Mathcore
Mathcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk and metalcore influenced by post-hardcore, extreme metal and math rock that developed during the 1990s. Bands in the genre emphasize complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatures, polymeters, syncopations and tempo changes. Early mathcore lyrics were addressed from a realistic worldview and with a pessimistic, defiant, resentful or sarcastic point of view.
Mathcore
In the 1990s, the hardcore punk scene started to embrace extreme metal openly. It also started to become highly ideological, with most of the popular bands being part of subcultures. This led to bands such as Converge, Botch, Coalesce and The Dillinger Escape Plan to establish the genre.
Characteristics[edit]
Music[edit]
Mathcore emphasizes complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatures, polymeters, syncopations and tempo changes, while at the same time the drummers play with overall loudness.[1][2][3][4] In the words of The Dillinger Escape Plan bassist Liam Wilson, their "choppy rhythms that people get kind of tongue-twisted on" are "Latin rhythms" mixed with the speed and "stamina" of heavy metal, drawing a parallel between them and John McLaughlin's use of Eastern sounds within a jazz context.[5] Most pioneering mathcore drummers had jazz, orchestral or academic backgrounds, including Dazzling Killmen's Blake Fleming,[6] Craw's Neil Chastain,[7] Coalesce's James Dewees,[8] Botch's Tim Latona,[9] The Dillinger Escape Plan's Chris Pennie,[10] and Converge's Ben Koller.[11] As with the rhythm section, the guitars perform riffs that constantly change and are seldom repeated after one section. Early bands were almost completely atonal with the guitars or all the instruments playing polyphonic dissonance.[1] After the first The Dillinger Escape Plan records, the guitar work of most bands became extremely technical as well and "not only musically challenging, but physically demanding."[1][12]
In a 2016 article, Ian Cory of Invisible Oranges described mathcore's emphasis on technical complexity as "the means by which" they attain the aggressiveness of punk, "but never the end unto itself", distinguishing it from "the overflowing excess" of progressive metal.[12] Writer Keith Kahn-Harris has described some mathcore bands as a mix between the aggressiveness of grindcore and the idioms of free jazz.[13]
Lyrics[edit]
Early mathcore lyrics were addressed from a realistic worldview and with a pessimistic, defiant, resentful or sarcastic point of view. They have been singled out for their philosophical and poetic elements.[1][14][15][16][17] Some bands satirized and criticized the militant branches of the hardcore punk ideologies prominent in the 1990s.[18][19] Others, such as Converge's Jacob Bannon and The Dillinger Escape Plan's Dimitri Minakakis, wrote about deeply personal issues.[20][21]
Although musically rooted in extreme metal, some mathcore artists have shown contempt for extreme metal fictional and horror lyrics.[22][23]
History[edit]
Precedents (1980s to early 1990s)[edit]
Early antecedents to mathcore were practiced by post-hardcore bands of the 1980s and early 1990s. Post-hardcore is a broad term to define bands that maintain the aggressiveness and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Hardcore punk pioneers Black Flag incorporated characteristics reminiscent to mathcore during their mid-1980s experimental period, including heavy metal laden riffs and lengthy songs, as well as fusion-style time signatures, polyrhythms, instrumental songs and improvisational sections.[32][33] At that time, their biggest influences were the Mahavishnu Orchestra and King Crimson during its 1972–1975 lineup.[33] Author Steven Blush said that their new direction "proved too much for many fans",[32] yet numerous mathcore trailblazers would later credit Black Flag as an inspiration.[6][18][34][35][36] Among others post-hardcore bands usually credited are Minutemen,[6][34][37] who were heavily influenced by avant-garde rock and jazz,[38] The Jesus Lizard,[39][40][41] inspired by progressive rock,[42][43] Fugazi,[18][44][45][46] and Drive Like Jehu,[18][41][47][48] who drew from math rock and krautrock.[49]
Early development (1990–1995)[edit]
In the 1990s, the hardcore punk scene started to embrace extreme metal openly and also was highly ideologized, with most of the popular bands being part of subcultures, religions or political groups.[18][50][51] Some mathcore bands started inspired by straight edge and Hare Krishna groups, including Converge, Coalesce and Botch.[52] On the other hand, the more unorthodox bands that substantially influenced mathcore remained in the underground.
Two bands usually credited as mathcore forerunners are mid-westerners Dazzling Killmen and Craw, who at the time were considered part of the "noisier" branch of math rock.[53][54][55] Their debut albums were released in 1992 and 1993 respectively.[6][54] They were characterized by a "metallic post-hardcore" sound but with constant time signature changes and vocals with an "animalistic sound of a man losing his mind". Three out of four members of Dazzling Killmen knew each other from jazz school, while Craw had a classical percussionist and a jazz bassist.[56] Both were joined by saxophonists on some performances.[53][54][57]
In 1989, New Jersey band Rorschach was formed within the youth crew hardcore scene but soon developed a more complex and dissonant metallic hardcore style.[58] They were influenced by hardcore punk bands such as Die Kreuzen and Black Flag, as well as thrash metal bands Voivod and Slayer.[34] After their disbandment in 1993, their guitarist Keith Huckins joined Deadguy in 1994 and played on their sole studio album, 1995's Fixation on a Co-Worker.[59] The discordant sound of both bands had a profound impact on the first mathcore bands.[18][44][60][61][62][63]
At this period, several pioneering mathcore bands began to form: Botch from Washington in 1993; Coalesce from Missouri, Cable from Connecticut and Knut from Switzerland in 1994; Cave In from Massachusetts and Drowningman from Vermont in 1995. In 1990, Massachusetts band Converge was formed but they started writing and playing what they consider "relevant" music in 1994.[64] Referring to the burgeoning mathcore scene, The Dillinger Escape Plan's founder and guitarist Ben Weinman said: