post-hardcore

"When you hear Shane Told scream “You were gravely mistaken!” you know shit is about to hit the fan."

"[Glassjaw] ushered the genre out from the underground with a unique iteration of the NY hardcore sound, claiming their audience with their rowdy, unforgettable live shows and thoughtful songs that continue to enthrall us today."

"Though they could easily be considered an “experimental” group as well, Dance Gavin Dance are the Sacramento-born post-hardcore group that, though the lineup has changed quite a few times, have always held a special place in alternative music history. Their influences range from MF DOOM to the Temptations, as well as other post-hardcore groups such as At The Drive-In. Mixing harsh and clean vocals, they take note from classic hardcore and prog-rock genres, though it’s the technical attention and structuring of the songs that set DGD firmly in the post-hardcore hall of fame."

"Big Black had noise-rock down to a science. The band essentially had no midrange. Bassist Dave Riley held down the low-end, while Steve Albini and Santiago Durango opted for extreme treble, which was made all the more piercing thanks to a penchant for playing with metal picks. With the industrial thump of drum machine “Roland” keeping rhythm, and a habit of setting off firecrackers on stage before playing, Big Black essentially created misanthropy you could sing along to."

"Founded by Gorilla Biscuits guitarist Walter Schreifels, Quicksand were at the forefront of the post-hardcore/alt-metal wave in the ’90s. And that’s exactly the point in hardcore history that the beginning of “Fazer,” the intro track of their debut album, hints toward."

"A major innovator of dramatic, experimental guitar music was Louisville, Kentucky’s Slint. The band’s final album, Spiderland, was released in 1991 and is considered one of the founding works of post-rock and its cousin, math rock."

"Rodan is one of the most underrated post-hardcore bands to come out of the 90s."

"As Cities Burn brought an experimental, artsy approach to post-hardcore."

"Chiodos were hugely integral to post-hardcore in the 2000s."

"Brain-meltingly abstract lyrics are shrieked by Cedric Bixler-Zavala like a man possessed by devils of his own making, over riffs which are so violently aggressive but so perfect you start to wonder if Omar Rodriguez Lopez is really a robot in skinny jeans. To this day One Armed Scissor sends out a jolt of electricity that could rouse the dead, while the quieter moments, such as the start of Enfilade with its Iggy Pop ransom call and unholy squeals, are as creepy as all living shittery."

"The dizzying technicality of the Fall Of Troy is a lot to take in, but the band have one of the wildest takes on post-hardcore. The highly complex riffing and screamo elements on “I Just Got This Symphony Goin’” are jarring but truly unique, not only to the scene at the time but also rivaling anything mathcore and math-rock bands are putting out today."

"Funeral For A Friend have been a huge influence on post-hardcore in the U.K."

"The calming, atmospheric vibe at the beginning of mewithoutYou’s “In A Sweater Poorly Knit” is there to suck listeners in before the band start to build layer after layer of sounds, showing their capabilities in bringing out punk energy without ever tapping into harsh noise."

"AFI have done a lot for the post-hardcore scene as a whole, but cracking into the mainstream with “Miss Murder” is a massive achievement. The song had all of the makings of a radio hit, with a massive chorus, driving bassline and simplistic nature to capture the attention of people in and out of the know on bands playing this style of music."

"It’s nearly impossible to guess how the alternative rock boom of the ’90s would’ve sounded without the direct influence and ripple effect of My War."

"Is it worth it can you even hear me Standing with your spotlight on me Not enough to feed the hungry I'm tired and I felt it for awhile now In this sea of lonely The taste of Ink is getting old It's four o' clock in the fucking morning Each day gets more and more like the last day Still I can see it coming While I'm standing in the river drowning This could be my chance to break out This could be my chance to say goodbye Can't take this town much longer Being half dead wasn't what I planned to be Now I'm ready to be free"

"Senses Fail has remained at the fore of the commercial hardcore scene since issuing their 2004 debut, Let It Enfold You. Mainstays of the Billboard 200 and U.S. indie charts, the band has released a string of acclaimed albums."

"Senses Fail’s debut album, Let It Enfold You, introduced some of the best post-hardcore songs of the 2000s."

"The Used are kings of the 2000s emo scene."

"A Static Lullaby [capture] metalcore’s heavy tendencies while staying rooted in post-hardcore through clean melodies and classic punk riffs."

"Saosin’s cohesive mix of screamo and alt-rock elements set them apart as a core contributor to the development of post-hardcore in the early 2000s."

"Math Rock is a relation to post-rock, a better known indie-rock style that shares similar aesthetics. Where post-rock has distinct jazz influences, math rock is the opposite side of the same coin -- it's dense and complex, filled with difficult time signatures and intertwining phrases. Also, the style is a little more rockist than post-rock, since it's usually played by small, guitar-led bands. Math rock peaked in the mid-'90s, when groups like Polvo and Chavez had small, dedicated followings among indie rockers on collegiate campuses."

"We felt the flame of seven suns We found our way through seven wars You said my name in seven tongues I kissed the sand on seven shores"

"White death wakes in black skies, mark your makers wrath. Fear and flames of azure climb the crooked mast. You will yet be baptized, steeped in shattered glass. Sink and sing your answer and hold fast hope."

"Let the suits watch each other kill one another."

"Just remember you will always burn as bright."

"We are never gonna DIE!"

"You don't know a thing about this life."

"You keep your money and I'll see you in hell!"

"Dry your eyes and start believing, that's one thing they'll never take from you."

"I'll remember your eyes when you're gone."

"It was the roar of the crowd that gave me heartache to sing."

"They're gonna rip up your heads, your aspirations to shreds."

"You're just a sad song with nothing to say."

"Raise your glass high for tomorrow we die."

"But there's shit that I've done with this fuck of a gun, you would cry out your eyes all along."

"The hardest part is letting go of your dreams."

"I was killing before killing was cool."

"It ain't the mark or the scar that makes you one."

"I will avenge my ghost with every breath I take."

"A light to burn all the empires, so bright the sun is ashamed to rise and be."

"I keep a gun on the book you gave me, hallelujah, lock and load."

"And we'll all dance along to the tune of your death."

"Don't stop if I fall and don't look back/oh baby don't stop, bury me and fade to black."

"I'm just a man, I'm not a hero."

"I am not afraid to walk this world alone"

"Life is but a dream for the dead."

"Love is the red the rose on your coffin door. [...] black is the kiss the touch of a serpent son"

"You said you read me like a book, but the pages all are torn and frayed."

"As lead rains, pass on through our phantoms"