Fuck hardcore.
I’ve listened to hardcore, deathcore, and post-hardcore bands. They’re OK, they have their thing. Not really my style, but I understand that diversity adds to the scene as a whole, and obviously they believe in what they’re doing. But their fans can all fucking die, every one of them.
At the Summer Slaughter show this week, there was one core-influenced band that brought out all the 14-year-olds from New Jersey in their basketball shorts and sideways caps, and those little tykes kept trying to hardcore dance at a technical and brutal death metal show. It wasn’t a good time for anyone.
Now please, tell me that looks anything but tragically ridiculous.
It got to the point where as soon as a kid would start to slamdance, a death metal fan would step in and punch him in the head. The freaking security guards were sick of the slamdancing! I saw one grab a hardcore kid by the collar and yell, “Mosh right!” and then throw him back in the pit. Everyone has their own style, but this is just about respect and social mores. I’d never go to a hardcore show and start death metal moshing with everyone there. If I did try, I’d expect hostility from the crowd.
The tension built up throughout the night, with hardcore kids repeatedly getting punched in the face. Because they’re from Jersey, they’re all about “representing,” and so they wanted to make a scene. Check out this awesome video of a pit evolving. At first it’s a pretty lame circle pit. The hardcore crowd is standing in the middle of it, representing. The circle pit dissolves around them and they begin to slamdance, fending off invisible ninjas. Then the death metal kids move in again and revive their type of moshing.
What absolutely fascinates me about that video is that the moshing style shifts with the music! Right before the hardcore kids start doing their thing, the band on stage (Cryptopsy, for those interested) launches into a very slam-like breakdown. The death metal fans come back when the faster riffing starts again, right before the guitar solo. Did they plan this?
To get that nasty taste of slamdancing out of your mouth, I present you with a wall of death. (They moneyshot is at 1:10, so hang in there.)
And for anyone wondering why I was in the upper level making videos instead of punching hardcore kids in the head, I’d just come up after watching Psycroptic, Born Of Osiris, and The Faceless. When Kataklysm came on, I went back down and murdered people.
They played “Like Angels Weeping (The Dark)” and “Blood On The Swans”! Goddamn it was a heavy set.
dude that was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen when they are slammin’ away their invizibull ninjaz… love the wall of death too… you crazy metal kids I tell ya
WALL OF DEATH! Not nearly as absurd as slamdancing, I don’t care what anyone says. I’m normal, they’re freaks.
I agree, I would have liked to get some video of the last 2 pits because they were amazing but what can you do.
i like the moment when the breakdown is starting and the hardcore kids are trying to decide if it is a real breakdown and therefore they should start dancing. you don’t want to be the kid that starts dancing when it isn’t a real breakdown. o lordy, that is it for you.
Shit, I was gonna upload some of the vidz I got during Despised Icon (which was just be filming the spinkixx) but you beat me to it.
actually it s pretty hard for a normal european to understand what you us guys are doing there?! I tried to look up some stuff on youtube but it even got more absurd so i just can say…freaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKSSS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx_Kb2nMBlg
I’d never let a friend slamdance.
That’s like encouraging someone to take it up the ass.
For anyone that hasn’t seen it yet, the first video has a great comment thread on YouTube. Feel free to go vote down any pro-hardcore comments.
Conor I’m really glad I found this entry so I can completely and utterly disagree with you. Being far more into the hardcore scene than metal, I find your opinion about dancing retarded.
I can’t argue that NJ kids are and continue to be the scum of the earth. They are like that at any show they go to and are much worse when you actually lower yourself to their level and go to a show in NJ.
That however is the only point on which I’ll agree with you. To imply that just running around and pushing each other is a valid way of dancing is absurd. I hated it when kids did this in grade school (you know, when I was 12) and I continue to hate it. The fact that not only does the “Wall of Death” exist, but also that it has a name and you think that it’s better makes me deeply reconsider our friendship.
I’ll agree that hardcore dancing has a time and a place and that show was neither. I’ll even agree that it does look like they’re fighting invisible ninjas (an analogy that is pretty much spot on).