Massachusetts Metalcore: How'd it Happen?

[artmachine]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here.
There is a concert promoter by the name of Scott ( I have always called him Ogre, a name which we gave him around 1987.) Yes I'm old. He used to own a alternative clothing and music store in Indian Orchard MA called Red Rocket Records.
I mention him because he was very instrumental in getting many of the hardcore bands from Western Mass out and about.

Scott Lee? I've played a few of his shows at the waterfront in holyoke. He puts on some decent shows(most of them are just C grade tour packages with a bunch of local support), but I don't think he'd be doing it if the money wasn't there. That being said, he seems like an honest enough guy. I've never had a bad experience with him, but I don't think he really cares all that much about the bands and especially the ones that don't bring in some money. He's definitely 10x better than most "promoters", "booking agencies", etc. around here, though. My experiences with him are more recent though(like past 4-5 years), so maybe he did a lot more and cared more 10-20 years ago.

 

[grunge782]

Don't know, really don't want to know.

 

[Jazzamatazz]

I'm not sure how the hell a thread about metalcore in Massachusetts can exist without a mention of Converge.

I don't know how it exists without mentioning Bury Your Dead

 

[The Reverend]

Some of y'all is some angry mofos.

In Houston, where I'm originally from, there is nothing even close to resembling a regional sound, hell, even a fucking city-wide identity. Don't get me wrong, there's been some bands I loved, was a part of, or had friends in that were great, but none of them was original in any special sense. It was all clones, albeit talented clones, of national bands. That's why I'm interested in this thread. The idea that a 'scene' could create new and interesting music is so foreign to me.

 

[Quantumface]

Seriously check out the Killswitch Engage documentary on the Killswitch Engage Set this World Ablze dvd. It starts off with the pre-killswitch and pre-shadows fall bands of overcast and aftershock and has a great timeline.

 

[Quantumface]

this guy

 

[artmachine]

I don't know how it exists without mentioning Bury Your Dead

Well Converge started in 1990 and were pioneers of metallic hardcore and "metalcore". That band started 11 years later. I mean, if we're talking history of the "massachusetts" scene, I guess a band from the area who was instrumental in shaping the genre as a whole deserves more mention.

 

[artmachine]

I also have to say that the more modern sounding stuff that the OP is asking about without a doubt takes influence from hatebreed. They're from CT, but new england is so condensed that it really doesn't make much of a difference.

But it honestly all goes back to hardcore. At least if we're talking about how a "scene" formed. And it had been going on long before bands like killswitch engage were forming. Hardcore was ultimately the first aggressive music ever and on top of that, they promoted a self-sustaining do it yourself underground community which is exactly what a scene is, or should be. Hardcore made it possible to start underground and indie record labels, zines and put on shows in spaces that weren't giant venues like vfw halls, art spaces, houses and even more guerilla style shows where people would just get a bunch of kids and bands together in the last minute when they heard that some space was available.

With the bands that the OP was mentioning, I think that just happened like every other wave of bands happens. One or two started playing a certain sound and it got popular, so 20 other bands decided to play that style. I think the fact that massachusetts has such a strong history in aggressive music just made it that much easier for these bands to sustain themselves. They already had 20 years of kids forming bands and putting on shows, and ultimately, forming scenes.

 

[Necky379]

I always gave credit to bands like At the Gates & In Flames. Am I wrong for this? I mean that's where I hear the biggest influence coming from. To me it seems like they borrowed the riffing style from the Euro bands, mixed it with the local hardcore song structure and in some cases (donais, susi, mcgrath, etc.)added what they picked up from the 80's shredders


Even the tones sound similar imo.

 

[artmachine]

I always gave credit to bands like At the Gates & In Flames. Am I wrong for this? I mean that's where I hear the biggest influence coming from. To me it seems like they borrowed the riffing style from the Euro bands, mixed it with the local hardcore song structure and in some cases (donais, susi, mcgrath, etc.)added what they picked up from the 80's shredders.

Musically, I'd say without a doubt yes. That's definitely the biggest influence on that sound. But as far as the idea of a scene goes, I still think that all the credit goes to the foundation that hardcore layed.

 

[Necky379]

Gotcha, I was thinking about the question as more musically related.

 

[kevdes93]

Western Masshole reporting. i pondered that same question... some of my most cherished memories are of seeing KSE, the acacia strain and within the ruins kick everyones ass in little basement/club shows over the years and seeing them grow along with me basically

 

[codync]

this guy

Dude books NEMHF every year.

 

[Dsalvetti7]

The documentary on killswitch's set the world ablaze covers most of it i'm from western massachusetts and live within 20 miles of where killswitch,all that remains, etc. started out i see the members every once and awhile just hanging around to me the first killswitch album is what started to metalcore genre as a whole i give alot of credit to jesse leach as it was his voice and lyrics that set them apart either way it's awesome to be from the area where one of my favorite genres originated

 

[jguitarist45]

Does anyone know the story, or any stories, about how it is that so many American metal/metalcore bands that thrived in the mid-2000's were from Massachusetts? Killswitch Engage, All that Remains, The Red Chord, Unearth, Acacia Strain, Shadows Fall... all from MA.

Was there a person/promoter/club/magazine/label around which this scene developed?

I know Adam D from Killswitch worked with a lot of these bands... was he the focal point for this scene?

Maybe there is no scene? Just a coincidence that all these bands are from MA?

Wondered about this for a while and would love any info. Sorry if this has been discussed before; I did some forum searches and other searches and haven't really found anything.

Metalcore was around long before KSE. In my own opinion, it started from a band called "Overcast". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Fair

I could go into more detail but its hard to remember everything that happened back then. Simply put, just a bunch of kids, who loved metal, constantly stonned and drunk wanting to play metal.

 

[Calyxrai]

Wow, crazy to stumble across this thread. I was looking for the bandcamp site I built for Calyx In Ruin, one of my former bands. I basically grew up in what I fondly refer to as the 413 scene, but includes The Unearth dudes (came up w/ Slo bitd) amongst a gazillion other friends/bands. I know Phil was huge into Carcass (as we're most of the dudes I respected) Heartwork. Matt from Shad was always about songwriting and had many voices from death type stuff, to acoustic stuff he did w/ Hospital. Paul, Zeuss had an apartment in Northampton that they used to do home recordings on for Doom Nation and later this would become the basis for Planet Z / Zeuss the producer who I had the privellege of learning from and recording w. Other big guys...Adam D, Blood Has Been Shed (Corey ....ing slays) and then everyone else that came after us older dudes. Chris Bartlett is a huge guitar player around here that taught 3 Grammy winning gtr players from here, Jon's now playing in Anthrax...Every single dude, I'm so proud of. Chris was the other original guitarist for ATR besides Ollie and Phil.

Me personally, I rejected a lot of the metal stuff around here. I tried to listen to what wasn't popular and had more obscure stuff from Will Haven, Neurosis, Suicidal Tendencies, Helmet, Quicksand, Blood Has Been Shed, PTW, VOD, Botch,Snapcase etc But I also incorporated 70s songwriting w that - a lot different than the normal metal head into Carcass, The Haunted, In Flames etc bitd.

We all kinda branched out and had our own successes and would meet back up later and be like kick ass, party and just catch up. I learned so much from a lot of the bands you've listed. I'm way grateful.

I'm still playing and writing, basically mixing my model for Calyx, Farewell Radiance and my current style ranging from noise to ambiance and chaos hardcore grind punk raw etc while sounding musical. So many great bands that make me proud to be from here

r. //

 

[ArrowHead]

Rai, welcome! Haven't heard from you in a long time, since the first Farewell Radiance you did with Adam.

I still want a copy of that old Calyx recording. Loved that stuff.

 

[JayfromSomerville]

I grew up in Boston back in the hay day,we had our own scene for punk and Hardcore centering around Kenmore Square,we had our own CBGB it was called The Rat ( the rathskeller) gentrification took over Kenmore and the scene moved into Alston and Brighton,numerous Boston Bands moved out west and inspired scenes throughout the commonweath...I lived downstairs for years from Brian Fair,it was definately an organic music scene fertalized by The Legendary Boston hardcore and punk scenes from back in the day Gentrification just spread out the seeds....Look up Bridge Nine Records they still represent a lot of those locals bands who got their start in Boston Back in the Day.......Blood for Blood rules...

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

Two things for you guys to consider since wee are talking about scenes that rapidly developed and spit out amazing bands:

1.) Tampa death metal scene (yes, the 90s)

2.) Gothenburg melodic death metal scene (again, yes, the 90s)

 

[Dana]

I grew up in Boston back in the hay day,we had our own scene for punk and Hardcore centering around Kenmore Square,we had our own CBGB it was called The Rat ( the rathskeller) gentrification took over Kenmore and the scene moved into Alston and Brighton,numerous Boston Bands moved out west and inspired scenes throughout the commonweath...I lived downstairs for years from Brian Fair,it was definately an organic music scene fertalized by The Legendary Boston hardcore and punk scenes from back in the day Gentrification just spread out the seeds....Look up Bridge Nine Records they still represent a lot of those locals bands who got their start in Boston Back in the Day.......Blood for Blood rules...

the rat.... man i miss that dump. so many good bands i saw in that hole.....