Metalcore Milestones

Integrity 1993 📸: Vice

Dwid Hellion says I coined the term “metalcore.”

I say his band, Integrity, invented the genre.

I’m not talking about metallic hardcore bands, punky metal acts, or the distinct “crossover” sub-genre. Metalcore began with a very specific style of guitars, breakdowns, vocals, and subject matter.

And it evolves.

Nearly every artist on earth is uncomfortable with genre tags, or the other artists they are often associated with, and certainly, metalcore is crowded and ever more loosely defined. But it’s all undeniably connected.

Think about the last time you recommended a movie, TV series, or book to someone. Undoubtedly, you made some comparisons, you mentioned a genre or two, and it didn’t mean you were limiting the artistic expression.

It wasn’t easy to narrow it down to a single metalcore record for each year since the genre began in earnest, but I got it done. 😎

These are the most influential records shaping metalcore, by year.

Integrity Those Who Fear Tomorrow (Overkill Records) 1991

Integrity ‘Always is Always Forever’ DVD

Starkweather Crossbearer (Harvest Records) 1992

Starkweather live at CBGB’s (1992)

Earth Crisis Firestorm EP (Victory Records) 1993

Earth Crisis live in Syracuse, NY (1993)

Unbroken Life. Love. Regret (New Age Records) 1994

Unbroken live in San Diego, CA (1994)

Damnation A.D. No More Dreams of Happy Endings (Jade Tree Records) 1995

Damnation A.D. live in Washington, D.C. (1995)

108 Threefold Misery (Lost & Found Records) 1996

108 live in Riverside, CA (1995)

Living Sacrifice Reborn (Solid State Records) 1997

Living Sacrifice “Reject” music video (1997)

Zao Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest (Solid State Records) 1998

Zao live at Cornerstone Festival (1998)

Poison The Well The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation (Trustkill Records) 1999

Poison The Well at Hellfest in Syracuse, NY (2000)

Eighteen Visions Until the Ink Runs Out (Trustkill Records) 2000

Eighteen Visions at Hellfest in Syracuse, NY (2000)

Converge Jane Doe (Equal Vision Records) 2001

Converge “Concubine/Fault and Fracture” music video (2002)

Hatebreed Perseverance (Universal Records) 2002

Hatebreed “I Will Be Heard” music video (2002)

Lamb Of God As the Palaces Burn (Prosthetic Records) 2003

Lamb Of God “Ruin” music video (2003)

Underoath They’re Only Chasing Safety (Solid State Records) 2004

Underoath “Reinventing Your Exit” music video (2004)

Avenged Sevenfold City of Evil (Warner Records) 2005

Avenged Sevenfold “Bat Country” music video (2005)

Killswitch Engage As Daylight Dies (Roadrunner Records) 2006

Killswitch Engage “The Arms of Sorrow” music (2006)

August Burns Red Messengers (Solid State Records) 2007

August Burns Red “Composure” music video (2007)

Escape The Fate This War Is Ours (Epitaph Records) 2008

Escape The Fate “This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II)” music video (2008)

Asking Alexandria Stand Up and Scream (Sumerian Records) 2009

Asking Alexandria “Not the American Average” music video (2011)

A Day To Remember What Separates Me from You (Victory Records) 2010

A Day To Remember “All I Want” music video (2010)

Suicide Silence The Black Crown (Century Media) 2011

Suicide Silence “You Only Live Once” music video (2011)

Pierce The Veil Collide with the Sky (Fearless Records) 2012

Pierce The Veil “King for a Day” music video (2012)

Black Veil Brides Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones (Lava/Republic) 2013

Black Veil Brides “In the End” music video (2013)

Motionless In White Reincarnate (Fearless Records) 2014

Motionless In White “Reincarnate” music video (2014)

Bring Me The Horizon That’s the Spirit (Sony Music) 2015

Bring Me The Horizon “Throne” music video (2015)

Beartooth Aggressive (Red Bull Records) 2016

Beartooth “Aggressive” music video (2016)

Currents The Place I Feel Safest (SharpTone) 2017

Currents “Apnea” music video (2017)

Ice Nine Kills The Silver Scream (Fearless Records) 2018

Ice Nine Kills “A Grave Mistake” music video (2018)

Falling In Reverse “Popular Monster” Single (Epitaph Records) 2019

Falling In Reverse “Popular Monster” music video (2019)

Code Orange Underneath (Roadrunner Records) 2020

Code Orange “Swallowing the Rabbit Whole” music video (2020)

Spiritbox Eternal Blue (Pale Chord/Rise Records) 2021

Spiritbox “Holy Roller” music video (2021)

Bad Omens The Death of Peace of Mind (Sumerian Records) 2022

Bad Omens “Just Pretend” music video (2023)

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