Editing Metalcore (section)

=== Instrumentation and vocals ===
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| quote = The success of [Killswitch Engage] also effected the artistic endeavours of the genre. So instantly recognisable was the Killswitch sound that it was aped unashamedly by many a newcomer, where before it was an underground scene full of innovative and eclectic bands there was now a formula. This in turn led to every chancer with a guitar chucking some beatdowns in between a few In Flames cast-off riffs and barking over the top – save for the inevitable emotive chorus. [...] The punk rock spirit was long gone, even bands such as Trivium, a band who have not a single atom of influence, approach or sound of punk in their make up, were bizarrely linked with the metalcore tag. A name that seemed to have less and less meaning the more the noughties rolled on.
| source = Stephen Hill of ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' (January 29, 2015) [https://www.loudersound.com/features/from-crossover-to-metalcore-the-genesis-of-a-genre]
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}}[[File:Converge @ Roadburn Festival 2018-04-19 009.jpg|thumb|[[Converge (band)|Converge]] guitarist [[Kurt Ballou]]|200px]]
Instrumentally, metalcore bands generally employ heavy, metallic, percussive [[guitar riffs]], and stop-start [[rhythm guitar]].<ref name="MetalSucks">{{cite web |url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2019/01/09/wristmeetrazor-channel-vintage-metalcore-energy-on-misery-never-forgets/ |title=Wristmeetrazor Channel Vintage Metalcore Energy on Misery Never Forgets |website=[[MetalSucks]] |date=9 January 2019 |access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="WhatIsMetalcore">{{cite web |last=Bowar |first=Chad |title=What Is Metalcore? |url=https://www.liveabout.com/what-is-metalcore-1756187 |access-date=16 November 2014 |publisher=liveabout.com}}</ref> Metalcore is known for its emphasis on breakdowns. According to Graham Hartmann of ''[[Loudwire]]'', "when a band changes up the mood with some masterful composition, a breakdown can be brilliant as well as devastating."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hartmann |first=Graham HartmannGraham |date=2017-07-27 |title=10 Sickest Breakdowns of All Time |url=https://loudwire.com/10-sickest-breakdowns-of-all-time/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref> [[Drop tunings|Drop guitar tunings]] are often used in metalcore. Most bands use tuning ranging between Drop D and A, although lower tunings, as well as [[Seven-string guitar|7]] and [[Eight-string guitar|8 string guitars]], are not uncommon. Drummers typically employ various techniques common in extreme metal and hardcore, such as [[Double bass drumming|double-kick]] drumming. Author James Giordano explains that metalcore is usually played at slower [[Tempo|tempos]] than some of the styles its artists draw influence from, such as [[thrash metal]].{{sfn|Giordano|2016|p=141}}

Metalcore vocalists usually perform [[screaming (music)|screaming]], a harsh vocal technique that became popular in the underground punk and metal scenes of the 1980s.<ref name="WhatIsMetalcore" /> Vocal performances in early metalcore acts were characterized by what has been described as a "raw, scream-meets-shout vocal style."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=DiVita |first=Joe DiVitaJoe |date=2023-11-02 |title=Metalcore's 10 Best Clean Singers + 10 Best Bands Who Don't (or Barely) Use Clean Vocals |url=https://loudwire.com/metalcore-best-clean-singers-bands-barely-use-clean-vocals/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref> Later metalcore bands often alternate between harsh vocals and singing (also known as "clean vocals"), usually during the [[bridge (music)|bridge]] or [[refrain|chorus]] of a song.<ref name="WhatIsMetalcore" /> Joe Davita of ''[[Loudwire]]'' explains that many people define modern metalcore by the tradeoff between screaming and clean singing. Although many modern metalcore tracks have choruses that contain [[Hook (music)|hooks]], some bands still do omit clean vocals entirely. Other bands use clean vocals very sparingly, done for the purpose of "coloring a mood."<ref name=":1" /> Modern metalcore clean vocals have drawn comparisons to the mainstream [[emo]] and [[pop-punk]] music of the 2000s, which some have suggested may have deterred some fans of heavier music styles.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 April 2024 |title=Why do Metalheads Think Metalcore Isn't Real Metal? Reddit Users Answer |url=https://loudwire.com/why-metalheads-dont-like-metalcore-reddit/ |website=[[Loudwire]]}}</ref>
[[File:Example of Breakdown.ogg|thumb|right|Audio sample of a breakdown section from the song ''Begins Falls Rises'' by the Swedish metalcore band '''Aim For The Sunrise'''.]]Lyrics in metalcore are often personal, introspective and emotive.<ref name="Smialek" />