Quote Originally Posted by - - - TAURUS - - - View Post
What's the diff. between core and metal?
I always find it kind of hard to describe musical genres with words, but I'll try. As the name suggests, metalcore is a mix between heavy metal and hardcore therefore we get metalcore. Every metalcore band has their own balance of hardcore and metal influence in their music. Sometimes more hardcore sometimes more metal. I like to use Shadows Fall and Hatebreed as prime examples of the two different ends of metalcore. Shadows Fall mixes hardcore with some melodic death metal and thrash metal however Hatebreed is just a hardcore band with overly detuned power chords with a few metal riffs here and there. One is metal (Shadows Fall) while the other (Hatebreed) is not. However, both are metalcore. Why?, Shadows Fall clearly has more heavy metal influence than Hatebreed does. In a nutshell, hardcore (and modern hard rock) really doesn't have riffs per se more like power chords (slam a note and the let the distortion carry it out). Heavy metal on the other is riff-based (think constant one note strumming).

Some musical samples:
From Hatebreed's "The Rise of Brutality"
Hardcore with mainly power chords (no riffs) - track 2 - "Straight to Your Face"
Metal (on the verge of being thrash - midtempo though) with constant riffing - track 6 - "Another Day, Another Vendetta"

Note:I have albums from both bands.