Which is better, metal or hardcore? [**VOTE HERE**]
I always think it’s cool in action movies when there is a surprise twist and u find out that the good guy and the bad guy are twin brothers or clones of each other or something like that. Ur all like ‘omg i cant believe that two brothers could be so willing 2 kill each other!!!’ Much like the twin brothers in a cool action movie, the twin genres of metal and hardcore have been locked in battle 4 decades, each gaining the upper hand for a moment only to have their fate reversed, like the final scene of the movie where just when u think the bad guy is going to win the good guy is all like ‘SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!!!!’ and kills in him a really cool way. The two genres seem destined to battle for eternity, but I believe that in this post we can settle the question once and for all!
But before making a judgement, i will outline a few key aspects of the debate so that u can make an informed decision:
https://youtu.be/J1DVq5C6AuI?t=37s
“When I heard the first two Discharge records, I was blown away. I was just starting to play an instrument and I had no idea you could go so far.” – Tom G Warrior
1. Contemporary metal would not exist without punk/hardcore
Pretty much all the “legendary,” “seminal,” “groundbreaking” metal bands u ppl fawn over have their roots in punk and hardcore. All the the best old-school metal is basically just punk/hardcore, only the people in the band can actually play their instruments. SLAYER, METALLICA and ANTHRAX are the most obvious examples, all of which have very well-known punk covers (and ironically, I think METALLICA’s cover on “Garage Days” is largely responsible for MISFITS’ popularity). BATHORY, CELTIC FROST, PANTERA, CARCASS, AT THE GATES, SEPULTURA, DARKTHRONE, and many other highly influential bands have also gone on the record as to their origins in punk.
Obviously, the above bands laid the groundwork for everything we know as “metal” today. So basically if u think about it, we would not have BEHEMOTH or IN FLAMES without CRASS and DISCHARGE. Kind of weird, but it’s totally true!
Trevor repping 7 SECONDS = TBDM confirmed as hardcore kids
2. Hardcore kids often do metal better than metal kids do metal
Although metal nerds do not like 2 admit it (or more likely, are 2 dumb 2 realize it), many/most of the most groundbreaking and beloved “”metal”” bands of the last 20 years are actually comprised of hardcore kids. The most obvious examples are KILLSWITCH, BTBAM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, and NAILS, but the list goes on and on.
I think the main reason for this is that hardcore has an inherently better sense of dynamics and groove than metal. If u think about it, hardcore is basically dance music: the goal of a hardcore band is 2 move the crowd (eg two-stepping, circle pitting, or karate moshing). Most hardcore kids can barely play their instruments, but i will take that over the stiff, boring, sterile performances of ur typical metal band.
The above bands are examples of hardcore kids who learned how to play their instruments as well as people in metal, but kept their hardcore sensibilities in terms of songwriting and groove. It’s the best of both worlds, and therefore it is no surprise that they are some of the most influential “metal” bands of their generation despite not actually being “metal” at all.
3. Except when they don’t, and it’s really really bad
If u have been following along up until now, u will be like “ok so obviously hardcore is way better than metal, this is obvious. But not so fast!!The biggest flaw in the argument that hardcore is across the board superior 2 metal is how many so-called “”hardcore”” bands are just shitty versions of what metal was doing 5-10 years earlier.
In the 80s it was the NYHC bands doing a mostly terrible job of trying 2 play thrash, in the 90s it was dum-dums from crappy states like Pennsylvania and Ohio trying 2 copy Slayer (early-mid 90s) and “Heartwork” (mid-late 90s). These days, the big trend in hardcore is 2 either copy 90s mall metal like TYPE O NEGATIVE and MACHINE HEAD, or even worse the RIDETHELIGHTNINGCORE trend, which is bands like EXPIRE and BACKTRACK who basically sound like generic hardcore vocals over half-assed METALLICA/ANNIHILATOR riffs. Grose.
One important thing 2 consider is the image. “Dressing metal” (left) means that u cannot leave the house without being laughed at for looking like an asshole/ppl saying stuff like “arent u a little early for halloween.” On the other hand, hardcore bands (right) look pretty normal, sometimes even a little bit on the fashionable side.
VOTE: WHICH IS BETTER, HARDCORE OR METAL?????
I think u will agree that i have presented a fair, balanced and nuanced version of both sides of this debate so that YOU, the reader can make ur own decision!
