Mathcore

Mathcore
Mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan performing live in 2005
Stylistic origins	Math rock metalcore heavy metal hardcore punk
Cultural origins	Early to mid-1990s, United States
Typical instruments	Vocals (singing screaming) electric guitar bass guitar drums percussion
Other topics
Experimental metal avant-punk grindcore noise rock list of mathcore bands

Mathcore is a dissonant fusion of heavy metal and hardcore punk^[1][2] characterized by unusual time signatures, experimentation, and rhythmic complexity.^[2][3] The genre has been shaped primarily by math rock and metalcore.^[2] The term mathcore is a portmanteau of the terms math rock and hardcore. The fusion has also been referred to as noisecore^[1][4][5] and experimental metalcore.^[6][7] Prominent mathcore groups have been influenced by free jazz,^[3] noise rock,^[8] and grindcore.^{[3][4][9][10][11]}

Mathcore was pioneered by bands such as Converge,^[12] Coalesce, Botch,^[13][14] and The Dillinger Escape Plan.^[15]

History

Precedents and early development (1980s - 2000s)

An early antecedent to mathcore was practiced by Black Flag, in 1984, with the album My War; "Its seven-minute metal dirges and fusion-style time signatures proved too much for many fans".^[16] Many groups from the mathcore scene paid tribute to Black Flag for the album Black on Black.^[17]

In the 1990s, groups now often described as mathcore were commonly called "noisecore." Kevin Stewart-Panko of Terrorizer referred to groups such as Neurosis, Deadguy, Cave In, Today Is the Day, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Coalesce, Candiria, Botch, and Psyopus as falling under this label.^[8] Stewart-Panko described the sound of these bands as a "dynamic, violent, discordant, technical, brutal, off-kilter, no rules mixture of hardcore, metal, prog, math rock, grind and jazz."

The earliest known bands to record this hybrid include Rorschach, Starkweather, Botch, and Converge. Throughout the 1990s, several other groups started to emerge: Cave In from Massachusetts, Cable from Connecticut, Coalesce from Kansas City, and Knut from Switzerland. The Dillinger Escape Plan is often considered the "pioneer" of mathcore.^[15][18][19] Before the term "mathcore", the style had only been referred to as "noisecore",^[4][5] though the genre's existence before this time is generally recognized.

Contemporary influence (2000s - present)

In the early 2000s several new mathcore bands started to emerge. Norma Jean's earlier records are often compared to Converge and Botch.^[20][21][22] Other new mathcore bands that cite older mathcore bands as an influence or are compared to them include Car Bomb,^[23] The Locust,^[24] Daughters,^[25] Some Girls,^[26] Look What I Did,^[27] and The Number Twelve Looks Like You.^[28]

The term is generally applied by journalists, rather than by musicians themselves. Jacob Bannon of Converge stated:

See also

• List of mathcore bands
• Progressive metalcore

References