Hardcore: Culturally And Musically

Hardcore is one of my many passions in music, and the people who are familiar with it are probably aware that very little about it (culturally and musically alike) makes any sense whatsoever. I, personally, am relatively new to hardcore, but have found it quite entertaining as both a listener and a musician. The information in this article is a combination of opinion, observation and personal participation in hardcore.

The Culture

The hardcore audience, or as they and others in the musical scene are appropriately called, “scene kids,” is part of a movement. Wait…scratch that. I guess it’s more of a fad. These guys and girls don’t stand for anything more than the music.

Most scene kids have a certain mode of dress. I’d relate it closer to a uniform. We’ve seen the people who wear the tight black T-shirts featuring a hardcore band of their choice, (a tight black hoodie with buttons pinned to it, if it’s cold outside) a pair of tight-fitting girl jeans (also with buttons pinned onto one of the front pockets), and some slip-on Vans or Chuck Taylors. Oh, yeah, don’t forget the hardcore haircuts and gauged earlobes.

Well, guys, as ironic as it sounds, underground cultures seem to be a popular thing to be a part of. I suppose it’s kind of like a fraternity. Not just any guy off the street can be a part of it, and it might as well be invite only. The spread of hardcore seems to be through referral, and after the initiation in the pit, you can be a member. Of course, there are a lot of people who pretend to be in this society. But there are posers involved with every genre, right?

Naturally, record labels notice popular growing trends, and they want a piece of the pie. They scoop up some hardcore bands and send in some producers to make everything a little more people-friendly. Call it selling out, call it good business, but regardless, underground cultures are making their way into the light, and will, like other genres, come to die.

But until that happens to hardcore, there is plenty of fun to be had. One of my favorites is hardcore dancing. Hardcore dancing, or throwing down, is a form of expression I never would have imagined prior to my exposure to hardcore. Amidst a cluster of scene kids, there is usually one, or in certain instances more, that flaunt their skills in throwing down. I have witnessed kids who jump in the pseudo-spotlight, plant their feet in a sturdy power-stance, and rotate their arms dual-windmill style, flailing to fight an array of invisible enemies. I have seen others who find a clear space and simply spaz out in a manner that resembles a violent epileptic seizure. Every once in a while, however, I come across someone that throws down with such talent and grace that they seem to be a personified resurrection of a lost art technique that emerges only when summoned by a hardcore musician. They can leap through the air and move with indescribable balance, then disappear into the crowd as quickly as they emerged. A warning to the cautious, though: throwing down can be a brutal sport. Although the purpose of throwing down is not to attack any nearby thing that breathes, people often get hurt. I have often come home from shows with bruises and battle-scars that only my skateboarding brother could envy.

The Music

It might not be a good comparison, but I like to compare hardcore music to old Kung Fu movies: full of action but difficult to understand and follow. Musically, hardcore can be recognized almost immediately due to many of the trademark sounds associated with it. Wait a minute…what’s that sound? It sounds like a note and its minor second! Very few things sound as atrocious and displeasing to the ears as two notes a half step apart, yet there is hardly a song without it or some other seemingly random yet intentionally dissonant chords. Hardcore musicians have a way of capturing these chaotic sounds and applying them to songs without making them sound, you know, bad.

For the most part, the music is full of spontaneous tempo, key, and time changes, as well as odd rhythms from all instruments, which often make the songs difficult to follow yet leaves much room for creativity in the formation of a song.

Now we can’t forget about one of my particular favorite parts of hardcore songs: the breakdown. Breakdowns are easily noticed by drastic decrease in tempo, odd rhythms on relatively basic power-chord progressions (tunings are often in DADGBE, CGCFAD, or some other variation) with a few of those discords thrown in. It is often the drums that shine in this particular section, smashing cymbals and blasting the double-bass pedals in unison with the palm-muted guitar rhythms. This section often lacks the energy present on other parts of the song, but not in a negative fashion. Its purpose it to build tension, the calm before the storm. Immediately proceeding breakdowns is some speedy riffage bound to inspire scene kids to throw down.

As far as lyrics go, a lot of times it doesn’t even matter. Most vocals are so discernable that the vocalist could be screaming about how much scene kids suck, and they would still be thrashing in the pit. Some vocalists, however, just might actually sing a little, or scream just clearly enough to make the words recognizable. The words don’t usually rhyme. They really don’t need to.

Well, guys that’s about it. I am sure there is more, but like I said, I am relatively new to the concept of hardcore. As far as I know, there is not a large number of hardcore fans on this site, so I wanted to give them something to read that was especially for them.

Long live hardcore.

-Parker Stotts

Comments

[ukdudeinuk]

dude...this is stupid. all you did was describe the hardcore "scene" which isnt a scene at all cuz its so freakin popular, at least at my school. at my school, the thing to be is either hardcore/punk or rapper. of course...im the hated metalhead..haha

[heavymetalnoize]

k

[Unseen_hero]

i love how you show little to no appreciation to what this "hardcore" that you scenesters listen to came from.

The unity is still present, but now it's just a psuedo-metal joke.

[m2j]

everyone is so 'hardcore' (i say 'hardcore', i mean EMO!) that you're now more unique if u dress normally!! as i hate those f'kn ear gauge things, its just plain STOOPID!

[benjaminr]

record labels are already ruining hardcore, screamo = the downfall of hardcore.

[backup and lead]

im into hardcore or at least i think i am

[NWOAHM_cain]

hardcore sucks, hardcore dancing sucks, hardcore vox sucks, the whole "scene" sucks

deal

[bender1985]

Yeah, i gotta dig deep to find a GOOD 100% hardcore band that hasn't evolved over to the 'metalcore' side, with said girl pants...dude, flippen that show on mtv 'battle for ozzefest' ALL metalcore bands on there...whateva, just shows what trends are being followed

[Wickedcarny]

This article is great, it just proves how hardcore is so generic and bland...and how generic and bland its fans are. Lets all buy the same shirt from hot topic and borrow our sisters jeans. Sweet!

[Rasonastos]

hardcore dancing definitely sucks. I saw Atreyu the previous week and that stupid **** ruined the entire floor, then again, it was the band who asked them to 'dance their asses off'. i just wanted to be back in the slipknot pit i was in at chicago

[Craigo]

hardcore is shit these days, its all screamo bands. i lik bands lik killswitch engage n slipknot, bt wanabe metalcore bands such has terror and h8breed r jus shit.

[Diceman42]

you're now more unique if u dress normally!!

hardcore sucks, hardcore dancing sucks, hardcore vox sucks, the whole "scene" sucks

Yep.

[kaliba]

ther is some gud parts to hardcore, but the genre has almost been ripped apart by contemporary bands

[broken fusion!]

lame article...

I love the guys talking about slipknot as if it's any better...

[Kroach]

Hey people, I believe that this article is a parody of the hardcore scene, and is supposed to be funny^^

I like it=D

[ThEgReEnMuNkY]

m2j:
everyone is so 'hardcore' (i say 'hardcore', i mean EMO!) that you're now more unique if u dress normally!! as i hate those f'kn ear gauge things, its just plain STOOPID!

Diceman42:
you're now more unique if u dress normally!!

hardcore sucks, hardcore dancing sucks, hardcore vox sucks, the whole "scene" sucks


Yep.

glad to see that there's still some sane people left besides myself

[n0selfesteem]

Hardcore is uncomprehensable. Theyre's no point in listening to it, it's concentrated shit with added screaming. Nobody loves it, or you, go back to your village in shame.

[Unseen_hero]

Oh hey guy, hatebreed are tough guy hardcore and they still suck.

[Needled_24/7]

ukdudeinuk:

dude...this is stupid. all you did was describe the hardcore "scene" which isnt a scene at all cuz its so freakin popular, at least at my school. at my school, the thing to be is either hardcore/punk or rapper. of course...im the hated metalhead..haha

yes!! this guys awesome. im the hated metalhead surrounded by emo punk and rapper posers here to. ya. id rather be true to myself and listen to screming and growling vocals than sell myself out to emo like all the rest.

[xEDGEx]

Are you a friggin english professor? This sounds like you spiced it up with all these big words to meet some word count.

Hardcore doesn't really use odd time-signatures, or fancy rhythms. 95% (if not more) is just straight-ahead 4/4 stuff, and some bands do funny things to try and make it sound complicated, but it's really not. Dillinger Escape Plan and other spazzy stuff is an exception, but that's not hardcore.

You basically just told us how they dress (which, I hate to break it to you, everybody knows cuz 'scene' kids are taking over the western world right now). And a lot of bands have signed to MTV and "sold out" as you said, and hardcore is getting as big and popular as you predicted it will. Hatebreed, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold; they all appear on MTV and on MTV sponsored events. Atleast Hatebreed is humble and loyal to where they came from. But Orange County screws everything up, so whatever.

If this was meant to be a parody, it's actually probably doing worse than if it was written as a serious article.

[Punk Poser]

All the screaming, it really pisses me off.

[Mullet28]

i had neva even heard of hardcore? i thought that it was emo like the lost prophets used to be. anyway if its wat i think it is it suxs. emo = 14 yr old kids on there way to growing into normal people the ones who stay emo r just plain sad

[hopesfall420]

speaking of posers...the author maybe? as with any genre there will always be fags who sell it out to make some money and get their 15 minutes,,,but if you are willing to dig a little deeper there are a few good hardcore bands out there..such as Darkest hour, Heaven shall burn, Champion, Youth of today, throwdown etc..dont judge a genre on the sell outs who are in it for the money..judge it on the bands/musicians who are in it for the music

[hopesfall420]

and by the way...hatebreed is awesome so *** off (just my opinion)

[monkeyspks]

hah... hardcore DANCING, that's funny (i've never heard of it. i've got to get myself to a taking back sunday show sometime to watch this.)

[La_Deux_Machina]

This article sucked, just when we get some good articles on UG we get some errogant little bastards who make up crap like this just to waste our time. I didn't even read this. At first I thought it was serious, but then it was just stupid. I agree with hopesfall420, dont judge a genre on the sellouts...judge them on the bands/musicians who are in it for the music.

[NightFallsSoon]

I am ***ing pissed. You described "EMOCORE" not HARDCORE. You want hardcore, look in NYC, go to an NYHC show. Hardcore was started in 1977, hardcore was basically fast violent punkrock. That's all.

[NightFallsSoon]

And as for the "scene kids", those are just the fashion victims you were talking about, you wouldn't know a real hardcore "scene kid" if he stomped your ***ing head in at a show.

[neopunk86]

hardcore isn't what it used to be... and i love hardcore. new and old (madcap, sick of it all, agnostic front) but i remember when it was cool not to part of a "scene" but to be yourself.
and to those saying it "sucks" shut the f*ck up. if you don't like it, don't post, don't listen to it, and go back to yer pussy-ass music.

[Psykotik]

neopunk86:and to those saying it "sucks" shut the f*ck up. if you don't like it, don't post, don't listen to it, and go back to yer pussy-ass music.

excuse me but I think people are free to say their opinion, even if they don't like it.

Forums and articles' comment would be boring if everybody had the same thing to say.

everyone has their way to see things

[lifeguard]

Dang. This went worse than my article about ska. Maybe next time I should write crap that would please everybody instead of what I feel like writing involving my local scene. Or you know, whatever. Thanks for the constructive criticism, guys, it means a lot.

[NightFallsSoon]

Next time bro, just actually look into a scene, know the history. You described the "emo" and "metalcore" scene, that's not hardcore.

[high voltage]

Should have brought this to UG Contribution!

[CleverAliasHere]

This was actually very stupid, i found this article to be wrong in every sense of the word.

[reed]

Hardcore dancing is the crappiest stuff ever.

[psychodelia]

Yes, hardcore is all about the music.

Ahh, wait, no, according to you, it's made of powerchords, singing that mostly doesnt matter, and its defining characteristics are the dress of the kids and the "dancing" which is basically hitting people.

You did a REALLY good job of selling this genre to me. Now gohome and admire your "battle-scars".

[TheParallelFth]

This article was a huge waste of time for everyone involved... writer... readers... commenters.....

[tinblimp9340]

i hate when people think theyre "scene".
get a grip. just cause you wear the clothes doesnt mean anything.
you could ask who sings in FATA and theyde be like.
"bert from the used" . xcore.

its lame,
long live hardcore.
one genre that hasnt died yet and shall not.

[sargasm]

I love how hardcore has a rich history and strong roots, yet you chose to ignore it. You also represented it very poorly in your article, only encouraging the ignorant bashers to go on about how "omfg hardcore is teh gay!"

A generous 2/10 for your article.

[pistols]

I'd love to do an article on punk, but some people in this site would shoot me if I did...because it'd basically be "the history of the sex pistols, the clash, and billy idol". I do like other punk bands, but they're the only ones I know a lot about.

[uzikid666]

I liked this article...

[ad_lib_oz]

It's well written, but it's random as. Throwing down? Lol, spare me.

[Pig]

I cannot, no matter how I try, take any of this article seriously, nor can I read through either section without breaking into hysterical laughter.

[AdrianSmith2]

All hardcore is is just a bunch of ***in retards playing incomprehensible music with one singer whining like a little girl (who by the way would give a bad name to manhood itself) and another guy screaming Ben Affleck in the background in a wanna be death metal voice

[m2j]

haha, i completely agree...i mean, there was a time when hXc was hXc, now its little shopping centre wannabes with their black clothes and gauged ear things....its all so common now, im glad that what i listen to doesnt define what i am or what i do

[inoy]

dude the dancing you discribe is hardcore but the rest just sucks man...gauged ear things isn't hxc and black clothes isn't hxc also! theres no dresscode, hxc lives within you.

[inoy]

and btw the lyrics are mostly about expressing your emotions and you CAN recognize them. You know nothing about hxc!

[The Oceanborn]

^what???

anyway that article just told me again how worthless and ***ed up hardcore is

[high voltage]

monkey_xxx2003 - your comments have been deleted, check your inbox buddy.

[Croat]

THAT SHIT ISNT MUSIC ANYWAYS

[stratomaster 17]

well i wont bash the hardcore cuz i used to be one until i turned full on hippey ,hippee , hipi?well any way its is not a great thing to listen to or sing along with! try screaming the last by underoath

[kbass9267]

I dont like listening to "Music" where you can feel the saliva coming from the gay ass homosexual leadsingers pussy ass screams. The actual sound is just crap. Who would want to polute their minds with such garbage?

[xdespairfactor]

as a listener to hardcore, you have made some points talking about the scene. and let's all be honest hear, the scene is a ***ing peice of shit. it isnt good, it is a stupid faggy trend. but some of the music is excellent and full of creativity and greatness. some of today's most well known bands used to play hardcore, example. look at the mars volta.. theyre ***ing incredible and huge but they wouldnt be anything without at the drive in. the majority of hardcore bands.. well they suck. but there are always few who think of bigger and better ideas, who are excellent musicians, and can appeal to a larger audience if they had the chance. but most of them are just the same generic stuff. chugachug breakdown riffs and shotty vocals. bleh..

[t1fit63]

that article had nothing to do with hardcore at all lol

you want hardcore go up to a boston show and see what happens when you meet some guys from FSU

go to a show in one of the sewers in downtown New York and see if you walk away from that

go to LA and get stomped in the face by some Terror kids

then maybe you can say hardcore is a bunch of pussy kids whinning

[talius22]

Okay guys, chill out. Actually this article did a lot of good in describing hardcore, at least to the music scene challenged. I am ignorant of what music types are called, or why kids dress and dance funny. When I hear music I like, I listen to it. I don't immediately look up its history, nerds. So really, this dude's article helped me understand why some guys dress like that, and what kind of music scene they are associated with(you can usually tell what kind of music a person likes by how they dress). So for all you jerks that know oh-so-much about music, give this guy a break for breakin' it down for us ignorants. Jerks.
Talia

[pantera6776]

You guys have no idea what hardcore is about. The artile is kinda lame. Those "pits" you see at a slipknot concert and nothing but a bunch of hot topic asshats pushing each other around. Hardcore has been around since the early 80's and is still a thriving genre. All these shit bands like slipknot will be dead in a few years. So untill then keep your stupid hot topic comments to yourself you dont know anything about hardcore. I bet if any of you fags stepped into a sworn enemy pit youd have your faggot ass bondage pants ripped off and then have your head smashed in with sime brass knuckles. Shut up ***ing ozzfest fags

[pantera6776]

And in responnse hardcore kids are not ***ed up. Ive never seen a news report about a hardcore fan going to school and killing people. Hardcore kids use the pit to get out agression not some pussy ass gun.

[t1fit63]

Its all starting to get a bit annoing with all the scene kids makin hardcore look like what Every Time I die and atreyu are makin it out to be. I mean i was heading to a Converge show in NYC a little while back and theres some kids practicing their 2 step on the train. Its these kids that are takin away all the blood and sweat and years bandslike Converge have have put in to build upon real hardcore. Now all these kids with there girls pants and make up show up and claim their hardcore when you ask them who Death Befor Dishonor or Agnostic Front are and they shrug their shoulders

[gibsonLP68]

all you effin ppl who are like "that shit sucks its not music"...are so damn retarted.....so what the hell do you listen to then? we dont rag on your music, so why do it to yours..these kinda articles are such a waste of time...it just gets all the damn debaters goin at it

[gibsonLP68]

oh yea...and all you kids who say that its just a scene..and everybody dresses blah blah blah....all of those metalheads and hot topic freaks....you dont look to good yourself...tight pants to us...is huge ass black pants with chains all over them to yall...i mean hey...at least hardcore kids dont hate everyone or everything...and then go to school and shoot people now do they

[TheAnalogKid]

those people that do that fagg*t sh*t like "throwing down" is the gayest stuff i have ever seen , i cant tell me how many people ive tackled in pits that are like that, o and about the "uniforms" people that wear that stuff wear it 90% of the time so that they can just look like everyone else and seem hardcore, when they are sometimes wusses (you can tell, they are either helluva hardcore, or a wuss)the really hardcore people at those shows, are the misfits like me and my friends, we dont have a group or anything,and thats what punk really is, all the kids that nobody liked getting together and making awesome music, and if you look around , you'll see that those guys got more balls that 2/3 of anybody in that room, cause they have anger in them, cause people call them posers just cause they dont dress hardcore, well dressing a certain way just to listen to music is the gayest sh*t i have ever heard

(can i have an amen

[Kendawg4TooL]

I think you kind of have a bit of a mis-interpretation of what hardcore is and who listens to it though some is relevant. Yet I think I have a pretty good idea of what kind of kids your talking about and you forgot to mention that they all listen to Avenged Sevenfold and Poison The Well.

[Kendawg4TooL]

I like to think of it as emo-metal. It's like simple plan on steroids. Noticeably heavier and more shouting as opposed to that annoying high pitched little bitch vocals like the guy from New Found Glory. Yet in the end, somehow, equally as annoying IMO.

[chaospunxunite]

this is bullshit... i dont know what this guy is talking about. hardcore used to be drunk punx, but now its emo and screamo kids. that means what was once hardcore now has to be called "street punk" so tupid posers dont get confused. YOU IMBISILS... how about all the major corporations ***in leave and go concentrate on their rap shit and im happy to debate anyone who hinks im wrong cos... well im right so *** you. up the punx (the REAL punx)

[rusted embrace]

Or you could all stop worrying so much about how you're more scene or less scene or better scene or how much you know about "real hardcore" and just be yourselves. To all the posters trying to "re-educate" the author, just realize you're just as bad as he/she is.

[)Eric(Draven]

xEDGEx:
Are you a friggin english professor? This sounds like you spiced it up with all these big words to meet some word count.

Hardcore doesn't really use odd time-signatures, or fancy rhythms. 95% (if not more) is just straight-ahead 4/4 stuff, and some bands do funny things to try and make it sound complicated, but it's really not. Dillinger Escape Plan and other spazzy stuff is an exception, but that's not hardcore.

You basically just told us how they dress (which, I hate to break it to you, everybody knows cuz 'scene' kids are taking over the western world right now). And a lot of bands have signed to MTV and "sold out" as you said, and hardcore is getting as big and popular as you predicted it will. Hatebreed, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold; they all appear on MTV and on MTV sponsored events. Atleast Hatebreed is humble and loyal to where they came from. But Orange County screws everything up, so whatever.

If this was meant to be a parody, it's actually probably doing worse than if it was written as a serious article.
[POSTED: 21 March 2005 - 16:54]|

:cheers:

[Overrated]

All the emo kids oughtta stop singin songs about suicide and try it. Thin out their numbers a little bit.

[orcutt989]

chaospunxunite
YOU IMBISILS...

I believe the correct spelling is "imbusile".
Before you call somebody and "imbusile", know how to spell it, imbusile. To everyone in this thread, get off your pretentious thrones, and just understand the making of this article was simply in jest. However, some speak the truth as "scene kids" are taking over the western world. But it is just a fad, just like bell bottoms were a fad in the 70's. Open your minds, and stop listening to so much metallica.

[rusted embrace]

imbecile. just fyi.

[stratstrummer40]

haha that article wasnt that bad..... i actually found it kinda amusing

[orcutt989]

Well rusted embrace, I shall place my foot into my mouth.

[Metallica78]

Well hardcore is on the same path as every other genre. You have the kids that are really into it and know all the music, then you have the kids who have a few favorite bands who get mixed in with the kids who are posing. The "scene" is in all genres so nothing new there. No comment on your "throwdown pits". These comments are just a debate between people who think they ARE "Hardcore" and the people that could give a *** less about the scene but know the music. As for the article though you didnt name any good bands to look into if someone who read it wanted to hear it.

[bearded_rainbow]

I believe the correct spelling is "imbusile".
Before you call somebody and "imbusile", know how to spell it, imbusile.

]
Same to you, imbecile.

This article sucked. It was poorly written and just plain incorrect. All you people making comments suck to.

[XoLinDsAy06Xo]

This article sux! It's so gay just like you! Parker hardcore is the dumbest thing i've ever heard. And the girl pants are so borderline!

[Man_In_The_Box]

as i read this article i was listening to a band that i like who are hardcore. there nothing like that. what kind of hardcore r u listening to buddy?

[fender rocker16]

pop culture ruins music...

[fender rocker16]

...but it is fun to find a "hardcore" guitarrist and burn them so bad they decide to sell their guitar and never play again.

[darknessrules55]

hardcore what? hardcore whining? bitching? The people you describe are a bunch of punks that just complain about everything but never do anything about it.

[pantera6776]

If you dont know who rick ta life is shut the *** up and stop talking about hardcore. Again i get the impression that everyone on this site thinks hardcore is a new genre or something. As far as uniforms goes you guys are retarded. Again this article and 99% of the posts here prove that you guys dont know shit about hardcore. People that say hardcore lacks talent dont get what its all about. Hardcore is a genre thats fans have passion. Im a sucker for a mean guitar solo but that shit thats called metal today is lacking from talent. It took those slipknot fags three albums to attempt a guitar solo. So dont bitch about the lack of talent.
p.s. sorry for the rants but when people with bullhist opinions talk shit about stuff that means so much to me i get pissed. If there are any other hardcore fans on here im sure they know what im talking about.
Wasted Youth Crew for life baby!

[rusted embrace]

The best part is how one core concept of hardcore is unity and there's such fervor and bickering about an article. Listen to some H20, Agnostic Front, 25 Ta Life, or Madball or something to get a feel for what the point of hardcore is supposed to be (this list is not all inclusive, keep your flames to yourselves.) Or better yet, stop worrying who's more scene and just enjoy whatever it is you enjoy.

[rusted embrace]

Oh and Blood For Blood. Can't forget them.

[Cutie]

Can someone prove why one genre sucks opposed to another? Give reasons, instead of saying " So and so suck, 'cause I say so". People who respond to an article like this are a buch of morons, simply because they can't support what they preach.

[Cookie_master]

Just listen to the music, no one really cares how they dress or anything..

[Sabre0001]

^^i agree cookie_master and that was about to be my exact point...crap article really. well actually i stopped reading it after a bit...

[southern_stylin]

The one thing I love about these articles is it gets all the idiots going so bad! You can take one glance at the page and instantly tell who never finished high school. Most of you are pretty cool but some of you, holy shit man, how do keep from accidentally poking your eyes out? You expect your almighty opinions to be valid yet you refuse to learn the English language! Read a fu*kin' book.

[FLESH_INTO_GEAR]

classification sucks ass! i agree with cookie master aswell. just because you listen to a band doesn't mean you have to try and look like the lead singer. wearing their merchandise is cool becasue your supporting them but trying to be them is just another thing altogether and those people need to learn.

rant over. ~ roCK

[kRaff 21]

Right...so anyways...hardcore has taken over down here in my area. I can stand it and everything, but I don't listen to it. One of the main things I don't like about hardcore is all the (insert randomass word here) core genre name its spawned. Oh dear

[Anonymous412]

Everyone seems so willing to flat-out insult this guy for a pretty decent article. You all have opinions and the right to express them, to be sure...

...but you can't really take out a solid, well-written article with one half-baked sentence that just says that everything hardcore sucks.

At least some of you took the time to write out a decent reply, but to the morons out there, get a freaking life. Give us an article to counter-flame, or better yet, get a life?

Go practice or do something useful rather than trash a decent article of someone's opinion. He even said he didn't know everything 'bout hardcore, but he still tried. Cut the guy a break.

You guys must wake up an hour early to shove those metal rods THAT far up your arses.

[whyvern]

you're wrong... listen to black flag or minor threat... now. Hardcore has nothing to do with that mall culture bullshit you listed.

[strider_hein]

he is obviously someone who knows nothing about hardcore music.
like my god
do you actually listen to any harcorebands?

[theredskyismine]

i just wanted to be back in the slipknot pit i was in at chicago

A much better choice...

[PunkRawk1224]

hardcore isnt black shirts and girl pants, thats a steriotype. you see those type of hardcore kids at the supermarket. and since when did hardcore come to be singing about girls and whining like them? you guys must be thinking of atreyu and other shit like that. check out some actual good stuff, not thrice.

and is there something wrong with metalcore? personally, i think metalcore is better than hardcore itself. the guitar work is amazing for the most part, and the drums and bass actually do more than just keep rhythm. it is in no way just banging on your instruments hitting random notes, 95% of you guys in here arent as talented as most metalcore bands.

the person writing the article knows nothing of hardcore.

[R@fa88offspring]

this sounds more like post-hardcore/emo-core shit

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

Umm, you guys keep listing Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, and Hatebreed as hardcore. That's retarded. Atreyu sucks, Avenged sounds like 80's metal, and Hatebreed is just terrible. Hardcore would be bands like Norma Jean, the Chariot, old Hopesfall, Evergreen Terrace, shit like that. Atreyu sounds like just plan rock with screaming.

[DisclaimerZero]

Rasonastos:
i just wanted to be back in the slipknot pit i was in at chicago

Wow, now that is the gayest thing i ever heard. i wouldn't even call that a pit, i would call it kids pushing each other around thinking it is a pit. With hardcore pits, you actually have to practice for a while and be good at it.

[ArtOFGuitar?]

Go f*uck yourself DisclaimerZero. All those little fag ass girly s.o.b can go f a horse. Scene makes me want to shoot myself just so i dont have to deal with it.

[ArtOFGuitar?]

practice for a concert? what a load of crap. please someone with arms the size of wylde's punch these kids.

[Pageismyhero]

are you even aware of the connotation behind the word 'hardcore' hardcore is something that is not mainstream, hardcore is something that is relevant to only a few people. Led Zeppelin not caring about pushing out a chart topping single or any single for that matter is hardcore. A bunch of confused teenagers wearing pants that are too big for them and wishing they were dead is not hardcore, it's retarted.

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

Led Zeppelin is a bunch of ***ing sellouts. And you're one to call them hardcore. They dress just like hardcore people now. With tight pants and shit. You dont know what you're talking about. Led Zeppelin ***ing blows.

[Ragnarok_Riff]

anyone who says zeppelin blows obviously don't know the first thing about music...no point arguing the numbers make u crash and burn without a word spoken

[ffnerds.cjb.net]

The wierd thing is that I just got out of the shower (listening to From Autumn To Ashes, hardcore if you didn't know) and I put on a tight black shirt with some tight black girl pants...

[wanna_lick_me?]

ILIKEMUSICALOT please go *** urself. if any bands u like are even 1/3 as good as LEd Zep. ill shoot myself

[rusted embrace]

I see this is still going strong. Best / Worst thread ever.

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

Led Zeppelin is terrible. He ***ing moans on quiet parts of the songs. It's terrible. The guys are quite talented, I will admit, but the music does not appeal to me at all. Sorry dudes.

[Ragnarok_Riff]

ok so zeppelin doesnt appeal to u... that doesnt make them crap...just means u have bad taste in music...and how can u admit the are talented and then say they are ***ing terrible? think before u speak

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

To Ragnarok_Riff:

They are talented. They are good at playing. They don't just play 4 power chords to make a song. They make solos, and make tons of different riffs. They just don't appeal to me. Have you never gave credit to a band for being talented but they just didn't appeal to you? Don't tell me what kind of taste I should have in music. Music is whatever the person wants it to be. I HATE LED ZEPPELIN. Who ***ing cares? I'm not going to say you have a bad taste in music because you like them and I don't. I'm not a whiny bitch who wants everything his way. You think before you speak. You can't rule everyone's life and make decisions for them. God gave us free will for a reason.

[Ragnarok_Riff]

hehehe did i get u going or wat....i'm not trying to rule anyone's life u ***ing idiot, but u see at first u say they suck, then u say they're good but u hate them....just pointing out some contradiction now, and quite franktly i just have fun pissing off morons like u...and u actually waste ur time trying to piss ppl off and be nice about it, alot of extra effort lol...and i dunno wat u listen to so i can't bring it down, either way i was just sticking up for a band that u come out accusing of being sellouts and pussies when well....who the *** wants ur opinion idiot? but i had to hear it...so i gave u mine, and yes there is alot of bands i acredit for being good even tho i dont like them, but i dont start trashing on them and then all of a sudden say they are good i just dont like them, anyways i dunno wat more to say, lol respond if u must...but don't go contradicting urself....be an asshole with pride, thats how battles are won

[nirvana4lf]

before i clicked the link, i could tell this article was a piece of shit when i saw the title.

[DisclaimerZero]

To Artofguitar?:

Umm, i'm not sure why you are getting upset over my statement, but why would you like a band that has a gimmick to be liked? Oh wow i wear a mask and stuff, that means i rule.

One other thing, i went to a nu-metal show because From Autumn to Ashes was there(I don't know why they were playing with those other nu-metal bands) and me and my "hardcore" friends(if that is what you want to call us) took over the pit during FATA and started headwalking on those nu-metal kids, they didn't do anything about it, just whined like most of you guys on here are doing.

It was fun. Anyway just because i like some hardcore, i do admit a lot of it is overrated. I think the best band in that genre out now is Every Time I Die. I do also listen to quite a lot and quite different music, I will proudly say I can go from Hardcore to Simon and Garfunkel, Beatles, Led Zep, Rush, Social D, and bunch of other greats.

So don't label me hardcore just cause i like some of it.

[tightpantsXcore]

You guys are pathetic. It was a freakin article. So maybe the guy doesn't know a whole lot about "hardcore" music. He says in his article he's new to it. Most of you have proven that you have no lives whatsoever. And that you are also idiots. Saying something like "all hardcore music sucks" automatically labels yourself as a retard. Just to let you know, mainstream "hardcore" is not all there is to it. There are some decent bands out there. And what's so bad about metal-core? I agree with PunkRawk1224. Crazy double bass and guitar are awesome. The Agony Scene is a decent example, I'd say.

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

Here are some great lessons I was taught by Ragnarok_Riff(These are direct quotes from him I might add.)

but u see at first u say they suck, then u say they're good but u hate them....just pointing out some contradiction now

yes there is alot of bands i acredit for being good even tho i dont like them, but i dont start trashing on them and then all of a sudden say they are good i just dont like them, anyways i dunno wat more to say, lol respond if u must...but don't go contradicting urself

Well aren't you quite the contradictor? You told me that I said they sucked, but I think they are good but I hate them and that you were sensing some contradiction because of my "statement" that you jumped to conclusions on. But you also said: "yes there is alot of bands i acredit for being good even tho i dont like them" You're doing the same thing, you can't even argue. By the way, I never said Led Zeppelin were good to me, I said they are good at what they do. It doesn't appeal to me, but they are talented. Why is it wrong to say that? There are some ***ing amazing guitarists out there, really fast but they just can't make music that appeals to everyone. That is how Led Zeppelin is to me. Now go away, shoo, you have no arguement. You have contradicted yourself enough and I have proven my point.

[PunkRawk1224]

ragnarok_riff gave me quite a laugh. those were some of the stupidest posts i have ever read.

[IlikeTheSKA]

You forgot the whol feeling of "I'm better/more scene than thou" thing that goes on too.

I hate the hardcore kids in the moshpits. Karate isn't a dance.

[Ragnarok_Riff]

ilikemusicalot:
a direct quote from u

Led Zeppelin ***ing blows.

when did i come out and directly say anyone sucked? i didn't...where did i contradict? grab a ***in dictionary and look up the meaning of contradiction. looking through my statements i think i stuck with wat i said....more than i can say for u. is there a point to this tho? rather then u try and turn my own statements to u on me?
here's wat i think....shut the *** up and try again when u can find the point of what we were talking about

[damnit]

dude uve been owned

[mikeman]

If you dont like Led Zeppelin, then guitar isnt for you. Jimmy Page revolutionized guitar and he should be listened to and liked by all guitar players.

[Ragnarok_Riff]

mikeman: 100% agreeing on that...a point not to be forgotten

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

Guitar isn't for me because I don't like Led Zeppelin? Shut up, seriously. I don't have to like Led Zeppelin to play guitar. I am pretty sure there are tons of guitarists who hate Led Zeppelin and are quite good at what they do. One being one of my friends, who is really good, but hates Led Zeppelin. He's been playing for about 7 years now and is pretty amazing. I guess since he hated Led Zeppelin though, guitar wasn't for him. Led Zeppelin is overrated, it's obvious by what you just said. "Jimmy Page revolutionized guitar and he should be listened to and liked by all guitar players." Not every has to like him. We're not all brainwashed bastards who worship Page. Like I said before, the guy is good, but I don't give a shit, I don't like the music he makes. IT DOES NOT APPEAL TO ME. It's boring to me. It's not my kind of music at all. Quit trying to say that I have to like everything you guys like. Like I said before, "God gave us free will for a reason."

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

mikeman:
If you dont like Led Zeppelin, then guitar isnt for you. Jimmy Page revolutionized guitar and he should be listened to and liked by all guitar players.
[POSTED: 27 March 2005 - 01:45]|

In conclusion, thanks to mikeman, we all know the truth. All you super good guitarists out there that don't like Led Zeppelin should just give up on guitar. No matter how awesome your music or playing abilities are, nobody will like it due to the fact that you aren't a Led Zeppelin or Jimmy Page fan. Mikeman, you have saved my life. Now I don't have to waste anymore years of my life playing guitar. I realize it now. Hopefully word of this gets out. Plenty of bands will have broken up, with the realization that one of their members doesn't like Zeppelin. No matter if your lead guitarist was awesome and everyone loved him, he's outta here. You all realized his fatal flaw.

If you read all the way down to here, I appreciate it. Thanks for your time, and please do leave a comment or two.

Aaron J. RAM

LED ZEPPELIN ROCKS DUDES!

[IlikeTheSKA]

mikeman:
If you dont like Led Zeppelin, then guitar isnt for you. Jimmy Page revolutionized guitar and he should be listened to and liked by all guitar players.

You are an idiot.

[lacey_the_crazy]

ILIKEMUSICALOT:

^^I totally agree. I'm a Led Zeppelin fan, but that's beside the point. Besides, if everyone loves the same band, doesn't that kinda take away the appeal anyway?

[falloutboy106]

who said led zeppelin are great? the media.
who said that if you dont like zeppelin then guitar isnt for you? mikeman.
what does that mean? mikeman is a media sellout.

perfect.

[falloutboy106]

i could have gone a little deaper into the connections, but i didnt really feel like it

[lifeguard]

Does anybody else fail to see the connection between Led Zep and hXc? Buncha people with ADD, I swear...

[ababselectstart]

"dude...this is stupid. all you did was describe the hardcore "scene" which isnt a scene at all cuz its so freakin popular, at least at my school. at my school, the thing to be is either hardcore/punk or rapper. of course...im the hated metalhead..haha"

there would be no "scene" if no-one knew of it...dumbass. stay in school.....for the love of god (dimebag)

[ababselectstart]

the really annoying hardcore music fans are just the douche bags that want to do something extra to make sure everyone knows that they like faux-heavy music. plus they're just pissed they cant play in a band because they dont understand that playing an instrument well takes more than a bored afternoon, it takes many. you can normally tell the real musicians in the crowd, they're the ones sitting back watching the show, maybe nodding their heads, not moshing.

[JustRock'n'Roll]

heh. I thought it was funny.

[Punk_Aint_Dead]

The kid who wrote this is probobly one of those kids who listens to nofx and thinks "Wow, look at me, i'm a big punk rocker kiddie!" For fvcks sake, theres nothing wrong with nofx, but they're POP PUNK! Not hardcore. Or mabie you're not quite as bad and think anti-flag is hardcore! Again, WRONG! Pop punk. The pop punk kids are ALL emo's with slightly better music. If you did a real description of hardcore it would be more like "Covered in leather, mohawks and metal studs, patches plaid and apathy" But of course, you've probobly never in your life heard real hardcore, so i'll just leave you in your dream world. Adios, Idiot

dude...this is stupid. all you did was describe the hardcore "scene" which isnt a scene at all cuz its so freakin popular, at least at my school. at my school, the thing to be is either hardcore/punk or rapper. of course...im the hated metalhead..haha

[mikedeit]

?

[guitare_kid13]

*** this article and everyone that agreeds with it. who cares about the hardcore scene,punk scene all this crap. all of you who follow this are idiots, why do you got to be like someone else. dam you all .....look at me i hate the goverment , i hate my parents my life is breaking.....tough it up bitches stop being so pussy

[lacey_the_crazy]

^^Hey, relax. The dude is just writing about what he figures to be the 'hardcore scene'. Whether the "scene" is your thing, stupid, or non-existant is up to you. Nobody said you have to be hardcore. Nobody said you have to be punk. (Although if anybody did, then yeah, he's an idiot.)

[darkstar9814]

....u described EMO (or "screamo" as selfconcious ***s reger to it) not hardcore.

[evening_crow]

poser...

[Cmoj&CP]

neopunk86:and to those saying it "sucks" shut the f*ck up. if you don't like it, don't post, don't listen to it, and go back to yer pussy-ass music.

I think the irony in that post made me laugh harder than the article itself.

[Cmoj&CP]

OK. Granted, the man writing the aritcle doesn't know shit about what he's talking about. I, not being hardcore, do not either. So what is everybody so angry about? Write an article bashing my ska "scene" that is equally ignorant to this one and it would also strike me as funny. It's not long before these people befall an injury due to their own ignorance. Fine. No use getting all worked up about it then calling all people who don't listen to hardcore pussies.

[tinblimp9340]

your talking about fashioncore, dumbass.
metalcore owns all.
.unearth til I die.

[Cmoj&CP]

tinblimp9340: .unearth til I die.

This is for your own good:
shut up.

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

I like Unearth, they have great guitar work and insane drums.

[frankbardon]

What I don't get is why everyone is so concerned with what other people are doing. The same poeple saying that they hate this and that are the first people to say "I don't care what they do, i'm to most accepting person on earth. Look at how accepting I am." Shut the hell up.

I got a tip for you: Stop labeling people and you'll be much happier. I promise, just think! You won't have to worry about how much everyone else sucks because they do what they like to do. And if what they like to do is act like other people then so be it. Who the hell are you to judge...

[rusted embrace]

Finally someone else that gets it.

[JustRock'n'Roll]

This is a joke article. A satire. Perhaps a social comment.
.."Ooohh, guys, a joke," you might say. "Let's all get really upset and take personal offense because this guy's opinion is different than ours. I'm so insecure that I need to hate people with differing opinions."
..I like some hardcore, but I admit the culture is kind of hypocritical and lame. If to be accepting means you can't make jokes or point out the funny things about any aspect of life, then I want no part of it. However, if it means looking at the merits of all types of things, and determining preferences based on open-minded judgements, sign me up.

[ultradogfromhel]

hahaah mad true man, you said it perfectly, but ofcourse some people are gunna get offended, which is why this worl is so f*cked up

[FlyingFuc!<]

it's funny how all of these people who have no idea what hardcore is (since when did killswitch and slipkont become hardcore?) commenting about how much it sucks. I can't wait till hardcore dies from the spotlight, it hurts to hear that dumbasses who listen to slipknot and other nu-metal bands are listening to my favorite bands.

and the scene is all about the look. that's what makes it so profitable. but every "scene" has a look.

***in shit i hate having all these people even having knowledge about the scene. they're so ignorant. ***, *** ,*** ,*** you mtv. ***. jesus christ. *** taking back sunday and atreyu touring together. ***.

[FlyingFuc!<]

pantera6776:
You guys have no idea what hardcore is about. The artile is kinda lame. Those "pits" you see at a slipknot concert and nothing but a bunch of hot topic asshats pushing each other around. Hardcore has been around since the early 80's and is still a thriving genre. All these shit bands like slipknot will be dead in a few years. So untill then keep your stupid hot topic comments to yourself you dont know anything about hardcore. I bet if any of you fags stepped into a sworn enemy pit youd have your faggot ass bondage pants ripped off and then have your head smashed in with sime brass knuckles. Shut up ***ing ozzfest fags
[POSTED: 22 March 2005 - 21:33]|

pantera6776:
And in responnse hardcore kids are not ***ed up. Ive never seen a news report about a hardcore fan going to school and killing people. Hardcore kids use the pit to get out agression not some pussy ass gun.



thank you. the real scene is all about integrity and brother hood. everyone takes care of each other in the pits and it's awesome, cuz everyone's just having fun.

[Dlawso]

No, but I dont use guns, I BITE the head of my victims, so shut up...

[undeaded]

thing is though at my school, everyone has a different taste, or slightly different taste in music. People however rate you by what u wear. And the dress code is a t-shirt or hoody of your fav band. Baggy jeans and some slip on vans or something like that. But why hardcore. My hardcore reaches to slipknot, and people who dont listen to hardcore still have the same dress sense.

Oh and guns...one word....chavs

[danceXcore]

hardcore is shit these days, its all screamo bands. i lik bands lik killswitch engage n slipknot, bt wanabe metalcore bands such has terror and h8breed r jus shit.



i respect all people opinions.this kid obviously has no idea what he is talking about since terror and hatebreed have no metal at all in their music.sry but u are a dumb *** and it pisses me off that u can say anythign when u listen to slip knot they are not any better if not worse.

[danceXcore]

wtf man i am really pissed all of u ***s have no idea what you are talking about. core kids are not out to hurt people for the most part.they are out for the fun and going off during a crazy break down.sry for anyone that is pissed becasue they got hit last time they went to see atreyu but its probably casue u mallcore hot topic faggots tryed to start a pushpit at a ***en norma jean show. wtf man shut up unless u know.

[undeaded]

exactly danceXcore

[ahhhhzombies]

i love my girls jeans. they look great with my white belt, fata hoodie, and black hair. and i love how they stretch, it makes it easy to kick high when i'm dancing.

[craig_thomson]

Led Zeppelin were the shiz, but they weren't anything like hardcore - unless you're using hardcore to decribe an attitiude rather than a musical style... anyway. people stop bitching, the fact is that the live music scene sucks really bad nowadays and there hasn't been a good band for out for fecking years. and don't bother trying to argue with me because i've heard a lot of this so called 'emo' and 'metalcore' (you can add deathmetal to that list too) and as far as i'm concerned it's the biggest load of shit ever. Everyone should just go back to listening to Hendrix, Cream and Zeppelin

[danceXcore]

time for a new article on hardcore so i can post through out every time a and write the words "dumb ***" next to every person that thinks they know somthing,but really have no clue. i cant even come to this comment list w/o getting pist off.

[J Lock]

The fashion you have described is that of fashion-core.
The music you desribed is that of metalcore.

There is no hardcore in this article.

[yeller56]

Hardcore ***ing rules. Its no diffrent from melodic metal in some cases. I was into hardcore before it got turned into a scene. Besides hardcore isn't sold out yet anyway. Screamo has, basically screamo has hardcore vocals, slower guitar that isn't as fast, and is about a relationship. Hardcore is more like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Unearth, Lamb Of God, As I Lay Dying (maybe). Screamo is like Atreyu, Silvertien, that gay ass "Ohio is for lovers shit." Get your facts straight before you diss bands. And please, I love black metal, death metal, thrash and the like...honest to God though, its not much diffrent, black metal just has sorry ass guitars.

Craigo:
hardcore is shit these days, its all screamo bands. i lik bands lik killswitch engage n slipknot, bt wanabe metalcore bands such has terror and h8breed r jus shit.
[POSTED: 21 March 2005 - 13:21]|

Slipknot is gay, and Hatebreed ***ing made any hardcore band you listen to.

[Kappa]

Hardcore isn't complex music. There are absolutely no minor seconds (you CAN get used to minor seconds and other dissonances by listening to contemporary classical music, by the way) and the time/tempo changes just happen because the musicians can't play rhythms properly (see: Agnostic Front, Converge etc.).

[lifeguard]

Contemporary music is horrible. It's a pathetic way to try and be original. Bad.

[shadows666]

"Hardcore", with the exception of Atreyu and A7X is just another way of saying "EMO". The Fashion is soo gay and the guys are flaming fags wearing chicks clothing. Plus, the guitarists suck in those bands except for the ones i named. The guitar is meant to be played, not thrown around and have three chords