Atreyu frontman Alex Varkatzas recently made headlines after claiming his band “invented metalcore.” Now, Doc Coyle (Bad Wolves, ex-God Forbid), Phil Labonte (All That Remains, ex-Shadows Fall), and Brian Fair (Shadows Fall, Overcast) have all responded to his comments:
Everyone knows I invented metalcore đ https://t.co/vdhHSw6BI8
— Doc Coyle (@DocCoyle) October 16, 2018
In all seriousness, in the modern sense of what metalcore means – technical, metallic, thrash inspired riffing combined with breakdowns & the energy of hardcore & also a blend of screamed & melodic vocals – I think these 2 bands invented (modern metalcore)
Overcast
Cave In— Doc Coyle (@DocCoyle) October 16, 2018
Honorable mentions to Starkweather, Converge, Vision of Disorder, Earth Crisis & Rorschach.
— Doc Coyle (@DocCoyle) October 16, 2018
Oh boy. đ¤Śââď¸ https://t.co/3d0prYMLoQ
— Phil That Probably Isnât On Your âTeamâ (@philthatremains) October 16, 2018
I think @DocCoyle may be right about overcast. Though they didnât have melodic singing. The European/melodic influence is surely from bands like ATG, In Flames, and Soilswork.
— Phil That Probably Isnât On Your âTeamâ (@philthatremains) October 16, 2018
I considered what @brianshadfall did in Overcast to be melodic singing. As well as screaming
— Doc Coyle (@DocCoyle) October 16, 2018
They were first for sure but I guess considering how much melodic euro thrash metal I was into at the time it never struck me the same. I felt like it was way more hardcore. I felt like melodic stuff came after Overcast.
— Phil That Probably Isnât On Your âTeamâ (@philthatremains) October 16, 2018
I think the Euro influence is semantics. It was the loudest voice in terms of a metal influence. But not necessary to be considered metalcore. Cave In didnât have any of that. Still was definitive metalcore IMO. Same with All Out War, Dillinger
— Doc Coyle (@DocCoyle) October 16, 2018
See and those bands all strike me as heavy on the core part and light on the metal. To me they were a precursor. But this conversation is gonna do that. Who is to say who definitely started. Alex is smart. đ
— Phil That Probably Isnât On Your âTeamâ (@philthatremains) October 16, 2018
Overcast definitely dipped our toe in both the metal and the core at a time a lot were not but I would point to Zero Tolerance, Starkweather and Leeway as the bands that pushed us in that direction. Cave In were always ahead of the curve in every way. https://t.co/Cy5Il5vemX
— Brian Fair (@brianshadfall) October 16, 2018
Totally. And for the record Overcast formed in 1990 (granted we sounded like a Cro-Mags clone with Hetfield style vocals, check the âFeel The Painâ demo in all its sloppy glory) and the metal influences started creeping in early. By the âBleed Into Oneâ 7â it started to show. https://t.co/accWzlcV5L
— Brian Fair (@brianshadfall) October 16, 2018
[via The PRP]