The 10 Best Metalcore Bands

Somewhere between extreme metal and hardcore punk, metalcore is a sub genre that has evolved since about the early 2000s. This is music that combines the best elements of hardcore metal, hardcore punk and even thrash, and melodic death metal to create a hybrid sound that has given birth to an entire new generation of younger bands and even younger fans, when compared to the greats like Metallica, Slayer, or Iron Maiden.

Metalcore (which also gave way to style called deathcore) has become known to be associated with the  loud, thumping use of aggressive and slower parts of songs known as breakdowns. Mosh metalcore pits are often filled with karate chops and whirlwind spinning kicks.

The best context for metalcore can be described as the further evolution away from 'nu metal' back to primal groovy yet heavy metal/hardcore from the late '90s, such as Sepultura, Machine Head, Biohazard, Pantera and especially Fear Factory, one of the first bands to mix aggressive metal vocals and clean singing. Metalcore's signature sound aside from the breakdowns would be the use of non-aggressive vocals. The subgenre  of metalcore is a world wide phenomena, and has  been influenced by  both American and European extreme metal bands such as Opeth,  Cannibal Corpse, Dismember, At the Gates,  In Flames and  many others. We now present our list of top ten Metalcore bands.

See also: Top 10 OC Metal Bands of All Time

10. The Amity Affliction

This band came into existence in 2003, and hail from Australia. Expect very catchy choruses with a clean style of vocals, in every song, followed almost immediately before and during harsher hardcore screaming. The band definitely have the musical chemistry to write songs that stick in your head with softer,  melodies you can sing along to in harmony with the more aggressive singing. The Amity Affliction is composed of vocalist Joel Birch, guitarists Troy Brady and Dan Brown, drummer Ryan Burt and bassist Ahren Stringer, and with just over a decade of existence already has four full-length albums and a strong, international base of fans and media coverage, as well as several high profile music videos. Skillfully merging a love for more sensitive passages, and blast beats and extreme metal style riffs along with the typical breakdowns associated with metalcore, in the style of Fear Factory and Glassjaw, the Amity Affliction is both menacing and melodic. Be sure to check out all of the band's album's but in particular take a listen to Let the Ocean Take Me, the latest release from 2014, and the single "Pittsburgh." Offical website.

9. The Agonist
Though the band could be considered to be more of a melodic death metal band with hints of metalcore's signature sound, The Agonist was brought to life in 2004 by guitarist Danny Marino, bassist Chris Kells  and now former singer Alissa White-Gluz. Formed in Montreal Canada, the band flourished in the underground metal scene and built up a following, eventually led the band to find some success, including tours with everyone from Kamelot and Overkill to Danzig and Visions of Atlantis and many more death metal, thrash, power metal and other various bands.

The band also features guitarist Pascal Jobin and drummer Simon McKay, along with new singer Vicky Psarakis, who joined the band, when it was recently announced that White-Gluz became the new singer for Arch Enemy.  Aside from the metalcore breakdowns this band is set apart for its dichotomy of haunting beautiful singing, duality of rich textures, hints of thrash and Symphonic black metal, walls of loud bass and blast beats, and extreme metal growling, with a twist of a European influence from such bands as In Flames, Arch Enemy, and The Haunted, Epica and Lacuna Coil.