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Crossover thrash

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Not to be confused with thrashcore, which is a fast-tempo subgenre of hardcore punk.

Crossover thrash
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsMid–1980s, United States (Greater Los Angeles, New York City, Houston, Raleigh).
Typical instruments
Derivative formsMetalcore
Regional scenes
Local scenes
Other topics

Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre emerged in the mid–1980s, when hardcore punk bands, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, Corrosion of Conformity and Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, began to incorporate the influence of thrash metal. At this time, the genre was particularly prominent in the New York hardcore scene, where groups including Agnostic Front, Leeway, Cro-Mags and Stormtroopers of Death were widely influential.

The genre largely declined in popularity by the 1990s; however, its influence developed the prominent metalcore genre. Since the 2000s, crossover thrash has experienced a number of underground revivals, which have produced notable acts including Municipal Waste, Trash Talk, Power Trip and Drain.

Etymology

The term "thrash" originated as a way of referring to hardcore punk, seen on the 1982 hardcore compilation New York Thrash.[1] Journalist Malcolm Dome coined the term "thrash metal" in 1984, in reference to Anthrax's song "Metal Thrashing Mad".[2] The name "crossover" was coined in reference to Dirty Rotten Imbeciles's 1987 album Crossover.[3]

History

Precursors

Discharge, an early band to merge punk rock and heavy metal, influencing many pioneering thrash metal groups

Hybrid forms of metal and punk had existed as early as the mid-1970s, with the most notable act being Motörhead. However, Discharge were the first band to turn the fusion into "something a little more long-term". With their 1980 EPs Reality of War, Fight Back and Decontrol, the band began to merge the nascent sounds of hardcore punk and street punk with elements of heavy metal.[4] The band's influence was immediate and widespread, helping influence the beginnings of grindcore, crust punk, black metal and D-beat, and notably pioneering thrash metal groups Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Sepultura.[5][6] In his book Choosing Death author Albert Mudrian called Discharge "the ultimate crossover act, marrying the passion and intensity of punk with the speed and extremity of heavy metal."[7] The initial contact between punk rock and heavy metal involved a "fair amount of mutual loathing. Despite their shared devotion to speed, spite, shredded attire and stomping on distortion pedals, their relationship seemed, at first, unlikely."[4]

Void has been credited as one of the earliest examples of hardcore/heavy metal crossover, whose chaotic musical approach is often cited as particularly influential.[8] Their 1982 split LP with fellow Washington band the Faith showed both bands exhibiting quick, fiery, high-speed punk rock. It has been argued that those recordings laid the foundation for early thrash metal, at least in terms of selected tempos,[9] By 1985, pioneering Boston hardcore bands including SS Decontrol, DYS and the F.U.'s had begun to play heavy metal.[10] Author Steven Blush said of the fusion: "It was natural. The most intense music, after Black Flag and Dead Kennedys, was Slayer and Metallica. Therefore, that's where everybody was going. That turned into a culture war, basically."[11]

Mid–1980s to early 1990s: origins and mainstream popularity

Mike Muir, frontman of crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, who are often referred to as pioneers of the genre.

By the mid–1980s, hardcore bands including the Bad Brains and Cro-Mags had begun to embrace the heavy riffing style of metal.[3] In the following years, the earliest crossover albums were being released by groups across the United States, including Agnostic Front, N.Y.C. Mayhem and Stormtroopers of Death (New York); Cryptic Slaughter and Suicidal Tendencies (Greater Los Angeles); Corrosion Of Conformity (Raleigh, North Carolina); Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (Houston); and Negative Approach (Detroit).[12][13]

New York thrash metal, in particular, already bore a greater emphasis on hardcore's influence, with metal band Anthrax often playing alongside New York hardcore bands.[1] Around 1984 this relationship lead to hardcore bands Leeway and Agnostic Front beginning to write music influenced by thrash metal,[14] followed by the formation of Stormtroopers of Death in 1985, by members of thrash metal Anthrax and Billy Milano of hardcore band the Psychos.[15] With the national rise in popularity of thrash metal many original NYHC bands became increasingly heavier and harder in sound as the metal influences grew stronger, consequently some NYHC bands who were previously skinheads started growing their hair and adopting metal looks. Agnostic Front released the crossover album Cause for Alarm in 1986, which led many in the scene to deride them as sell outs.[14] Writer Freddie Alva stated in a 2014 article that "[Cause for Alarm's] combination of heavy metal precision and hardcore energy created a landmark for the crossover sound".[16] In the following years many crossover bands began to form within the scene, notably Crumbsuckers, Nuclear Assault[16] and Ludichrist.[17] The Cro-Mags released the crossover album, Best Wishes in 1989, which also heavily impacted the scene, which was cited as a major influence by much of the 1990s New York hardcore scene.[18]

Los Angeles band Suicidal Tendencies, have been described by publications including Metal Hammer as "the godfathers of crossover", following their transition from hardcore into the genre on Join the Army (1987).[12] The band would reach commercial success with their first two major-label albums, How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today (1988) and Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit... Déjà Vu (1989).[19] Dirty Rotten Imbeciles's music took a similar direction with their last three albums of the 1980s, Crossover (1987), 4 of a Kind (1988), and Thrash Zone (1989).[20]

Early 1990s to present: legacy and subsequent waves

Power Trip, one of the most forefront crossover thrash bands of the 2010s

Crossover played a major role in the development of metalcore in the early 1990s. The sound remained prominent in that genre through pioneering groups including Ringworm, Rorschach, Merauder,[21] All Out War[22] and Integrity.[23]

Municipal Waste were the forefront crossover act in the 2000s, being credited by publications including AllMusic and Spin as leading a revival of the genre.[24][25] Other notable groups of this era included Short Sharp Shock,[26] Send More Paramedics[27] amd Gama Bomb.[28] During the late 2000s and early 2010s, crossover band Trash Talk gained significant success in the hardcore scene, which led to them signing to Tyler, the Creator's record label Odd Future Records. The band's fourth studio album 119 (2012) which peaked at number 119 on the Billboard albums chart.[29] In 2018, Bandcamp Daily writer David Anthony credited Power Trip, Iron Reagan, Enforced, Mindforce, Iron Age, Red Death and Primal Rite as the leaders of a crossover thrash revival movement.[3] In the 2020s, various publications credited the genre as being revived by groups including Drain[30] and Pest Control.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Dome, Malcolm (April 20, 2024). ""We took influences from the New York hardcore scene. Our stuff was faster than in the Bay Area": the 100mph story of East Coast thrash". Metal Hammer. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  2. ^ Ewing, Jerry (November 2021). "Music journalist Malcolm Dome dead at 66". Metal Hammer. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Anthony, David (April 18, 2018). "Eight Bands Leading the Crossover Thrash Revival". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Hayes, Craig (May 29, 2012). "Love, and Other Indelible Stains". www.popmatters.com. Pop Matters. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  5. ^ Simpson, Dave (April 21, 2020). "This article is more than 4 years old 'They made Sex Pistols sound like Take That': the fury of Midlands punk". The Guardian. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  6. ^ Mörat (November 11, 2022). "10 bands that wouldn't exist without Discharge". Metal Hammer. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  7. ^ Mudrian, Albert; Peel, John; Carlson, Scott (2016). Choosing death: the improbable history of death metal & grindcore (Revised and expanded death-luxe ed.). New York: Bazillion Points Books. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-935950-16-5. Discharge was the ultimate crossover act, marrying the passion and intensity of punk with the speed and extremity of heavy metal. "There are a lot of angry people over here," says Discharge guitarist and co-founder Tony 'Bones' Roberts. "For them, the Sex Pistols and the Clash just didn't cut it. It was the same for us. When we first started we sounded like the Sex Pistols. But we just started rehearsing more and came up with something different, something heavier and faster. I've talked to a lot of people that were playing in bands that just sounded like Clash and the Sex Pistols at the time but when they heard us they started playing more hardcore, like the Discharge stuff."
  8. ^ Burton, Brent (August 30, 2011). "Two classic D.C. hardcore bands empty their vaults". Washington City Paper. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  9. ^ Raggett, Ned. "The Faith/Void Split LP". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  10. ^ Steven Blush. American Hardcore: a Tribal History. Feral House, 2010. p. 190-191
  11. ^ Reed, Bryan C. "Corrosion of Conformity: An oral history of 30 years | Music Essay". Indy Week. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  12. ^ a b Lawson, Dom (May 7, 2015). "Ten Reasons Why Suicidal Tendencies Rule, Yo!". Metal Hammer. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  13. ^ Ramadier, Laurent. "Cryptic Slaughter". Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Rettman, Tony (January 8, 2015). "The Crossover Of Hardcore & Metal – An Exclusive Excerpt From NYHC: NEW YORK HARDCORE 1980–1990". Crossover Rettman. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  15. ^ "ANTHRAX'S SCOTT IAN: S.O.D. WOULD BE "CANCELED" TODAY". Revolver. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Alva, Freddy (June 2, 2014). "The Heavy Metal Roots of New York Hardcore". Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Alexandros Anesiadis, Crossover The Edge: Where Hardcore, Punk and Metal Collide, London: Cherry Red Books, 2019, p. 36.
  18. ^ The New York Hardcore Chronicles Film (Documentary). Event occurs at 1h17m. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  19. ^ "Sunday Old School: Suicidal Tendencies". metalunderground.com. September 20, 2015. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  20. ^ "D.R.I. - Biography - Dirt Rotten Imbeciles - DRI - Crossover Thrash - Kurt Brecht - Spike Cassidy". Fullinbloommusic.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  21. ^ Martins, Jorge. "Top 10 Best '90s Proto-Metalcore Albums That Shaped the Genre". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  22. ^ ENIS, ELI. "10 MOST EXTREME HARDCORE ALBUMS EVER: ALL OUT WAR FRONTMAN'S PICKS". Revolver. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  23. ^ Andrew, J (July 11, 2017). "REVIEWSAlbum Review: INTEGRITY Howling, for The Nightmare Shall Consume". Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  24. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Municipal Waste". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  25. ^ Monick, Dan (July 2007). "SPIN". Spin. With everyone and their Wolfmother shredding retro- metal riffs, it wasn't long before a gang of headbangers revived '80s crossover thrash. Municipal Waste do it so well that any track from their third album could squeeze comfortably between D.R.I. and Gang Green...
  26. ^ DiVita, Joe (August 17, 2020). "10 Best Thrash Albums by Bands Formed After 2000". Loudwire. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  27. ^ Pulliam, June Michele. Encyclopedia of the Zombie: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth. p. 320.
  28. ^ "GAMA BOMB The Terror Tapes". Metal Forces. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  29. ^ Lymangrover, Jason. "Trash Talk". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  30. ^ Enis, Eli (August 30, 2021). "BEYOND CODE ORANGE AND KNOCKED LOOSE: 10 RISING METALLIC HARDCORE BANDS YOU NEED TO KNOW". Revolver. Project M Group LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  31. ^ BREIHAN, TOM (February 15, 2023). "On The Show Me The Body Tour, The Bodies Hit The Floor". Stereogum. Retrieved September 24, 2024.

Bibliography

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