deathcore

Deathcore is a heavy metal subgenre that blends death metal with metalcore. It commonly features down-tuned guitars, brutal vocal styles that combine growls and screams, fast drumming with blast beats, and breakdowns that slow the tempo for heavy, rhythmically heavy sections. Song structures often mix rapid, aggressive riffing with mid-tempo, groove-oriented passages and sudden tempo changes.

Lyrical themes vary but frequently address violence, personal struggle, or social issues. Musically, it draws on death metal's guitar work and vocal styles while adopting metalcore's emphasis on breakdowns, dynamics, and crowd-friendly mosh sections. Some releases incorporate melodic, dissonant, or slam-influenced passages.

Origins and development: Deathcore emerged in the late 1990s to mid-2000s as bands fused death metal and metalcore. Pioneering acts associated with the style include Despised Icon, Job for a Cowboy, Whitechapel, Suicide Silence, and Carnifex. The term gained currency as more bands adopted the hybrid approach, leading to a recognizable scene in North America and Europe and a wave of releases during the mid-2000s onward.

Subgenres and reception: The genre has given rise to substyles such as slam deathcore and technical or melodic deathcore. Reception within metal circles is mixed; some praise its intensity and innovation, while others criticize overemphasis on breakdowns or perceived formulaic approaches. Deathcore continues to influence bands beyond its core, contributing to cross-genre collaborations and live performance culture.