The difference, by ear
Metalcore's breakdown descends directly from this scene's mosh part, by way of the bands who added metal riffs to it in the early 1990s.
Metalcore is part sung, part screamed where youth crew / straight edge is shouted, and a little slower: 140 to 190 bpm against 170 to 210. Songs run longer in metalcore: usually 3 to 5 minutes, against 1½ to 2½ minutes in youth crew / straight edge. To hear the difference, play Youth of Today next to Integrity. Youth crew / straight edge comes from the rock side of the tree and metalcore from the metal side, and youth crew / straight edge came first, by four years.
In figures
Youth crew / straight edge
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Youth crew / straight edge
In short
Hardcore with a code: no alcohol, no drugs, gang vocals and breakdowns. The ethics of the scene became the subject of the songs.
How it sounds
- Gang vocals - the chorus shouted by the whole band and the audience at once.
- A breakdown at the midpoint, with the tempo halved, made for dancing.
- Simple riffs, with the emphasis on energy and message.
Key acts
- Youth of Today
- Gorilla Biscuits
- Minor Threat
Start here
The pickGorilla Biscuits - Start Today. Optimistic hardcore, which is rarer than it sounds.
Full page →Metalcore
Where it sits
In short
Hardcore and extreme metal fused: breakdowns, melodic riffing and screamed verses alternating with sung choruses.
How it sounds
- The breakdown: a half-time section with syncopated riffing, built for dancing.
- Swedish-influenced melodic riffs alternating with hardcore passages.
- Screamed verses and clean sung choruses - the standard formula after 2002.
Key acts
- Integrity
- Killswitch Engage
- Converge
- Parkway Drive
Start here
The pickKillswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing. The album that defined a decade.
Full page →