bands to revive the sound of 2000s Bridge 9 melodic hardcore bands. This movement included One Step Closer, Mil-Spec, Ghost Fame, No Longer At Ease and Time and Pressure.^[21]

• Sharpe-Young, Garry, New wave of American heavy metal, New Plymouth, New Zealand: Zonda Books, 2005. OCLC 71843078
• Larkin, Colin, The Guinness encyclopedia of popular music; Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Pub.; New York: Stockton Press, 1995. OCLC 32949294
• Budofsky, Adam; Heusel, Michele; Dawson, Michael Ray and Parillo, Michael, The drummer: 100 years of rhythmic power and invention; Cedar Grove, NJ: Modern Drummer Publications; Milwaukee: Exclusively distributed by Hal Leonard Corp., 2006. OCLC 65063692