100 Best Deathcore Bands
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Deathcore, a subgenre of extreme metal, is a creative fusion of death metal and metalcore. The use of heavy guitar riffs, breakdowns, and blast beats give this genre its unique identity. Although the genre finds its stylistic origins rooted in death metal, metalcore, and hardcore punk, in recent years, this style of music has diversified, incorporating a broader spectrum of extreme metal subgenres. Although new forms of deathcore have emerged, the core elements of the genre (syncopated accents with breakdowns) remain intact.
The list below showcases an epic number of deathcore bands. If you are a fan of this extreme genre, you'll definitely have a lot to say. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Top 10 Best Deathcore Bands
- Suicide Silence
- Whitechapel
- Carnifex
- Thy Art is Murder
- All Shall Perish
- Despised Icon
- Chelsea Grin
- Antagony
- Enterprise Earth
- Rings of Saturn
How Did Deathcore Emerge?
In the early days, the term deathcore was used to reference a particular musical style that was associated with experimental hardcore punk bands. Nick Vasallo is widely regarded as the “father of deathcore” for his profound body of work with the band Antagony. The deathcore movement started in the early 2000s. Since then, the genre has expanded its reach globally. The Southwestern part of the United States is considered the epicenter of the deathcore scene.
A number of pioneering bands emerged from inland southern California. Several bands in Arizona started experimenting with breakdowns influenced by death metal and hardcore punk, spreading the genre. This experimental form of heavy metal gave rise to the deathcore scene, which evolved out of metalcore. By the mid-2000s, deathcore became one of the most popular subgenres of heavy metal.
Best Deathcore Bands #11—20
11. Lorna Shore
12. The Acacia Strain
13. Bring Me the Horizon
14. Job for a Cowboy
15. Oceano
16. Black Tongue
17. As Blood Runs Black
18. Through the Eyes of the Dead
19. Born of Osiris
20. Ion Dissonance
What Is Deathcore?
Deathcore is a subgenre of extreme metal that fuses influences of death metal, metalcore, and hardcore punk. Its hybridization of metal subgenres gives deathcore a unique identity. This style of music is known for its exquisite breakdowns and diverse metal syncopations. Melodic flourishes, tempered between brutally distorted riffs, add aesthetic dynamism to the rhythmic structure in this style of music.
Best Deathcore Bands #21—40
21. Veil of Maya
22. Earth Crisis
23. The Red Chord
24. Embodyment
25. Impending Doom
26. Betraying the Martyrs
27. Suffocation
28. After the Burial
29. Shadow of Intent
30. Emmure
31. Winds of Plague
32. Here Comes the Kraken
33. Attila
34. The Black Dahlia Murder
35. Heaven Shall Burn
36. Between the Buried & Me
37. Infant Annihilator
38. We Butter the Bread With Butter
39. The Faceless
40. Molotov Solution
Characteristics of Deathcore
Deathcore's sound derives heavily from death metal, but it also employs different aspects of hardcore punk and metalcore (especially in its breakdowns). Blast beats are commonly used in this form of music. The use of down-tuned guitars and tremolo picking is common in this genre. Although the majority of bands associated with this style of music do not incorporate guitar solos in their song structures, some bands do include guitar solos with mathcore influences in their songs. Deathcore vocal techniques are usually harsh, including growls, shrieks, and screams. Certain deathcore vocalists use high-pitched shrieks that are known as "pig squeals" in metal circles. While clean vocals are rare, they are used occasionally towards the start or end of a breakdown.
Best Deathcore Bands #41—60
41. Arsonists Get All the Girls
42. Elysia
43. Make Them Suffer
44. Fit for an Autopsy
45. Glass Casket
46. I Declare War
47. Salt the Wound
48. Animosity
49. Rose Funeral
50. Waking the Cadaver
51. The Crimson Armada
52. In the Midst of Lions
53. Wretched
54. Slaughter to Prevail
55. Within the Ruins
56. The Agonist
57. AngelMaker
58. Upon a Burning Body
59. Suffokate
60. Breakdown of Sanity
Popularity of Deathcore
Although deathcore is still largely an underground subculture, the popularity of this genre spiked in the mid-2000s when certain bands released critically acclaimed albums. At the same time, deathcore bands made a huge impact on the music charts. In a short span of time, this genre became one of the most influential subgenres in modern metal. Several bands have garnered a huge following among fans of other genres. The demand for deathcore merchandise has risen dramatically in recent years.
Best Deathcore Bands #61—80
61. Knights of the Abyss
62. Alpha Wolf
63. Signs of the Swarm
64. Aversions Crown
65. Beneath the Massacre
66. See You Next Tuesday
67. The Red Shore
68. Gravemind
69. Blind Witness
70. Aegaeon
71. The Last 10 Seconds of Life
72. Band of Sacrifice
73. With Blood Comes Cleansing
74. Abated Mass of Flesh
75. King Conquer
76. Dance Club Massacre
77. Hollow Prophet
78. The Agony Scene
79. Dr. Acula
80. Catalepsy
Criticism of Deathcore
Although deathcore had a significant influence on music throughout the 2000s and post 2010, the subgenre has received a fair deal of criticism from fans of other heavy metal genres. A section of heavy metal purists view deathcore as an attempt to commercialize heavy metal by fusing traditional heavy metal elements with hardcore punk sensibilities. This blending of genres has gained it new fans, but it has also divided heavy metal fans. Certain bands have expressed their frustration at being labeled deathcore rather than heavy metal. A number of metal acts are of the opinion there is more to their music than just a fusion of death metal, hardcore, and metalcore.
Best Deathcore Bands #81—100
81. Abigail Williams
82. In Dying Arms
83. Eths
84. From a Second Storey Window
85. A Thousand Times Repent
86. Burning the Masses
87. At the Throne of Judgment
88. We Are the End
89. From the Shallows
90. Into the Moat
91. Becoming the Archtype
92. Left to Vanish
93. The Classic Struggle
94. A Night in Texas
95. Design the Skyline
96. The Silence and the Serenity
97. Eradikal Insane
98. Cold Night For Alligators
99. Broken Flesh
100. The Perrin Sequence
The New Era of Deathcore
Post 2010, a number of deathcore bands have broadened their influences by incorporating newer sounds. Certain bands have started utilizing complex djent and progressive metal elements in their brand of deathcore. Merging deathcore with elements of rap metal, some acts in this genre are being credited with reviving nu metal. Certain Christian deathcore bands have incorporated symphonic elements and neo-classical elements in their music. A number of European bands blend gothic and progressive elements to create theatrical arrangements. These bands are known for their Jekyll and Hyde (quick rises and falls in the song's energy) melodic flourishes encompassed with heavy riffs.
Other Notable Deathcore Bands
- Shrine of Malice
- Mental Cruelty
- Traitors
- Burning Skies
- Walking Dead on Broadway
- I AM
- Bound in Fear
- And Hell Followed With
- Frontside
- The Concubine
- Defiler
- Nasty
- Open Womb
- Eat a Helicopter
- Maroon
- A Different Breed of Killer
- Nights Like These
- For Today
- Confide
- Ingested
- Bleed From Within
- Eternal Lord
- Those Who Fear
- Dead to Fall
- Cryptopsy
- Mortal Treason
- Aeons of Corruption
- Skinless
- War From a Harlots Mouth
- Sea of Treachery
- Benighted
- Sons of Azrael
- Killwhitneydead
- The Autumn Offering
- Acrania
- Revenge the Fate
- MyChildren MyBride
- Drown My Day
- Impurity of Mriya
- Falls Upon Us
- The Contortionist
- Beneath the Veil
- Embrace the End
- I Killed Everyone
- Drown in Sulphur
- A Bloodbath in Boston
- Shot Down Sun
- Threat Signal
- Legends Shall Fall
- Crimson Falls
- Signal the Firing Squad
- A Black Rose Burial
- Altercation
- This Runs Through
- Spite
- Abyss of Bleeding Souls
- Science of Sleep
- Lifeforms
- The Great Commission
- A Breath Before Surfacing
- Oceans Ate Alaska
- Beyond the Aftermath
- I Built the Cross
- As We Fight
- My Bitter End
- Begging for Incest
- Odyssey to the West
- Earth From Above
- A Memoria Brooded
- So This is Suffering
- Ovid’s Withering
- Applaud the Impaler
- Sentenced to Dissection
- Himsa
- A Wake in Providence
- Chainsaw Disaster
- Every Knee Shall Bow
- Belie My Burial
- Annotations of an Autopsy
- Dissimulator
- Legion
- Abimael
- Postmortem Promises
- Beecher
- Ease of Disgust
- Shores of Elysium
- The Red Death
- Neaera
- Bermuda
- Fallujah
- Disfiguring the Goddess
- Taking Your Last Chance
- Existence Has Failed
- The Battle Within
- Manntis
- The Divided World
- Point Below Zero
- Forever in Terror
- Hunt the Dinosaur
- Shadow of the Colossus
© 2020 Ansel Pereira