Mathcore

Hello, metalheads! This week we are going to talk about one of metalcore’s distant cousins known as mathcore. Similar to metalcore, mathcore combines heavy metal with hardcore punk. The difference between the two subgenres is that mathcore relies more on the harshness of hardcore punk as well as peculiar time signatures in order to create complex rhythms and musical sequences. For those who have listened to math rock bands such as Slint, Shellac, Don Caballero and Chavez, it may be easier to think of mathcore as the combination of math rock, hardcore punk, and heavy metal.

Mathcore was initially pioneered in the 1990s with bands such as Converge, Cave In and Botch helping to shape the basis of the subgenre. The term “mathcore” wasn’t really coined until The Dillinger Escape Plan released their debut album, Calculating Infinity, in 1997. This record was considered to be a very focused avant-garde metal album that was more distinguished than some of mathcore’s earlier releases, therefore requiring the invention of a new subgenre name. The Dillinger Escape Plan continues to experience great success today and is still one of the most popular bands in the subgenre.

The popularity of mathcore has increased greatly since the 1990s, and in the 2000s a new wave of mathcore groups appeared. One of the most popular mathcore groups of this new wave was Norma Jean, who made mathcore sound a bit more commercial by containing sequences of metalcore within their music. Other notable mathcore bands of the 2000s include The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Car Bomb and Daughters.

One more obscure mathcore band that needs to be talked about is the group SikTh. SikTh combined progressive metal with mathcore in order to create a very unique style of heavy metal. There has been a very recent wave of bands that have taken major influence from SikTh’s two records, subsequently bringing them into the spotlight of mainstream heavy metal after SikTh’s break-up in 2008. SikTh is regarded as a very important mathcore band because they are influencing many new bands today, the majority of which are pioneering a new subgenre called djent, which we will talk about in a few weeks. 

Generally speaking, mathcore is a highly acclaimed subgenre of heavy metal. Critics are particularly appreciative of the pioneers of the subgenre, with Converge specifically receiving extraordinary reviews. Similarly, fans of heavy metal also appreciate the creativity and complexity of mathcore, allowing mathcore to thrive in the underground of heavy metal today.