It’s pretty difficult nowadays to be a metal fan and not have an opinion about metalcore. Nowadays, the metalcore sound has become somewhat trendy, with bands like Killswitch Engage, Bleeding Through, As I Lay Dying, and Trivium getting high billing on various tours and festivals. Metalcore appears to be primarily a US phenomenon, although a scattering of bands in other countries have adopted the sound as well, occasionally adding their own touches. Personally I’m not particularly fond of the general metalcore sound, though there are a handful of metalcore bands that find their way into my regular rotation. There are 3 bands in particular that I think are worth mentioning. Sadly, all 3 have disbanded.
Botch
Probably most hardcore / metalcore fans are familiar with Botch. Their music is probably more accurately labeled mathcore - in particular their final 2 releases were full of polyrhythmic passages, extreme tempo changes, and very innovative guitar work. Extremely influential, and essential listening for fans of this type of music.
Candiria
Candiria blended hip-hop and jazz with hardcore and metal to create an extremely unique sound. We’re not talking about hip-hop influences here in the same way as say, Linkin Park or KoRn. Candiria vocalist Carley Coma’s vocals alternate between clean and hardcore-style, but his delivery borrows from the rhythmic nature of hip-hop. Candiria’s music overall focuses much more on rhythm than melody, though the jazz influences reveal themselves in the band’s choice of chords and drum beats. Drummer Ken Schalk was one of the most respected drummers in the scene, even drawing praise from Cryptopsy’s Flo Mounier. Another unusual aspect of Candiria was that they peppered their releases with full tracks of hip-hop, jazz, or ambient music, showing off their diverse influences and talents. Instead of breaking up the flow of the albums, these tracks served to accentuate the different aspects of the band’s music.
Radiation 4
Radiation 4 is probably the least well-known of the 3 bands I’ve mentioned. Their music sounds like demented circus metal, basically. They combine the aggression of hardcore with very weird scales, which give the music a sort of carnival-like feel. Vocalist Chris Negrete’s vocals are all over the place, the closest comparison would be Mike Patton’s performances in various bands such as Fantomas. It’s kind of like listening to something Danny Elfman would write, except set to metal. Due to the sheer complexity and weirdness of their music, they probably fall into the mathcore category as well, although experimental hardcore sounds much more accurate. Fans of unusual metalcore and mathcore are probably the type who would enjoy this band.
