Across the history of heavy metal, no subgenre has transformed so greatly in as short a time as metalcore. Initially defined as a mixture of thrash metal and hardcore punk, spearheaded by the likes of Earth Crisis and D.R.I., the tag is now shorthand for any melodic but screamy band with an eye at world domination. But, one thing has remained: it’s always been one of the most densely populated genres in heavy music.
Like most evolutionary movements, metalcore started as a disparate scene, with some of its luminaries hailing from all over the United States. There were scenes in Cleveland, New York and California during the late 80s and early-to-mid 90s, but the first one to truly take over was the one in New England. Converge blew up in the late 90s, opening the door for the likes of Cave In and Botch.
