Synthcore

Synthcore (sometimes referred to as Electronicore) is a genre of electronic rock that mixes different types of electronic music, mainly electronica (I know, too many “electro words”), into metalcore and post-hardcore music. This type of music can vary a lot, since the inclusion of electronica, but will generally keep to a few specific guidelines.

Since this is a fusion of mainly three genres, it will take a piece from each. From post-hardcore, it will take the structure, instrumentally, like the use of heavily distorted guitars, loud bass levels, and typically fast tempos.

From metalcore, it will usually incorporate the breakdowns, which is one of the main aspects of it. A breakdown (for those of you that don't know) is a part in a song where the main melody gets partially or fully cut out, replaced by a different sound to the song, to give a break to the main melody. This can also serve as a buildup to the climax of the track, and also replaces bridges sometimes.

And finally, from electronica, it will include all of the little goodies found in most forms of electronic music. The use of sequencers and synthesizers are used to their greatest extent, along with auto-tuned vocals, if the artist so chooses. The interesting thing is, producers can also incorporate elements from several other genres as well, like trance, techno, EDM, electro, and even dubstep!

Synthcore arose during the early parts of the 2000s, so it's one of the newer genres, especially for an electronic rock sub-genre. Most of the music came from North America; however, some of the original artists of this music came from many places, like Canada, England, France and others.

The group I See Stars is seen as one of the faces of electronicore. They released an album called 3-D and it was very popular within the scene, and caught on fast. In 2003, an England band, Enter Shikari was able to achieve international radio play for their music, and even went on to win several music awards. They released their second album, titled Common Dreads in 2009, which was a huge success, reaching number 16 on the UK Charts. They were even deemed the “Kings of Trancecore,” due to the fact that they incorporated many elements of trance in their work.

Recently, in 2011, a compilation album featured many artists in the same genre, mixing post-hardcore, electronica and metalcore. One of these artists were the aforementioned I See Stars, along with others. Currently, this music can be heard all around the world, and is still quite popular amongst the right scene.

Synthcore Specifications

Average Beats Per Minute: 100-150

Where It Originated: North America

Stylistically Similar To: Post-Hardcore, Metalcore, Electronica

Year Developed: Early 2000s