A couple of years ago in one of my music theory courses, I asked a buddy of mine, Zack Burch - Crooks, what his top five favorite hardcore breakdowns of all time were.
(I was in a band at the time and wanted to add a breakdown of sorts to one of our songs, and was hoping to do it correctly...or with some legitimacy anyway. Zack and I had been in a pirate-themed hardcore [Piratecore] band with some other friends - one being the eventual bassist of the band I was currently in - called "Scurvy," so I thought he'd be a good reference. Don't know if it worked, but you can check out Disected for yourself and let me know... Just for the record, our piratecore, Scurvy practices led to a lot of Marshmallow Mateys consumption...)
A couple of days later, Zack came back with a CD and said, "Dude, I couldn't get it down to five. So there's like 8-10 here."
After we listened to selections from the CD with Dr Check and our theory class (including analytical contributions from three members of Insignifica), I headed home with the CD and studied.
Haste the Day's Blue 42 hit me the most.
After listening to the song enough, I started to realize there was way more than it originally led on:
Blue 42 was a perfect example of a bridge between Post-Hardcore and Metalcore genres. The "sasquatch" of the Metalcore evolution...if you will (ha, ChristianMetalcore, evolution...? Yeah, I know...).
If you want to follow along, you can read below while listening:
Anyway...you hear it first develop in the guitar work. The song opens with Metalcore in your face. Then the first verse hits about 50 seconds in, and the Post-Hardcore guitar work starts up, emphasized by the stylistic change in drum work behind it.
After an intense interlude, we return to the opening theme of the song for a few bars. Then the transition begins: the second verse's beginning is marked with the re-entry of the post-hardcore riff (in the first verse) over the opening metalcore theme.
The guitar work then moves over more into post-hardcore with some fast, palm muted bar chords and the drums change. Then the guitar solo comes in straight out of pop-punk heaven (no pun intended this time) and just to drive the point home, the vocals and drums switch (again), completing the shift from metalcore to post-hardcore.
After a short pause, we return to metalcore and enter the essence of all good hardcore/metalcore music: the breakdown. As Zack picked this as on of his ten best, and I've selected it as my favorite of the ten, we can only assume it's a good 'un. (I can hear a relation between Disected and Blue 42's breakdowns at least...)
This is Haste the Day's Blue 42: today's lesson in metalcore evolution.
PS - Who cares if you can't understand what he's saying? I didn't mention lyrics other than to mention...they weren't mentioned...? =) The song kicks ass on its own. Oh, and Flenker agreed...
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Hey dude, right on. This totally gave me a dose of nostalgia, haha. I think I had completely forgotten about Marshmallow Mateys, and the glory they encompass.
ReplyDeleteI'd say your analysis is pretty much dead on. They only thing I would tweak a bit is "the essence of all good hardcore/metalcore music: the breakdown." Metalcore definitely, but I would say the essence of hardcore lies in the three words "shorter, faster louder." Very much rooted in punk, hardcore focuses a lot more on speed and volume than catchy songwriting (ala punk). But yeah man, I think your depiction of this song as a combination of post-hardcore and metalcore totally fits.
Anyways, good to hear from you! Let me know if you ever find yourself in L.A.!