Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk (or hardcore) is an intensified version of punk rock usually characterized by short, loud, and often angry songs with exceptionally fast tempos and chord changes.

Hardcore in the 1990s

Even though American Hardcore is often thought of solely as a product of 1980s Reaganism, many bands have continued to play an aggressive form of punk rock, similar to that of hardcore, well into the 1990s and even into the early 2000s.

Related Topics:
Reaganism - 2000s

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Whereas the hardcore movement of the 1980s had gone down a very narrow path, with the exception of Hüsker Dü and other bands who had gone to great lengths to extend the hardcore template beyond basic thrash, many of the '90s/'00s hardcore bands began to include new sounds into hardcore whilst retaining hardcore's aggression. Seattle's Zeke incorporated the heavier guitar sound and ranted vocals similar to Stormtroopers of Death into hardcore and, eventually, evolved into a thrash metal band. Other bands to follow a similar, hardcore metal, path include Pennywise and The Dwarves.

Related Topics:
Hüsker Dü - Seattle's - Zeke - Stormtroopers of Death - Pennywise - The Dwarves

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There were also many bands who started to incorporate emotional and personal aspects into their music, influenced by the sounds coming out of Washington, D.C. and Dischord Records which grew and fused with more traditional punk to create emo (sometimes said to be a contraction of the description 'emotional hardcore') by the late 90's. The Nation Of Ulysses was one of the most influential bands to come out of D.C. They combined dissonant guitars, similar to Black Flag, combined with elements of Jazz, and a seemingly absurdist political ideology. Their sound and fashion sense would be of particular influence, on the San Diego scene.

Related Topics:
Dischord Records - Emo - Nation Of Ulysses - Black Flag - Jazz

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Ebullition Records, from Santa Barbara, California, was a record label that tended to feature and distribute this type of music. These bands remained political, but tended to focus more on personal politics. Examples of these bands would be Endpoint, Groundwork, Split Lip and others. Born Against, from both New York and Baltimore, Maryland, played politically-aware hardcore.

Related Topics:
Santa Barbara - Born Against

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The San Diego Band Heroin splintered into many new bands, most notably, Antioch Arrow, and Clikatat Ikatowi. Antioch Arrow, were brutal and spastic, combined with a goth aesthetic, while Clikatat Ikatowi, combined pounding tribal drums, and dissonant guitar, with a post-punk aesthetic, and become one of the most unique bands of the 90's hardcore scene. The Locust, who started out as a fairly conventional hardcore band would develop their own sound; which is fast, brutal, and spastic. Some have described the Locust, as Free Jazz meets hardcore. The Locust, and their distinct sound, would later be classified as screamo.

Related Topics:
Heroin - Antioch Arrow - Clikatat Ikatowi - Goth - Post-punk - The Locust - Free Jazz - Screamo

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Antioch Arrow, Clikatat Ikatowi, and The Locust are just three of many bands who were associated with Gravity Records which was one of the most important record labels of 90's hardcore scene, later Gravity Records would also be associated with emo.

Related Topics:
Gravity Records - Emo

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Straight edge also became more prominent in the 1990's with bands like Earth Crisis fusing metal and hardcore with militant vegan and straight edge lyrics. In the late 1990's there was surge of 80 revival bands which copied the sound of Youth of Today and Gorilla Biscuits, updating the sound with slightly faster tempos and metal breakdowns.

Related Topics:
Straight edge - Earth Crisis - Vegan

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