END OF THE CENTURY - METAL

1999 Was Ground Zero for Chaotic Metallic Hardcore BY BEN SAILOR

1999 WAS A BANNER YEAR FOR CHAOTIC METALLIC HARDCORE, ONE PACKED WITH INFLUENTIAL RECORDS THAT ALLOWED THE GENRE TO HIT ESCAPE VELOCITY OUT OF THE DIY UNDERGROUND. WHILE NU-METAL MAY HAVE DONE MORE TO PUSH HEAVY MUSIC INTO THE MAINSTREAM (FOR BETTER OR WORSE), THE MORE ADVENTUROUS SIDE OF THE METALCORE UNDERGROUND WAS BREWING UP SOME INTERESTING SOUNDS JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE. THE TWO EVEN BEGAN TO INTERSECT IN INTERESTING WAYS AROUND THIS TIME, MAKING AN IMPACT THAT’S STILL REVERBERATING ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF METAL TODAY.

Cave In got the punch. Botch Across the pond in the U.K., Bring Me ball rolling with guitarist Dave The Horizon would mix these influtheir debut fullKnudsen proved ences with touches of death metal, length, Until Your one guitar could preceding the widespread prolifHeart Stops. The sound like two eration of deathcore. Their counopening 30 sec(a tendency he’d trymen in Architects would also cite onds of “Moral later explore The Dillinger Escape Plan as a key Eclipse” may be the best Slayer riff in an indie rock context with Minus influence, which can be heard all that Slayer didn’t write. It would be The Bear), while Coalesce perfected over early their releases like Nightthe last record the band put out betheir Jesus Lizard-infused take on mares and Ruin. Labels like Solid fore embracing the space-rock vibe hardcore, shortly before imploding State Records grew exponentially they’re more commonly associated in somewhat dramatic fashion. on the backs of bands like Norma with, but their lone foray into metalJean and The Chariot, continuing core remains a cornerstone of the Poison The Well’s what 1999s graduating class of exgenre. The Opposite of perimental noisemakers had started. December… A Without them, what came next might In the early fall Season of Sepnot exist. of 1999, The Dilaration was relinger Escape leased, fittingly Attempting to draw a family tree of Plan would deenough, in Deall the bands descended from the stroy all previcember 1999, and may have been influence of these seminal records ously conceived the record that most clearly conwould take a lot more space than notions of what nected fringe nu-metal influences what’s available in a single artimetal could be with Calculating Inwith experimental noisecore leancle. Yet, the point remains that 1999 finity. They committed to pushing ings. Blending Deftones-esque guitar may have been the most important aggressive music to its most extreme textures with melodic choruses and year in the intersection of metal and conclusion, and across 37 uncomgrinding breakdowns, the album hardcore. Nothing was the same befortable minutes, they smashed that was heavy enough for the hardcore fore or after. goal entirely to hell. Sounding somefaithful but accessible enough to thing like Cryptopsy on a Black Flag catch mainstream attention. They’d As The Dillinger Escape Plan bender, the album established a bar later join Norma Jean as a common nears the end of their career affor technical excellence and unentry point into hardcore for kids ter accumulating two decades’ hinged genius that would take others outgrowing nu-metal's aimless angst. worth of bodily injuries on stage, bands years to surpass. it’s inspiring to see newer bands By the turn of the century, metallike SeeYouSpaceCowboy and Botch and Cocore’s infiltration onto MTV2 and into Wristmeetrazor bringing back elealesce would fire the CD sections of Christian bookments of late-90s and early-2000s their own salvos stores everywhere would expand the metalcore, making them fresh for in November genre’s reach, even in cities with limita whole new audience. Plus, with 1999, with the ed scenes. By the early- to mid-2000s, streaming services, tracing your way former’s second you couldn’t have gone to a hardcore backwards is easier than ever. We full-length We show at a VFW hall without hearing at can take at least five good guesses Are The Romans, and the latter’s least one band blending low E-chord where you’ll end up. �� �� �� swansong 0:12: Revolution In Just chugging with odd-time breakdowns Listening forming a brutal one-two and sharp guitar dissonance.

1999S CHAOTIC HARDCORE BOOM DIDN’T HAPPEN IN A VACUUM. HERE ARE FIVE OTHER RECORDS FROM EARLIER IN THE DECADE THAT HELPED LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE GENRE’S EVOLUTION AND EVENTUAL EXPLOSION.

RORSCHACH PROTESTANT (1993) Your favorite classic metalcore band’s favorite band (literally - they were a major influence on Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou).

DEADGUY

FIXATION ON A COWORKER (1995) Fast, brutal, and sarcastic, Deadguy’s lone full-length remains essential listening for anyone wanting to understand how hardcore and metal learned to get along in the mid-90s.

HATEBREED

SATISFACTION IS THE DEATH OF DESIRE (1997) Hatebreed have never been known for their complexity. However, the god-tier riffs and crossover appeal of Satisfaction is the Death of Desire went a long way towards opening the door for bands to break through from the hardcore scene into the wider world of metal. Hell, they’ve even toured with Korn.

ZAO

WHERE BLOOD AND FIRE BRING REST (1998) Carcass might seem like an interesting influence for what was perceived as a spirit-filled hardcore band. But then again, Zao never fit the mold of stereotypical Christian metalcore.