Fans of heavy metal music , commonly referred to as "Metalheads", have created their own subculture that encompasses more than just appreciation of the style of music. Fans affirm their membership in the subculture or scene by attending metal concerts (an activity seen as central to the subculture), buying albums, growing their hair long (although some metalheads do wear their hair short; one very famous example is late 70s to 80s-era Rob Halford ), wearing jackets or vests often made of denim and leather adorned with band patches and often studs, and by contributing to metal publications since the early 1980s.
57-611: The Acacia Strain is an American deathcore band that was founded in 2001 and originally based in Chicopee, Massachusetts , but now based in Albany, New York . The group is currently signed to Rise Records and initially consisted of high school friends Vincent Bennett, Christopher Daniele, and Ben Abert, Karrie Whitfield, Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz, and Daniel Daponde joining shortly after. They recorded and released their debut album ...And Life Is Very Long in 2002 via Devil's Head records. Since then,
114-414: A "disinterest in commercial appeal" and radio hits as well as a refusal to "sell out." The metal code also includes "opposition to established authority, and separateness from the rest of society." Fans expect that the metal "vocation [for performers] includes total devotion to the music and deep loyalty to the youth subculture that grew up around it;" a metal performer must be an "idealized representative of
171-427: A crowd in a land where poseurs ruled and anything fast and heavy was ignored." In David Rocher's 1999 interview with Damian Montgomery, the frontman of Ritual Carnage , he praised Montgomery as "an authentic, no-frills, poseur-bashing, nun-devouring kind of gentleman, an enthusiastic metalhead truly in love with the lifestyle he preaches ... and unquestionably practises." In 2002, "[m]etal guru Josh Wood" claimed that
228-589: A few earlier metalcore/death metal hybridizations, Antagony and Despised Icon are considered to be the true pioneers of deathcore, however both bands have rejected the label. Antagony founder and frontman Nick Vasallo is credited as being the "father of deathcore" due to his work in the band. 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). New Hampshire band Deadwater Drowning and Californian group All Shall Perish are also seen as notable early entries of
285-421: A heavier sound. Deathcore bands may also employ guitar solos as well. Low growls and shrieked screams are common types of vocals in deathcore. Some other techniques that deathcore vocalists have used include what is known as pig squeals . 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
342-659: 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." 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
399-611: A lot of people can be very closed minded – they want to listen to metal and nothing else, but I'm not like that. I like doing metal music and having a heavy style, but I don't like to put myself in such a box and be trapped in it." Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante admitted that hardened members of the heavy metal subculture "are not the most open-minded people when it comes to music." Hardened thrash metal fans reacted negatively to Megadeth venturing into rock -oriented musical territory on their album Super Collider . Vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine stated that their hostility
456-543: A metalcore sound combined with death metal influences, in 2019 music site The New Fury has even gone on record to credit Embodyment as "[pioneers] of the deathcore genre" due to their performance on Embrace the Eternal . Decibel magazine wrote that death metal band Suffocation were one of the main inspirations for the genre's emergence by writing: "One of Suffocation's trademarks, breakdowns, has spawned an entire metal subgenre: deathcore." The Belgian H8000 music scene
513-507: 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." 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: Much like what became of metalcore in
570-506: 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 )." 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
627-451: A self-description for their merger of hardcore punk and thrash metal . Outside of the US however, there also existed some early exampled uses; a German deathgrind band named Deathcore existed in the mid 1980s, and another German deathgrind band Blood, used the word as the title for a demo put out in 1986. However it wasn't until 1996 that "deathcore" eventually began gaining traction to describe
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#1733105130948684-419: A sleeveless kutte of denim or leather emblazoned with woven patches and button pins from heavy metal bands. Sometimes, a denim vest, emblazoned with album art "knits" (cloth patches) would be worn over a long-sleeved leather jacket. As with other musical subcultures of the era, such as punks, this jacket and its emblems and logos helped the wearer to announce their interests. Metal fans often wear T-shirts with
741-485: A unique triple-guitar assault to deliver their signature blend of hardcore punk , noise , death metal and doom metal." The site's review of Wormwood elaborates on the band's sound as "an inelegant and unstoppable juggernaut fueled by memories of the unchecked aggression unleashed on the world by the likes of Sepultura and Pantera ." Vocalist Vincent Bennett and drummer Kevin Boutot have both denied that The Acacia Strain
798-445: A while, I thought metal was a more open-minded thing but I was wrong." Journalists have noted the dismissive attitude of many metal fans. Critic Ryan Howe penned an open letter to British metal fans who had reacted negatively to Avenged Sevenfold (whose music they deemed too light to qualify as metal ) being booked to headline the 2014 Download Festival . Howe described the detractors as "narrow minded" and challenged them to attend
855-553: Is a fan of country music artists such as Dolly Parton , George Jones , and Waylon Jennings . All That Remains vocalist Phil Labonte has stated he is a fan of the artists Prince , Fall Out Boy , Snoop Dogg , Dr. Dre , Eminem , Jay-Z and Nickelback . The term metal elitist is sometimes used by heavy metal fans and musicians to differentiate members of the subculture who display insulated, exclusionary or rigid attitudes from more open-minded ones. Elitist attitudes are particularly associated with fans and musicians of
912-674: Is about cannabis ), there are many songs which warn about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse and addiction. " Master of Puppets " by Metallica (which is about how drug abusers can end up being controlled by the drugs they use) and " Beyond the Realms of Death " by Judas Priest are two examples of songs that warn about such dangers. Music critic Molly Meldrum noted sections of the heavy metal subculture who almost exclusively listen to heavy metal music. Queen frontman Freddie Mercury concurred with Meldrum's view, expressing pity for them. Sepultura frontman Derrick Green said: "I find that
969-429: Is also known for its large quantity of fusion subgenres including nu metal , folk metal and symphonic metal - contradicting the notion of metal as an isolated musical genre. Many popular groups within the genre are also fusion-music acts not represented by any larger subgenre, such as Skindred and Matanza . Heavy metal fans can be found in virtually every country in the world. Even in orthodox Muslim countries of
1026-403: Is of the "deathcore genre", going as far as expressing dislike for the label, though Bennett was later more ambivalent towards it, stating "sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't." The Acacia Strain's influences include Candiria , Integrity , Dismember , Rush , Iron Maiden , Crowbar , Meshuggah , Hatebreed , Slayer , Arch Enemy , and Overcast . Written by lead vocalist Vincent Bennett,
1083-433: Is to be in a band that can be labeled 'deathcore,' but honestly we have never given a fuck". Heavy metal subculture The metal scene, like the rock scene in general, is associated with alcohol, tobacco and drug use, as well as riding motorcycles and having many tattoos . While there are songs that celebrate drinking, smoking, drug use, gambling, having tattoos and partying, there are also many songs that warn about
1140-791: The Billboard 200 , number 12 on the Rock Albums Chart and number 6 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart, 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. Their self-titled album peaked at number 65 on
1197-438: The 2006 Kerrang! Award for "Best British Newcomer" shortly after the album's release, however the band abandoned the deathcore genre soon thereafter. 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", and Emmure , Winds of Plague and
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#17331051309481254-614: The Canadian Albums Chart and also at number 47 on the Billboard 200. 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. 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,
1311-556: The New York hardcore scene. Fenriz of Darkthrone is also a techno DJ , and Metallica 's Kirk Hammett is seen wearing a T-shirt of post-punk band The Sisters of Mercy in the music video for " Wherever I May Roam ". Tourniquet band leader Ted Kirkpatrick is a "great admirer of the classical masters ". Deicide drummer Steve Asheim has stated that he appreciates and listens to classical music and plays piano . Cannibal Corpse vocalist George Fisher has stated he
1368-472: The black metal subgenre. Characteristics described as distinguishing metal elitists or " nerds " from other fans of metal music include "constant one-upping ," "endless pedantry " and hesitancy to "go against the metal orthodoxy ." While the term "metal elitism" is usually used pejoratively, elitism is occasionally defended by members of the subculture as a means of keeping the metal genre insulated, in order to prevent it from selling out . Heavy metal
1425-533: The "credibility of heavy metal" in North America is being destroyed by the genre's demotion to "horror movie soundtracks, wrestling events and, worst of all, the so-called 'Mall Core' groups like Limp Bizkit ." Wood claims that the "true [metal] devotee’s path to metaldom is perilous and fraught with poseurs." Christian metal bands are sometimes criticized within metal circles in a similar light. Some extreme metal adherents argue that Christian bands' adherence to
1482-520: The 1990s], and a decade before that, had done." 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. 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
1539-663: The Acacia Strain embracing its urban, black aesthetics. 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 . 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 ". Suicide Silence's No Time to Bleed (2009) peaked at number 32 on
1596-507: The Avenged Sevenfold set. Despite widespread lack of appreciation of other music genres, some fans and musicians have been known to profess a deep appreciation for non-metal genres. For example, many metal fans are also fond of punk rock , most notably the hardcore punk scene. Hardcore punk heavily influenced the development of extreme metal and its related subgenres and later, fusion genres such as crossover thrash , grindcore and
1653-506: The Christian church is an indicator of membership in an established authority, which renders Christian bands as "posers" and a contradiction to heavy metal's purpose. Some proponents argue personal faith in right-hand path beliefs should not be tolerated within metal. A small number of Norwegian black metal bands have threatened violence (and, in extremely rare instances, exhibited it) towards Christian artists or believers, as demonstrated in
1710-566: 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. Some musicians classified as deathcore have rejected
1767-562: 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." 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
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1824-786: The aforementioned include Veil of Maya , Born of Osiris , and After the Burial . Some bands, such as Make Them Suffer and Winds of Plague , mix deathcore with symphonic/classical elements. 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." 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 . Music journalist T Coles observed, "Whilst kids were eating this up,
1881-706: 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. Lorna Shore 's 2021 song " To the Hellfire ", saw the band gain significant attention, primarily through videos shared on TikTok , to the extent that in a 2022 article by Revolver , writer Eli Enis called the band "the new faces of deathcore". 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 and
1938-429: The band has released eleven more full-length albums. The Acacia Strain's music has been primarily described as deathcore and metalcore , and has been noted to include heavy influences from sludge , doom metal and death metal along with some punk rock -style aesthetic and sensibilities. AllMusic characterizes the band's musical style as "utiliz[ing] a bone-crushing rhythm section , apocalyptic samples , and
1995-584: The band's lyrics generally center around misanthropy and nihilism . Bennett employs misogynistic and sexually deviant imagery in his lyrics, but usually only as metaphors to help get his points across while keeping the songs' overall meanings open for interpretation. Current Former Touring musicians Deathcore Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore . The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs , blast beats , and metalcore breakdowns . While there are some precursors to
2052-600: The band's methodical songwriting resulted in Carnifex quickly getting signed to label Victory Records . Australian deathcore band Thy Art Is Murder debuted at number 35 on the ARIA Charts with their album Hate (2012), making them the first extreme metal band to ever reach the Top 40 of this chart. Russian deathcore group Slaughter to Prevail reportedly reached over 3.5 million streams on music services for their song "Hell" (2015);
2109-417: The concept of death metal fused with metalcore/hardcore elements seen in the 1990s, deathcore itself emerged in the early 2000s and gained prominence beginning in the mid-2000s within the southwestern United States , especially Arizona and inland southern California , which are home to many notable bands and various festivals. Some of the genre's earliest examples include Antagony , Despised Icon , and
2166-401: The culture and its music. In a 1993 profile of heavy metal fans' "subculture of alienation," the author noted that the scene classified some members as "poseurs," that is, heavy metal performers or fans who pretended to be part of the subculture, but who were deemed to lack authenticity and sincerity. Jeffrey Arnett's 1996 book Metalheads: Heavy Metal Music and Adolescent Alienation argues that
2223-543: The dangers of those activities. The metal fan base was traditionally working class , white and male in the 1970s, and since the 1980s, more female fans have developed an interest in the style. Metal culture has also grown more popular among African Americans and other groups in recent times. Heavy metal fans go by a number of different names, including metalhead , headbanger , hesher , mosher , and thrasher , being used only for fans of thrash metal , which began to differentiate itself from other varieties of metal in
2280-408: The early 1990s through occasional church arsons throughout Scandinavia . Another aspect of heavy metal culture is its fashion . Like the metal music, these fashions have changed over the decades, while keeping some core elements. Typically, the heavy metal fashions of the late 1970s – 1980s comprised tight blue jeans or drill pants, motorcycle boots or hi-top sneakers and black T-shirts, worn with
2337-442: The emblem of bands. Around the mid-2000s, a renaissance of younger audiences became interested in 1980s metal, and the rise of newer bands embracing older fashion ideals led to a more 1980s-esque style of dress. Some of the new audience are young, urban hipsters who had "previously fetishized metal from a distance". At concerts, in place of typical dancing, metal fans are more likely to mosh and headbang (a movement in which
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2394-622: The genre. Deadwater Drowning's 2003 EP was remarked as "basically the blueprint for every current deathcore band out today," while All Shall Perish's debut album Hate, Malice, Revenge (2003) "never got tied down to [simply] death metal or metalcore." 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
2451-399: The growth of an intense "subculture which identified with the music." Metal fans formed an "exclusionary youth community" that was "distinctive and marginalized from the mainstream" society. The heavy metal scene developed a strongly masculine "community with shared values, norms, and behaviors." A "code of authenticity" is central to the heavy metal subculture; this code requires bands to have
2508-531: The head is shaken up and down in time with the music). Fans in the heavy metal subculture often make the corna hand gesture formed by a fist with the index and little fingers extended. Also known as the "devil’s horns," the "metal fist," and other similar descriptors, the gesture was popularized by heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio . The heavy metal scene is associated with alcohol and drug use. While there are heavy metal songs which celebrate alcohol or drug use (e.g., "Sweet Leaf" by Black Sabbath , which
2565-509: The heavy metal subculture classifies members into two categories by giving "acceptance as an authentic metalhead or rejection as a fake, a poseur." Heavy metal fans began using the term sell out in the 1980s to refer to bands who turned their heavy metal sound into radio-friendly rock music (e.g., glam metal ). In metal, a sell out is "someone dishonest who adopted the most rigorous pose, or identity-affirming lifestyle and opinions." The metal bands that earned this epithet are those "who adopt
2622-399: The heavy metal subculture. Some metal fans may have short hair and dress in regular clothes. In the musical subcultures of heavy metal and punk , authenticity is a core value. The term poseur (or poser ) is used to describe "a person who habitually pretends to be something he/she is not," as in adopting the appearance and clothing style of the metal scene without truly understanding
2679-525: The label. Compared to metalcore , the fulcrum of deathcore is "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 . The genre is usually defined by breakdowns and death metal riffs or metalcore riffs played in the usual death metal tuning. Like in other extreme metal fusion genres, deathcore guitarists down-tune their guitars to give their music
2736-460: The late 80s. While the aforementioned labels vary in time and regional divisions, headbanger and metalhead are universally accepted to mean fans or the subculture itself. Heavy metal fans have created a "subculture of alienation" with its own standards for achieving authenticity within the group. Deena Weinstein 's book Heavy Metal: The Music And Its Culture argues that heavy metal "has persisted far longer than most genres of rock music" due to
2793-521: 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
2850-465: 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." They also state that an oversaturation of artists within the scene during the 2010s "[homogenized]" the genre. In addition to this, members of certain deathcore bands do not take
2907-471: The solidarity of the subculture, as it is one of the ritual activities by which fans celebrate their music. Metal magazines help the members of the subculture to connect, find information and evaluations of bands and albums, and "express their solidarity." The long hair, leather jackets, and band patches of heavy metal fashion help encourage a sense of identification within the subculture. However, Weinstein notes that not all metal fans are "visible members" of
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#17331051309482964-478: The song "Awaken the Dreamers") and Oceano (in the song "Incisions"). Some lyrical themes common in deathcore songs include antireligion , psychological pain and body horror . 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 ,
3021-400: The subculture." While the audience for metal is mainly "white, male, lower/middle class youth," this group is "tolerant of those outside its core demographic base who follow its codes of dress, appearance, and behavior." The activities in the metal subculture include the ritual of attending concerts, buying albums, and most recently, contributing to metal websites. Attending concerts affirms
3078-486: The visible aspects of the orthodoxy (sound, images) without contributing to the underlying belief system." Ron Quintana's article on "Metallica['s] Early History" argues that when Metallica was trying to find a place in the L.A. metal scene in the early 1980s, "American hard-rock scene was dominated by highly coiffed, smoothly-polished bands such as Styx , Journey , and REO Speedwagon ." He claims that this made it hard for Metallica to "play their [heavy] music and win over
3135-666: 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. 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." 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. Despite
3192-403: Was described as "the new Limp Bizkit ". Suicide Silence's 2011 album The Black Crown is a deathcore album with some nu metal influences. 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
3249-630: Was informed by an unwillingness to accept other genres and had "nothing to do with Megadeth or the greatness of the band and its music"; he also argued that the labelling of music fans contributed to their inability to appreciate other types of music. Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt also alleged that most members of the subculture are resistant to the musical evolution of artists within the genre, stating that it "doesn't seem to be that important" to those listeners. He added: "I think most metal fans just want their Happy Meals served to them. They don't really want to know about what they're getting. For
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