Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a mixture of the names of the two genres.
History of Metalcore
Metalcore has originated from a mixture of other metal subgenres over the years with different styles and techniques being incorporated. Bands such as 'Black Flag' and 'Bad Brains' are among the orignators of hardcore genre taking inspiration from rock band 'Black Sabbath.'
Thrash metal has also had an influence in the progression of metalcore with some hardcore bands playing alongside thrash metal bands 'Metallica' and 'Slayer.' This has then led to the formation of bands incorporating similar styles from both genres and producing something original.
Metalcore Bands
There have been many successful metalcore bands over recent years that have not only made the genre more well known but have also continued to evolve metalcore as a genre.
Asking Alexandria are a 5 piece metalcore band from York. They have 2 albums, 'Stand Up and Scream' and 'Reckless and Relentless' which was released in 2011.
The Devil Wears Prada are a 6 piece metalcore band from Ohia, USA. They are a Christian band with 4 full length albums.
Misery Signals are a 5 piece metalcore band from Winconsin, USA formed in 2002 with 3 full length albums.
Features of Metalcore
Metalcore is distinguished from other punk metal fusions by its emphasis on general heavy metal characteristics as well as breakdowns which are slower, intense passages conducive to moshing.
The vocals in metalcore are screamed vocals and often with clean vocals during the bridge or chorus of the song.
Representation of Metalcore Bands
Metalcore bands often feature quite young members, from late teens to early 20's. They are at an age where they have heard different types and sub-genres of metal and have these bands to influence what style of music they write. Normally there are around 4-6 members in a metalcore band, with 5 being the most common number. One drummer, one bassist, two guitarists and one main vocalist.
The dress code of the metalcore scene is very distinguishable as alot of fans have a similar look.
The main characteristics are -
Mid to long hair length with a fringe swept across
Band tee shirts
'Wifebeater' vest
Skinny jeans, normally very tight
Plimsoles, 'Vans' are very common
Facial piercings such as a norse ring or 'snakebites' in lips
Stretched ears with plugs or tunnels
Tattoos, full sleeves etc
Target Audience
Our target audience will be mainly aimed at male fans aged from mid teens to early twenties. Males find the genre much more appealing but there are still female fans we will be aiming at. As the fans are similar ages of most band members a stronger connection is formed with lyrical content and the evolving nature of the genre. Being from the same generation any lyrical topics are often relatable with day to day life or negative aspects of life such as break ups from relationships etc.
Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' in the 1960's is seen to be one of the first music videos. Compared to music videos these days, the promo is very uncoventional as Bob Dylan doesn't sing throughout the whole video. The lyrics are on boards and he throws them on the floor in time with the song.
Top of the Pops was a weekly show that began in 1964 that promoted the singles from different artists. It was chart based with different artists playing their song live or mimed in the position of their single in the chart. If the artist was unable to feature on the show, they would often send in short films of the band, with the song playing over the top.
The rise of MTV
MTV was established in 1981 with the simple idea of broadcasting music promos for 24 hours a day on a TV channel. Not only would it promote the bands that were played on the channel but it was also something a young generation wanted to see. It was a time when music was rapidly evolving with many different genres and popular artists and having a channel dedicated to showing the latest singles was a great decision from a business standpoint.
MTV grew rapidly in the US with a large dominance of white male rock artists being played but rap was becoming very popular in the 80's but because it contained alot of controversial language and content, it was not played much. The Aerosmith and Run DMC 'Walk this Way' provided the crossover of rock and rap which led to the white dominance being broken and a much wider range of genres being played. Music promos were a great way to help propel artists to megastardom as it gave them much more publicity and recognition around the world.
Close Ups and Extreme Close Ups are the main shot types used for a music video. The idea of these shots are to highlight and illustrate the artists' musical ability. For example in music promos for bands, there are many close ups of each member playing their instrument, showing their great ability.
Reaction shots are used to higlight the audience or the artist in the music video. If the promo has a narrative, reaction shots can be used to show emotions or illustrate the meaning of the lyrics.
Establishing shots are good to show the setting of the music video. For example, a music video may be set in a venue and so establishing shots will show, the stage, the audience and the artist up on stage.
Band shots are very effective when showing the whole band in one frame. Often in music videos only one or two individuals are shown in the frame but there are times when the whole band playing emphasises their ability and togetherness.
Low Angled shots are mainly used to highlight the stars of the band or the individual artist. The low angle looking up makes them dominate the frame and seem more important.
Movement of the camera is very important in a music promo. It keeps the flow of the song and also looks very effective compared to just a still shot. The camera is always panning, across or up or down which is something you don't always see, especially in a movie. Crane shots are also used to capture film from above, showing different angles and perspective on either the artist or the narrative.
Editing
Fast cuts are very common in music promos. They are the most efficient types of cut and also flow with the song as they are mainly used in time with the beat and tempo of the song.
Transitions are often used in between cuts to add a certain effect to the promo. Fade to black or white add an effect of anger or peace.
CGI features in many modern day music promos. It is mainly used in pop videos which has a certain narrative that CGI can help acheive. For example The Black Eyed Peas 'Meet Me Halfway' the promos location is in space so CGI has been used to create a world that otherwise would have been unable to film on location.
Mis-en-scene
Location and Lighting in music promos is used to add to the mis-en-scene and genre of the song. For example, a pop song would most likely be set in a very exotic place such as a beach. The lighting would be very bright, highliting the fact they are in such a glamourous place and the artist would be made to stand out. Yet for a more agressive genre such as hardcore and metal, the location may be very desolate, with low lighting. This links to the genre of the music and is very conventional.
For example, these two videos are very different in style, lighting, mis-en-scene and narrative. The Wanted 'Glad You Came' shows the group enjoying themselves in a very exotic place, partying and being surrounded by women. Whereas Slipknot 'Psychosocial' shows the band in a very desolate place, with low lighting and fast paced cuts which link in with the speed of the music and anger in the song.
Costumes in music promos add to the narrative or the artist's performance. What type of costumes depends on the genre and also the narrative, if their is a particular storyline for instance. If a music promo was set in space then the costumes would fit in with that location. When a band perform a music video they will often wear their own clothes if they are perfoming, as if they were actually playing in a live venue.
A good example here is metal band, Slipknot. They are very famous for their iconic masks they wear in live shows and promos. They hide their identity and are very sinister which links in with their style of music and lyric meaning. The whole band also wear matching jumpsuits and are each identified by a number from 0 to 8.
Props in music promos are mainly the instruments the artists are using to play. For instance, in Architects 'Follow the Water' the only props in the video are the instruments to show them playing the song. In other music promos, if there are any props they will link in with the narrative.
Narrative
In a lot of music promos they feature some kind of narrative and performance. These means during the video you will see the artist performing the song and also a storyline running throughout.
The narrative in the promo could illustrate the lyrics, and have the storyline following the meaning of what is being sung.
The narrative could contradict the lyrics, also known as disjuncture, which the narrative can then be completely different to what the lyrics actually mean.
The narrative could also amplify the lyrics and show exactly what the lyrics mean. A good example of amplification of the lyrics is Coldplay 'The Scientist' which shows the whole video in reverse as it focuses on one line 'going back to the start.'
Mid to long hair length with a fringe swept across
