THE HARD R: DALLAS ON THE EVOLUTION OF DEATHCORE, AND WHY IT’S SWEET AS HELL

Thanks to everyone who downloaded the package of Graphic Novel [GN] songs last week. I’m happy most of you enjoyed the tracks. It’s cool to know people will take the time to check out the music with an open mind. I never said I was the best composer or song writer out there, but I feel I do have a style. I’m always doing my best to refine it. The older you get means the more experiences you have which means your music should evolve into something you can control, as opposed to letting it control you. These particular songs were all composed in a day. Through experimentation, trial and error, and plain passion, you got that download.

I’m working on getting a more professional studio going at some point. Let’s be clear: my recording skills are not my strong side. I’m no Misha Mansoor from Periphery, so I apologize for the (lack of) recording quality.

The songs for the [GN] project are just a color of the ‘voice’ I’ve been spending my whole career trying to perfect. Don’t worry metal heads, I still play metal, just now right now. Which brings me to the subject I’ve wanted to discuss here for a while.

The Evolution Of Deathcore And Why it’s Sweet As Hell

I know the response here for deathcore is a love it or hate it sort of thing. I don’t want to get into that. I’d like to talk about my feelings towards the genre. To say it simply: I fucking LOVE deathcore. I can’t get enough of it.

Seriously.

I blame All Shall Perish. Awaken The Dreamers is the best deathcore album ever created. “Stabbing To Purge Dissimulation,” track seven from Awaken The Dreamers, gets an intense listen from me every single time I’m in the music listening mood. Awaken The Dreamers is the bible.

Groove, technicality, melody, brutality, hardcore, death metal, speed. Thank you ASP.

My love for deathcore got me thinking about the evolution of music in general. Deathcore is a perfect example of why metal is such a rich, tasteful and awesome genre of music. It’s almost 2010, and deathcore is a fairly new genre of music. Yes, there are the breakdowns, the death vocals, the things that make deathcore what it is, but that in itself shows how evolution really is inherent in metal music. It shows metal must evolve to survive, to fight off stagnation.

You all know how much I hate the term “metalcore.” I still hate the shit out of it, but after becoming a fan of deathcore, I’ve realized how important the label metalcore is to metal. To me, metalcore sounds like a Shoprite or Walmart brand of something instead of the name brand. Metalcore was a stepping stone for deathcore. Metalcore sounds old and dated. Deathcore sounds extreme and modern. The terms are once removed from each other, but the difference of one word makes a world of difference.

Metalcore can be a wide range of things depending on the band: where they’re from, what label they are on, etc., etc. Deathcore is unmistakable. I think that’s the main reason why it’s become so popular and why it’s become so refined as a genre of music rather quickly. It’s like Corn Flakes. You know what you’re going to get when you buy it and you really won’t be (or shouldn’t be) disappointed because the product is right there in the brand name.

My definition of deathcore: Brutal Fucking Shit.

Now that I’ve professed my love for the genre of deathcore, I’ll list some of my favorite songs in the genre. I’ll only list songs because at the time I write this I think the only great album of the genre is Awaken The Dreamers.

My favorite song at the moment is “Disengage” by Suicide Silence from the album No Time To Bleed. Check out how the structure is so simple, but when they do their breakdowns, they change it slightly each time to keep it interesting while upping the ante. On the last breakdown the ways the guitars work together is very eerie and disciplined. It’s bad ass song writing.

“Never Again” by All Shall Perish from Awaken The Dreamers is probably the song that opened my mind to the genre and kept me interested. It’s just so groovy and heavy. And at the same time, it’s simple. But that’s the great thing about it. When you’re given the keys to the kingdom (mass diversity) sometimes it’s best to find the best land in the kingdom and stick there for a while. I’ve turned a bunch of people on to All Shall Perish from this song.

“Put To Rest” by Born of Osiris from their album A Higher Place is a really cool song. I know they are considered Sumeriancore, but I feel it’s the deathcore genre. I like this song because it’s melodic with great solos. They are able to dip into that brutal vibe you need to be deathcore approved. I wish the vocals were a bit more brutal though.

And this brings me to the next band. I may get as much shit for this as I did for admitting I liked Bring Me The Horizon. When MetalSucks posted the video for this band a couple months back I laughed my ass off just as much as everyone else at how ridiculous the band was. Mostly it was the vocals because… it was just hilarious. But within the context of deathcore and taking the genre new places, sometimes things will throw you off and make you laugh, vomit or shit yourself before you appreciate it for what it is.

I am talking about Oceano’s Depths album. This is a band that should be listened to in the context of their full album. The video song “District Of Misery” has some very cool things going on melodically. Speaking of brutal vocals, who ever this dude is, it sounds like he’s gargling fucking Brillo pads while having some sort of bacterial infection after eating some dirty whore’s ass for a week. Brutal. If you disagree, check out “A Mandatory Sacrifice” and listen to his vocal at 3:28.

God.

Damn.

Brutal.

-DC