The 2000s were a decade that will be looked back on as a time that metalcore bands hit the mainstream. Metalcore bands of all sizes made their way onto MTV, Fuse, and the Warped Tour thanks to their crossover appeal. Southern California was a breeding ground for metalcore bands that found success with a wide audience. While not all of the bands had staying power and evolved unsuccessfully as songwriters, they initially emerged from SoCal playing metalcore that took the world by storm. Fans of all genres of metal can use William Hill promo code to explore a range of great sports betting opportunities.
Eighteen Visions
Eighteen Visions could be called the catalyst band for the SoCal metalcore emergence. In the end, they saw far less success than the other bands on this list and for a long period, where broken up. Eighteen Visions burst onto the scene with screaming vocals from James Hart, chugging guitars, and high-pitched guitar parts courtesy of Keith Barney. One of the lasting aspects of Eighteen Visions is they started the make-up wearing fad of glam-core other bands adopted. After the registration of the critically acclaimed Vanity album, the band went into a more melodic direction. The band broke-up in 2007 and stayed inactive until 2017 with the release of XVIII, which was a return to metalcore roots.
Bleeding Through
SoCal metalcore bands were incestuous with their members and many musicians spent time playing in various bands at one point or another. Brandan Schieppati and Javier van Huss both played in Eighteen Visions and in 1999, formed Bleeding Through to continue their metalcore musical expression. Bleeding Through took what Eighteen Visions had pioneered and added keyboards to the sound. The band’s third release, This is Love, This is Murderous placed them in the mainstream music scene. The follow-up, The Truth reached No. 1 on Billboard.
Throwdown
Yet, another band that was formed by active or former members of Eighteen Visions. Throwdown started out playing more traditional hardcore music. While Bleeding Through did the metalcore thing, Throwdown was all about bros and mosh pits. The band’s Haymaker release on Trustkill Records truly introduced them to the world. The follow-up, Vendetta showed a change in Throwdown’s style adding more metal into the sound, which has evolved further on subsequent releases.
Atreyu
Atreyu combined the influences of the time in Southern California into one dynamic sound. The band had elements of metal, hardcore, goth, punk, and emo in their sound, which helped them become a favourite on the Warped Tour. It also earned them music guest slots on late-night TV talk shows. Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses introduced the band to the world and The Curse made Atreyu one of the brightest young bands of the noughties. However, as music shifted and evolved during the decade, their follow-ups didn’t have the same impact.
Avenged Sevenfold
Of all five bands on this list to emerge from SoCal in the 2000s, none had the success of Avenged Sevenfold. The metalcore quintet was dismissed by many as a gimmick band in make-up with silly names and playing long, drawn out songs when they hit the scene. Music fans from the metal, punk, emo, and indie genres all found common ground with Avenged Sevenfold. Four of the band’s seven albums have gone gold in the US while one of those records, City of Evil, went platinum in the States.
