The Faith was an early American hardcore punk band, from Washington D.C. , with strong connections to the scene centered on the Dischord label. Along with Minor Threat , the Faith were key players in the early development of hardcore, with a (later) melodic approach that would influence not just associated acts like Rites of Spring , Embrace and Fugazi , but also a subsequent generation of bands such as Nirvana , whose Kurt Cobain was a vocal fan.
33-404: Pursuance is the third full-length studio album from melodic hardcore band, Only Crime . The album was released on May 13, 2014 and is the band's first studio album to feature bassist Dan Kelly, formerly a member of the punk rock band The Frisk and guitarist Matt Hoffman, formerly of the punk band Modern Life is War . Pursuance is the band's first album to be released on Rise Records , having
66-512: A 4/4 time signature. Many modern melodic hardcore bands are incorporating elements of melodic hardcore and emo , relying more heavily upon melody than their hardcore punk predecessors. There are also bands that take influence from post-hardcore and melodic metalcore . The earliest melodic hardcore emerged from the Californian hardcore punk scene by the early 1980s. This includes Descendents , who formed in 1978. Their earliest work
99-1069: A fuller sound and liked the way Eddie played. The Faith was short lived; following the seminal split LP with Void, they played their last show in August 1983 and their EP was issued four months later. According to Ian, "People were very unhappy; they just loved that band." After the Faith broke up, guitarist Eddie Janney formed Rites of Spring with Guy Picciotto ; while Hampton, Bald, and Hanson went on to join Embrace with Ian MacKaye on vocals. When Embrace broke up in early 1986, Chris Bald rejoined Alec MacKaye in Ignition (with Alec on vocals); meanwhile, Janney reunited with Michael Hampton for One Last Wish following Rites of Spring's breakup (later reformed as Happy Go Licky ). Finally, Hampton and Hanson reunited in Manifesto in 1991, while Alec MacKaye sang with
132-564: A key melodic hardcore band that formed during the mid-1980s as part of the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, with Brian Baker (ex- Minor Threat ) on guitar. In 1988, the band All formed, featuring three members of The Descendents. The band made music in a broadly similar vein to the Descendents, and were initially fronted by Dave Smalley of Dag Nasty. Gorilla Biscuits came out of the late 1980s New York hardcore scene, and played
165-513: A melodic form of the hardcore subgenre known as youth crew . Youth crew itself takes a lot of influence from 7 Seconds , who ventured into melodic hardcore on albums such as The Crew . Turning Point , a New Jersey hardcore band, also emerged from the youth crew movement, but their later material moved towards melodic hardcore, with more complex music and introspective lyrics. In 1994, H 2 O formed, mixing melodic elements of Washington D.C., with New York and California hardcore punk. Lifetime
198-462: Is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs , and vocal styles tending towards shouting and screaming . Nevertheless, the genre has been very diverse, with different bands showcasing very different styles. Many pioneering melodic hardcore bands (such as Bad Religion and Descendents ), have proven influential across
231-564: Is full of fire and brimstone, bringing to the fore the qualities that you would expect from the five members of the band. I still don't like the term 'supergroup' but Only Crime have shown that the bringing together of a variety of people, skilled at their chosen field, can bear fruit. Pursuance is an album lacking filler and sets a high standard for melodic hardcore with its invigorating suite of songs." All music written by Only Crime , all lyrics by Russ Rankin Melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore
264-423: Is so crazy and the Faith is just boring typical hardcore'." "Our approaches to music were so different that there isn’t much point in comparing the two sides…they are never close enough to compare, only to contrast and to complement." In 1983 the Faith released an eight-song twelve inch EP called Subject to Change . It was produced by Ian MacKaye and showed the band progressing into more melodic territory with
297-406: Is thought of as one of the first melodic hardcore records, as significant as the music of Bad Religion or the Descendents. On the release, the band added and moved away from the more straightforward hardcore punk of their earlier work towards a more complex, textured, and melodic sound, accompanied by introspective lyrics; the release is notable for its influence on post-hardcore . Dag Nasty are
330-521: Is what we write about." Reason for which they never really were interested in writing about politics as many other bands, if not all, were doing it. Minor Threat's influence is still obvious in tracks like "Face to Face", but the Faith definitely had their own thing going on. For one thing, Alec's voice is totally spiteful, and the slow songs really have a darkness that no other D.C. band came near to. His intense vocals were what really set them apart from any of their hardcore contemporaries. Instead of just
363-499: The straight edge philosophy popularized by Minor Threat and S.O.A. And at the same time it was a strong critic to the people that did not take the straight edge movement seriously and only pretended to follow it in order to sympathise with other people. The Faith members stated that they felt rather frustrated and angry because "people tend to compare the two sides of the record which is sort of dumb, we would have reviewed it as two separate bands—not comparing—instead of saying 'Oh, Void
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#1732764704040396-570: The 2010s this sound evolved into the experiment movement the Wave . Typified by emotional lyrics, concept albums and the revival of elements of 1990s emo, screamo and post-hardcore , the movement was originally fronted by Touché Amoré, Defeater, La Dispute , Pianos Become the Teeth and Make Do and Mend . As the movement continued into the 2010s, it also came to be embraced by Tigers Jaw , Title Fight , Balance And Composure and State Faults . In
429-451: The D.C. scene. They were influenced heavily by the first wave of US and UK punk rock . Though the sound of the late '70s can still be heard in their demos, the Faith are leaner, faster and more direct than their predecessors. Chris Bald would write most of the lyrics while Michael most of the music. Chris defined their lyrics as "very personal, all I can really write about is things that influence me in my life. Whatever influences our lives
462-480: The Faith and played their first show at H.B. Woodlawn High School in November '81. Alec described the name as "a positive kind of sound, not negative like so many others". "We felt that (The) Faith was a stronger-than-macho name. We did want something more hopeful and less nihilistic, in spite of our chaotic and sometimes destructive approach to performance." Filling part of the void left by Minor Threat's hiatus,
495-484: The Faith quickly became one of the most popular bands in D.C. After recording a demo in December 1981, the band released a split LP with fellow D.C. hardcore band, Void . It was released by Dischord Records, a local independent label founded by MacKaye's elder brother Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat. The first pressing of the record sold out in two weeks. It featured the song "You're X'd", which addressed
528-467: The Warmers during the mid-'90s. The Faith took hardcore punk to new places in the early 1980s. Even during their existence, their music hinted at what was to come, softening the standard-issue hardcore approach somewhat with better-developed melodies and a more inward-looking perspective. To be sure, it was high-energy, high-velocity punk, but its subtle deviations from the norm opened up new vistas for
561-427: The addition of a second guitar player. The two guitars together seem to chime, creating an unusual – for hardcore – sense of melody. And instead of employing hardcore's usual strangled bark, Alec MacKaye makes sure his words are clear and easy to discern: the Faith's musicality often trumps their rage. Their songs not only stand up with the best of D.C. hardcore, but with hardcore as a whole. After breaking up in 1983,
594-491: The addition of a second guitarist. Edward Janney , formerly of the Untouchables and Ian MacKaye's short-lived Skewbald/Grand Union , joined the Faith at the end of 1982 to play second guitar and made his recorded debut. The addition was made because they wanted to get some more complex guitar ideas into the songs and soften the impact of guitar malfunctions, which were a constant threat during good shows. They also wanted
627-532: The influence of the dark lyrics of gothic rock . American Nightmare's influence was apparent promptly leading to a wave bands including Ceremony , Ruiner , Modern Life Is War , the Hope Conspiracy and Killing the Dream . A reaction against American Nightmare's negative melodic hardcore sound soon took place, beginning with Mental, who were quickly followed by Have Heart . Have Heart's success led to
660-428: The late 2000s, a wave of groups cross-pollinating the influence of melodic hardcore, like Killing the Dream, and metalcore bands like Shai Hulud and Misery Signals began to gain traction. This wave often made use of serious, solemn lyrics and sometimes clean vocals in addition to the commonplace screams. Music commentators including Stuff You Will Hate , Alternative Press and Bradley Zorgdrager of Exclaim! used
693-557: The members from the Faith continued to shape the sound of D.C. punk in their later projects. Nearly all of their membership moved on to either Embrace or Rites of Spring. An often under-appreciated D.C. band, They went in two years from being one of the most pissed off and aggro early hardcore bands to introducing a melodic element that would have a huge influence on the future of D.C. punk. Their split LP with Void As well as their more catchy but still raging EP Subject to Change. Known for their inward-looking lyrics—a pioneering thing in
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#1732764704040726-468: The most notable melodic hardcore groups of the decade". Australia too developed a prominent scene in the genre, with Vacant Home and Ambleside gaining some international success. At this time, the YouTube channel Dreambound was one of the most prominent sources for finding bands, uploading music videos for many prominent bands. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, some underground hardcore bands to revive
759-568: The name "serious hardcore" or "srscore" to refer to this style. Groups in this wave included Hundredth , the Ghost Inside , Counterparts and Stick to Your Guns . Through the 2010s, the melodic, emotional hardcore style grew an underground following in Wales, fronted by Casey and Holding Absence . By the time of Casey's 2023 reunion shows, they had entered a level of cult status which Noizze writer Ethan Young stated made them "one of
792-455: The normal-typical hardcore brash screaming and pushing everything all in one verse, Alec had a way of making these minute blast songs almost melodic without compromising or losing any intensity. By the time they recorded the Subject to Change EP – which was first released in late 1983, shortly after they disbanded – the Faith had adopted a more melodic and emotional approach, perhaps owing to
825-510: The previous two studio albums released on Fat Wreck Chords . The album was produced by Bill Stevenson and was recorded at Stevenson's own recording studio The Blasting Room in Fort Collins , Colorado . Pursuance received positive reviews from critics, with the website Dying Scene praising the album for its more melodic sound it showcases compared to the previous studio albums, but still with plenty of anger. Dying Scene also stated in
858-627: The release of their major label debut Siren Song of the Counter Culture (2004). Additional bands in the genre to benefit from this were Strike Anywhere , Kid Dynamite , the Movielife and the Suicide Machines . With their 2001 debut album Background Music , Boston hardcore band American Nightmare pioneered a new style of melodic hardcore, which callbacked to the 1980s punk-based style of hardcore, while also embracing
891-446: The review that with the band's first two albums being more focused on hardcore punk, this album was "both a natural progression and a bit of a departure". The review also mentioned the album's "bitter lyrics collide with almost metal guitar riffs" and that the "discordant riffs tie the album together in a very satisfyingly pissed off package". Richard Cocksedge of Punknews wrote "Where To The Nines failed to ignite my passion, Pursuance
924-733: The rise in popularity of other positive hardcore groups like Champion , Verse and Sinking Ships . Other prominent groups playing these styles included the Carrier , Ruiner , This Is Hell and Comeback Kid , many of which are housed by key hardcore labels Bridge 9 Records and Deathwish Inc. In western Australia, this sound become one of its most commercially successful exports, with Break Even and Mile Away . Between 2005 and 2009, groups including Defeater , Touché Amoré and Being as an Ocean morphed Bridge Nine and Deathwish's melodic hardcore style into what Alternative Press writer Brian Kraus termed "melodic, emotional hardcore". By
957-560: The sound of 2000s Bridge 9 melodic hardcore bands. This movement included One Step Closer , Mil-Spec, Ghost Fame, No Longer At Ease and Time and Pressure. The Faith (American band) The band formed as a four-piece in the summer of 1981 and featured Alec MacKaye , former vocalist for the Untouchables , on vocals, Michael Hampton and Ivor Hanson of Henry Rollins ' first band, State of Alert on guitar and drums respectively, as well as Chris Bald on bass. They called themselves
990-577: The spectrum of punk rock , as well as rock music more generally. Melodic hardcore is broadly defined, however generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and screaming . Many notable bands, such as Dag Nasty and Lifetime use minor interval chords on guitar, such as minor ninth and seventh chords, as well as fifth or ninth harmonies on vocals. Many groups also drop tune their instruments. Tempos commonly range from 180 to 210 beats per minute, with very few bands ranging outside of
1023-513: Was a notable emo group whose sound drew heavily on pop punk and melodic hardcore. Along with other melodic hardcore groups, they had much influence on subsequent pop punk, including bands such as Fall Out Boy and Saves the Day . When Lifetime broke up, some of their members formed Kid Dynamite . During the 1990s, the "Epi-Fat" sound (a variant of skate punk named after the labels that housed its key bands, Epitaph Records and Fat Wreck Chords )
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1056-461: Was popular, and key bands such as NOFX , Pennywise and Strung Out bordered on melodic hardcore influenced by the likes of Descendents and Bad Religion. The mainstream success of pop-punk in the 2000s led to an increase in commercial success of other melodic styles of punk, including melodic hardcore. This was prominent with Chicago band Rise Against , who formed in 1999, and achieved significant mainstream radio play and MTV coverage, with
1089-486: Was simple, pop -influenced punk rock, but they went on to mix this melodic approach with hardcore, inspiring both melodic hardcore and pop punk groups. Bad Religion , who formed in Los Angeles in 1979, played in a somewhat similar vein, but their approach was more "angry" and politically charged. They recorded their debut album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse? , in 1981. The Faith 's 1983 EP Subject to Change
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