Melodic Hardcore

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Melodic Hardcore (also Melodic-Core or Melodycore ) is originally a melodic form of hardcore punk that emerged in the 1980s . The term is now broadly defined and describes a variety of different hardcore games.

Emergence

Early West Coast hardcore groups such as Adolescents , Bad Religion and the Descendents are considered to be the actual founders of the style . But bands like Dag Nasty and Hüsker Dü also had a strong influence on the development of the style. In addition, bands that can more or less be assigned to melodic hardcore emerged in the East Coast hardcore centers, such as Good Clean Fun from Washington, DC , Lifetime , Gorilla Biscuits or H 2 O from New York .

The development took place at about the same time as that of Emotional Hardcore, or Emo for short , which arose from circles of Washington D.C. hardcore punk . There are smaller similar or parallel developments that have contributed to the creation of the styles.

Skatepunk

A particularly harmonious and melodic version of melodic hardcore - sometimes peppered with strong pop-punk approaches - is often equated with skate punk , but represents only one of several (albeit probably the most popular) musical styles within this movement this melodycore in the 1990s coincided with the simultaneous popularization and industrialization of skateboarding. It is common today to describe this type of melodic hardcore - not only with the equation with skate punk - as punk rock style, since the closeness to (pop) punk is reinforced by the very harmonious, arranged nature.

Bands associated with this style are primarily the Satanic Surfers , Lagwagon , Millencolin, and NOFX . The boundaries to melodic hardcore bands are blurring, however.

style

The front man of the band Rise Against, Tim McIlrath

Melodic Hardcore is played very quickly and energetically, with the songs mostly being comparatively short. From classic hardcore punk , melodic hardcore features the typical simplicity of the song structures and the often political and socially critical messages of the lyrics. On the other hand, melodic hardcore often uses more sophisticated and melodic guitar riffs.

Often - in contrast to normal hardcore - polyphonic chants are incorporated. The singing can of course be the same as in hardcore / punk or consist of roaring / screaming interludes. Often there is also a voice that alternates between melodic singing and harder shouts, although here again there is a distant similarity to emo . The volume and speed also change in the whole song more than in the usual hardcore .

Examples

Ignite
The band Ignite , which has existed since 1993, is one of the most successful melodic hardcore bands, although in the recent past their sound has also been shaped by alternative rock influences. She is well known within the hardcore punk and punk scene.
Musically, the style of the band from Orange County , California is based on fast West Coast - hardcore punk and is one of the most important representatives of this genre today. The guitar riffs in particular have a melodic effect - as in many other bands . But the singing of the front man Zoltán Téglás is distinctive and largely responsible for the melodic hardcore punk sound . Its high, clearly sung and melodic vocal parts, combined with more melodic guitars, built on fast, hard hardcore punk form the style of the band.
In terms of content, the band deals in their texts with both personal and - sometimes critical - left-wing political statements.
Strike Anywhere
The band Strike Anywhere is politically active. Founded in 1999, the band mainly deals with left-wing issues or makes - relatively undogmatic - socially critical statements. Stylistically, the band is shaping the newer melodic hardcore sound.
Her style is typically based on the fast, tough West Coast style. The singing voice is characteristic, alternating between shouted / bellowed sections and lines of text sung cleanly and melodically.
The band Pennywise live
Pennywise
Pennywise is one of the most successful independent punk bands with over three million albums sold (as of 2007) and is one of the pioneers of melodic hardcore. The band, which has existed since 1988 and comes from Hermosa Beach , California, usually uses demanding, socially critical, often also political lyrics and has a comparatively "hard", aggressive style of music. Since the mid-1990s, the formation has been successful in the charts around the world and is still very obese in the scene today, despite some changes in line-up (including singer Jim Lindberg who left the band in 2009 and was replaced by Ignite's Zoli Téglás). In honor of the bassist Jason Thirsk, who died in 1996, the song Bro Hymn Tribute is dedicated, which also achieved great fame outside the fan scene.
Rise Against
Rise Against have been among the most commercially successful melodic hardcore bands ever since the turn of the millennium. They are known across scene boundaries in alternative rock , indie rock and other rock circles. The band is politically active and works with Peta , among others .
In their lyrics, the band mainly deals with emotional and personal issues. Their songs are characterized by a relatively calm, dynamic and melodic hardcore punk sound, although the band has recently moved away from the hardcore style and played more catchy, less “fiery” punk rock.
The band is sometimes compared to the post-hardcore band boysetsfire because Rise Against increasingly incorporate various stylistic elements from post-hardcore and alternative rock into their style.

Other bands attributed to Melodic Hardcore:

Descendents Good riddance Good clean fun Dag Nasty Adolescents
Gang Green Propagandhi 7 seconds Backsight Gorilla biscuits
Kids on the Move AFI (some phases) Samiam A Wilhelm Scream Kid Dynamite
H₂0 Death by Stereo Death Is Not Glamorous The Ghost Inside The Amity Affliction
Landscapes More Than Life Dead Swans The carrier Liferuiner

Further development

The term Melodic Hardcore changed in the mid-2000s and increasingly moved away from punk roots. Genre typical bands like Defeater or Touché Amoré embody a very emotional and rather serious sound with depressive-idealistic lyrics. Typical motifs in the lyrics of this genre are memories and the call for a better world. The influence of post-hardcore and screamo is more noticeable than the original, party-heavy sound of punk rock bands like Pennywise. In terms of sound, high screams are often to be found, typically also on quiet parts with a clean guitar.

The scene is characterized by a certain black and white aesthetic, both in clothing and in artwork and other designs. The labels Bridge 9 Records and Deathwish Inc. can be seen as the creative focus of the new trend .

Melodycore in Germany

One of the first German bands to orientate themselves on the melodic West Coast sound was the Berlin band Disaster Area . Later other groups like Jingo de Lunch also pursued the concept of playing fast, melodic hardcore. In the early 90s the label Vitaminepillen Records was associated with melodic punk / hardcore sounds. Especially melodic German punk bands of the newer school such as Terrorgruppe , Wizo , Kafkas , Lost Lyrics and Pascow were influenced by the melodic punk of the Californian style, while bands like ZSK and Radio Havanna basically played pure melodycore with German lyrics; Even commercially successful groups such as Montreal , Beatsteaks and the Donots oriented themselves, at least in their early days, on the commercial style of playing the California hardcore punk, which was influenced by labels such as Fat Wreck Chords . Melodycore influences still leave today for many groups of the newer, melodic, German punk school like DDP , Kasa , LAK , Ni Ju San , or desertion hear.

In Germany, the following bands are still classified as melodic hardcore punk:

Creetins Deny Everything
D-Sailors False Friend
From a judgment So far away
Skin of Tears Tackleberry
Three Chord Society We Once Loved

Politics, Straight Edge and DIY (Do it yourself)

Logo of the band Strike Anywhere

Many melodic hardcore bands see themselves explicitly as (left) political bands, or at least as bands with such a claim. Strike Anywhere, for example, even have a political symbol as a band logo, which was used by left (more social democratic) groups during the Weimar Republic. Other groups like Propagandhi also see themselves as left-wing bands and deal with many left-wing issues in their texts and address social problems. In Germany, for example, tackleberry defines itself in the broadest sense as left-wing political.

Some bands and their members are also vegans or vegetarians . Some are also involved with organizations like PETA for animal rights and animal liberation . These include Rise Against and Good Riddance .

As with all hardcore punk subgenres, the straight edge concept is also widespread. Good Clean Fun and Gorilla Biscuits, for example, are important bands promoting this lifestyle.

Labels

Labels on which predominantly melodic hardcore bands are under contract are for example:

Individual evidence

  1. a b Epitaph Records: Pennywise Vocalist JIM LINDBERG Releases First Book: Punk Rock Dad. In: epitaph.com. May 31, 2007, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  2. a b Pennywise Portrait - Music Base. (No longer available online.) In: musik-base.de. September 20, 2010, archived from the original on February 23, 2015 ; accessed on February 23, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.musik-base.de
  3. ↑ Record tests online team: Rise Against - Endgame - Review. In: plattentests.de. December 13, 2006, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  4. Gregory Heaney: Endgame - Rise Against - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards. In: allmusic.com. March 15, 2011, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  5. The do-gooders of the punk scene let it rip. In: laut.de. July 28, 2006, accessed on February 23, 2015 : "Interestingly, the beginning of the fast opener" Chamber The Cartridge "is reminiscent of Boysetsfire, who took a very similar path to Rise Against in terms of musical development. [...]"
  6. ^ A b Brian Kraus: 16 Modern Precursors Of Melodic Hardcore. In: Altpress. Alternative Press, Inc, June 22, 2014, accessed August 27, 2018 .
  7. Karol Kamiński: Modern melodic hardcore band TERRIBLE LOVE streaming their latest single 'False Flag'. In: IDIOTEQ. Karol Kamiński & Marcin Bylica, September 7, 2016, accessed on August 27, 2018 .
  8. a b Defeater: Defeater Tell Us Their Favorite Songs Off 'Abandoned'. Interview. In: Youtube. Music Feeds, August 23, 2015, accessed August 27, 2018 .
  9. Reviews: DISASTER AREA / Forever CD. In: ox-fanzine.de. 2005, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  10. Reviews: JINGO DE LUNCH / The Independent Years CD. In: ox-fanzine.de. 2007, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  11. a b Interviews: KAFKAS. In: ox-fanzine.de. 2000, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  12. Reviews: TERRORGRUPPE / Melodies for Billion CDs. In: ox-fanzine.de. 1996, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  13. Reviews: WIZO / men's handbag CS / 10. In: ox-fanzine.de. 1995, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  14. Ox-Fanzine: Reviews: LOST LYRICS / Rotzlöffel CD. In: ox-fanzine.de. 1996, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  15. Interviews: PASCOW. In: ox-fanzine.de. Retrieved February 23, 2015 (2007/2008).
  16. Interviews: ZSK. In: ox-fanzine.de. 2000, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  17. Reviews: RADIO HAVANNA / Generation X CD. In: ox-fanzine.de. Retrieved February 23, 2015 (2007/2008).
  18. Reviews: BEATSTEAKS / Launched CD. In: ox-fanzine.de. 1999, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  19. ^ Too Graphic for TV — New Rise Against Video. Archived from the original on June 22, 2006 ; accessed on February 23, 2015 : “Rise Against are no strangers to controversy. In the past, they let the world know that “Meat Is Murder” with their classic peta2 ad, and they were none too shy when it came to speaking out against animal abuse “ In: peta2.com
  20. ^ Too Graphic for TV — New Rise Against Video. Archived from the original on June 22, 2006 ; accessed on February 23, 2015 .