Music of any genre takes different forms throughout different bands, and melodic hardcore is no exception. What’s most interesting about melodic hardcore is the stylistic differences many listeners will point to among artists they love. A band with predominant sonic roots in punk and old school hardcore differs greatly from that of a metalcore-driven outfit.
Despite this, both styles are considered melodic hardcore, which makes the study of these bands all the more interesting. Here is an overview of what melodic hardcore music is, how it got started, and bands that play it today.
What Is Melodic Hardcore Music?
Melodic hardcore music is a blend of punk and metal with influences from rock, pop, hip-hop, and hardcore. This hybrid of sound was most prevalent during the late ’80s and early ’90s in the hardcore punk scene. While melodic hardcore went by the name hardcore punk at the time, many punk acts in that era were inspired by the darker sounds of the hardcore scene (including from bands like Gang of Four).
Many of these newer bands dabbled in other genres, including but not limited to emo. As the influence of pop and rock music continued to grow through the late ’90s, the seeds for the genre were planted and eventually became its own form of musical expression.
Today, melodic hardcore is often considered a crossover between metalcore and heavy melodic rock. Some of the bands that top the modern melodic hardcore list include The Ghost Inside, Comeback Kid, COUNTERPARTS, Stick to Your Guns, and Hundredth.
What Is Old School Hardcore?
Music of any genre gets influenced and inspired by other genres. Each artist creates their own take on the sound they hear. Sometimes, they have a sound that is unique and different from other bands.
This is what old school hardcore started off as. Old school hardcore is considered fast, aggressive, and loud rock music. It paved the way for many modern-day punk artists and melodic hardcore bands.
What Is Punk?
Punk rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the late 1970s, with the original punk bands coming from the UK. The genre of punk is widely considered to have influenced alternative rock and pop punk, while the culture itself formed the foundation for the third wave ska movement–pop punk and indie rock.
Punk was a culture born of love for rock and roll, punk rock and garage rock, and musical expression from both the male and female body. It encompassed a culture of fighting for social and political change, and a rejection of political corruption and corporate influence. It also spawned many other subgenres like ska punk and pop punk, which have had wide-ranging impacts on other subgenres of music and culture.
What Is Metalcore?
Metalcore has many definitions, but the most common is one coined by New Noise magazine. Metalcore is a crossover of hardcore with clean singing, fast instrumentation, and influence from traditional heavy metal bands. While melodic hardcore sounds similar to metalcore, the genre contains a few distinct qualities from the hardcore originators.
A great deal of melodic hardcore bands tend to prefer traditional, concise song structures with a mid-tempo pace. Generally, melodic hardcore songs are between two to four minutes in length, while metalcore songs may be longer than four minutes; even up to seven minutes. The music of melodic hardcore bands also tends to utilize a cleaner singing voice over the frequent scream vocals of metalcore.
What Is Melodic Hardcore?
Melodic hardcore (also known as punk-informed melodic hardcore, hardcore-informed melodic hardcore, and hardcore-influenced melodic hardcore) is a type of hardcore music that developed in the 1990s and early 2000s from the hardcore punk subgenre. This genre combines punk with elements of alternative rock and other melodic subgenres.
Melodic hardcore is often classified as an alternative rock style of hardcore. The genre is usually noticeable through its polished and harmonic guitar melodies; punchy hardcore punk drums and beats; dense, emotive, energetic, and dynamic vocal performances; layered and intricate song structures; and complex chord progressions and melodies that vary from song to song.
Melodic hardcore music is a mix of punk rock, hardcore, and metal. A great deal of hardcore bands make up numerous melodic hardcore influences. Just take a look at bands like Title Fight and The Ghost Inside.
In reality, many metalcore bands and hardcore bands who take a more melodic route are doing just that – writing hardcore music with a ton of influences from lighter genres. You can hear melodic hardcore music today in bands like As It Is and HAVOK, as well as bands like Deez Nuts, Have Heart, and For the Fallen Dreams.
How Did Melodic Hardcore Get Its Start?
Melodic hardcore can trace its roots back to hardcore punk. Punk has had a unique and long history in the hardcore genre, incorporating many different styles of music and having more of a rock and roll sound than other types of punk. Melodic hardcore bands are largely influenced by the punk rock and hardcore rock era.
Several major hardcore punk bands, like Bad Brains and Black Flag, did a great deal of covers of jazz, funk, R&B, and other genres during their early careers. This is something that hardcore punk would continue to do for the rest of the genre’s existence, even through today. Many major melodic hardcore bands, like The Descendents, have an incredible amount of original music in their catalog, as well.
What Are Current Melodic Hardcore Bands?
Today, melodic hardcore bands can be seen across the genres of metal and rock music. Many bands have embraced melodic hardcore with great success, including, but not limited to: Alkaline Trio, Bane, It Prevails, Four Year Strong, Comeback Kid, Pennywise, American Standards, Bad Religion, Lagwagon, A Day to Remember, Modern Life Is War, Stick To Your Guns, Woe, Is Me, and countless others. You can find even more artists by checking out our definitive list of melodic hardcore bands.
What Are Some Melodic Hardcore Bands That Tour Often?
A few melodic hardcore bands that tour frequently include: Beartooth; My Violent Heart; Beneath A Dead Sea; Stick to Your Guns; Gideon; The Ghost Inside; and COUNTERPARTS.
Conclusion
Now that you know what melodic hardcore music is and how to explain the genre, be sure to check out our own melodic hardcore music!
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