{{Short description|Music scene}} [[File:Have Heart @ Sound & Fury 2019.jpg|thumb|right|Boston band Have Heart's 2019 reunion show outside the Worcester Palladium had the highest attendance of any hardcore show in history.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bastias |first1=Steven |title=Have Heart's Reunion Was The Biggest Hardcore Show Ever |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/have-hearts-reunion-show-was-the-biggest-hardcore-show-ever/ |website=Kerrang! |date=8 July 2019 |access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref>]] '''Boston hardcore''' is the hardcore punk scene of Boston, Massachusetts. Beginning in the early 1980s, bands such as SSD, DYS, Jerry's Kids and Negative FX formed a nascent hardcore scene in the city that was notably captured on the compilation ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' (1982). By 1986, many of these bands had either disbanded or departed from the hardcore genre, instead beginning to play heavy metal. During the 1990s, the influence of extreme metal became prominent in the scene with Overcast, Converge, Cave In and Shadows Fall becoming prominent figures in the metalcore genre. However, a reaction against this metal influence quickly took place, which led to the mid-1990s youth crew revival of In My Eyes, Bane and Ten Yard Fight. By 2000, the youth crew revival had declined, and in response to its lyrical positivity, bands including American Nightmare, the Suicide File and the Hope Conspiracy began making music influenced by its music but centred on darker and nihilistic lyrics. In the following years, a reaction also took place against this lyrical style, which led to the rise of positive hardcore bands Mental and Have Heart. The 2000s also saw mainstream successful of Boston melodic metalcore bands including Killswitch Engage, All That Remains and Shadows Fall.
==1980s== [[File:Slapshot band.jpg|thumb|Slapshot was formed in 1985 by members of early Boston hardcore acts including Negative FX and DYS]] Disheartened by Boston's local punk bands like Mission of Burma and the Neighbourhoods, and feeling enfranchised by straight edge after watching Minor Threat perform in New York City, Boston's first hardcore band was SSD.<ref name="Blush, p.243">{{cite book |last1=Blush |first1=Steven |author-link=Steven Blush |title=American Hardcore: A Tribal History |date=October 2001 |publisher=Feral House |page=243 |quote='''Al Barile''' (SS Decontrol): The Boston Punk scene was a congregation of drugged-out losers. They had this elitist attitude. I could not get with it at all. It was an older thing: The Neighborhoods and Mission Of Burma the established bands - but they had no connection to me; the guitars weren't heavy. I remember I went to a Neighborhoods show in 1980 or 1981. There was this Punk there, Bob White, who was the first victim of some kind of ritual slam thing with me. The other guy I was with got busted because we slammed this Punk around so hard.<br>Alan Barile, a beer-drinkin' hockey jock from blue-collar Lynn, MA, transformed himself in 1981 after seeing Minor Threat at New York's Irving Plaza. He established what became Boston Hardcore, and almost everyone fell in line with his uncompromising ethos. With shaved head, Straight Edge militancy and take-no-prisoners physicality, Al embodied modern HC stereotypes. He was the Pavarotti of shots to the body...<br>SS DECONTROL got started by Barile in the summer of 1981. Originally "Society System Decontrol," they shortened the name to SS Decontrol, then again to SSD. For a year or two, they were incredible. The virulent anti-drug lyrics of vicious guitarist Al - driven by the potent rhythm of bassist Jaime Sciarappa and drummer Chris Foley - came through throat-shredding vocalist Phil "Springa" Spring; one of HC's great frontmen and a scrappy fucker, the former Outlets roadie could slamdance and stagedive with the best of 'em. SS Decontrol's first album, 1982's The Kids Will Have Their Say (the debut on Al's X-Claim! label), certifies as a classic.<br>'''Dave Smalley''': SSD were the guys. Without SSD, there wouldn't've been a Boston Crew, a Hardcore scene or a Straight Edge scene. Give credit where it's due.}}</ref> Formed in 1981 and performing live for the first time on September 19 of the same year, SSD influenced the formation of a Boston hardcore scene. The groups of bands especially influenced by SSD and their straight edge philosophy called themselves the Boston Crew, which included DYS and Negative FX, while other early bands to join the scene included Jerry's Kids, the F.U.'s, Gang Green and the Freeze.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Blush |first1=Steven |author-link=Steven Blush |title=American Hardcore: A Tribal History |date=October 2001 |publisher=Feral House |pages=243–244 |quote=A local scene coalesced at early SSD shows. They first gigged September 19, 1981 at the Gallery East, second in Cape Cod that November at the Mill Hill Club in Yarmouth, MA, third on December 26 in Boston at Street's, an uncool Rock Disco...<br> The clique of twenty or so Straight Edge toughs that formed around Al Barile and SSD got known as Boston Crew. They shaved their heads both as a belligerent Hardcore statement and to differentiate themselves from New Wave types with dumb angular haircuts. Boston Crew are the ones running up the capitol stairs on the first SSD album's cover. Crew bands included SSD, DYS and Negative FX. Other great Boston HC groups like Gang Green, The FU's, Jerry's Kids and The Freeze smoked weed or drank beer, thus exluding [sic] themselves from the Straight Edge pack.}}</ref> The Proletariat, although a part of this scene were set apart significantly due to their jangle pop guitars, influence from Gang of Four and Wire and communist lyrics.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carnes |first1=Aaron |title=The Return of Boston Hardcore Anomaly, The Proletariat |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-return-of-boston-hardcore-anomaly-the-proletariat/ |website=Vice Media}}</ref> In 1982, Modern Method Records released ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'', a compilation album of the Boston hardcore scene. In addition to Modern Method was Taang! Records, who released material by a number of the aforementioned Boston hardcore bands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-boston-hardcore-changed-rock-music|title=How Boston hardcore changed rock music|first=Stephen Hill01|last=March 2020|website=Loudersound.com|access-date=September 5, 2020}}</ref>
Despite writing a mere 20 minutes of music and never playing outside of New England, Siege became highly influential. Their tracks on ''Cleanse the Bacteria'' exposed them to wide audiences, including Lars Ulrich of Metallica, who described them as the fastest band he had ever heard.<ref>Mudrian, Albert. ''Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore''. Feral House, 2004, pp. 47</ref> Numerous pioneering bands establishing the death metal and grindcore subgenres in the 1980s cited Siege as a formative influence,<ref>Mudrian 38, 126</ref> including British groups Carcass<ref>{{cite web|last=Gamble|first=Billy|title=Interview: Carcass' Bill Steer|url=http://digboston.com/boston-music-concerts/2014/04/interview-carcass-bill-steer/|website=Digboston.com|date=7 April 2014|access-date=17 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712164922/http://digboston.com/boston-music-concerts/2014/04/interview-carcass-bill-steer/|archive-date=12 July 2014}}</ref> and Napalm Death.<ref>Glasper 2009, p. 12</ref> Further outside of Boston were Western Massachusetts bands Deep Wound (which featured future Dinosaur Jr. members J Mascis and Lou Barlow) and the Outpatients, both of whom would come to Boston to play shows.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PFJjCwAAQBAJ&q=%22deep+wound%22+%22outpatients%22+%22western+mass%22+hardcore&pg=PA278|title=American Hardcore (Second Edition): A Tribal History|first1=Steven|last1=Blush|first2=George|last2=Petros|page=278|date=October 19, 2010|publisher=Feral House|isbn=9781932595987|access-date=September 5, 2020|via=Google Books}}</ref> From nearby Manchester, New Hampshire was G.G. Allin, a solo singer who contrary to straight edge used large amounts of drugs and alcohol, eventually dying of a heroin overdose.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Prato |first1=Greg |title=GG Allin: the Gruesome Life and Tragic Death of the Most Shocking Man in Music |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/gg-allin-the-gruesome-life-and-tragic-death-of-the-most-shocking-man-in-music |access-date=16 July 2023 |publisher=Loudersound}}</ref> Allin's stage show included defecating on stage and then throwing his feces at the audience.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ballad-of-a-bloody-poop-throwing-punk-rock-terrorist|title=The Ballad of a Bloody, Poop-Throwing Punk-Rock 'Terrorist'|first=Nick|last=Schager|date=December 13, 2018|access-date=September 5, 2020|newspaper=The Daily Beast}}</ref> At this time, a prominent venue was the Gallery East.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Jim |title=Gallery East heyday on display |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2010/08/27/gallery-east-heyday-on-display/ |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref>
By 1986, the scene was in decline, SSD, DYS and the F.U.'s has begun to play heavy metal, with the lattermost doing so also changing their name to Straw Dogs.<ref>Steven Blush. American Hardcore: a Tribal History. Feral House, 2010. p. 190-191</ref> By the end of the year, both SSD and DYS had disbanded.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.awayfromlife.com/ss-decontrol-comeback-der-80er-hardcore-punk-band/|title=SS DECONTROL: Comeback der 80er Hardcore-Punk-Band?|first=Simon|last=Hereth|date=February 17, 2020|website=Awayfromlife.com|access-date=September 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bcm.bc.edu/issues/spring_2004/works.html|title=Music man – BCM – Spring 2004|website=Bcm.bc.edu|access-date=September 5, 2020}}</ref> Members of the Boston Crew then went on to form the band Slapshot.<ref name="daily.redbullmusicacademy.com">{{Cite web|url=https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2017/11/straight-edge-hardcore-punk-history-excerpt|title=Straight Edge: A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History|website=Daily.redbullmusicacademy.com|access-date=September 5, 2020}}</ref> The members of ska punk band the Mighty Mighty Bosstones also originated from this scene.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Niesel |first1=Jeff |title=The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Complete a Trilogy They Started Nearly 10 Years Ago |url=https://www.clevescene.com/music/the-mighty-mighty-bosstones-complete-an-album-trilogy-they-started-nearly-10-years-ago-22138007 |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Begnal |first1=Anthony Allen |title=Jonathan Anastas (DYS, Slapshot, Decadence) Looks Back on His Boston Hardcore Days |url=https://www.noecho.net/interviews/jonathan-anastas-dys-slapshot-interview |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> Slapshot have been credited by ''the Eagle Online'' as being one of the driving forces in the resurrection of hardcore in the Boston area, when all the other bands moved away from the genre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boston hardcore hits - The Eagle |url=https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2006/01/boston-hardcore-hits |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=www.theeagleonline.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hillpublished |first=Stephen |date=2020-03-01 |title=How Boston hardcore changed rock music |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-boston-hardcore-changed-rock-music |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Louder |language=en}}</ref> Stewart Marson of AllMusic wrote on their 1990 album ''Sudden Death Overtime'' stating “At a time when hardcore itself, never mind straight-edge, was on the ropes, ''Sudden Death Overtime'' proved that some bands were still in the game.”<ref>{{Citation |title=Sudden Death Overtime - Slapshot {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sudden-death-overtime-mw0000266765 |access-date=2025-10-29 |language=en}}</ref>
==1990s== [[File:Jacob Bannon of Converge.jpg|thumb|Converge are an influential band in the metalcore genre|150px]] In the early 1990s, Only Living Witness and Sam Black Church gained national attention during a time when New York hardcore dominated the scene.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=7 BANDS LEADING MASSACHUSETTS HARDCORE'S NEW WAVE |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/7-bands-leading-massachusetts-hardcores-new-wave#anklebiter |website=Revolver |access-date=11 June 2024}}</ref> At the same time, an early metalcore developed in Boston, led by Overcast who formed in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kennelty |first1=Greg |title=UNEARTH Names The 11 Best Lesser-Known Metalcore Classics, Announces New Album |date=3 March 2023 |url=https://metalinjection.net/lists/unearth-names-the-11-best-lesser-known-metalcore-classics-announces-new-album |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Much of this scene were based around Hydra Head Records, which was founded by Aaron Turner after moving to Boston. Converge were one of the earliest and most prominent groups from the city, formed in 1990.<ref name="Hill 2020">{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title=How Boston hardcore changed rock music |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-boston-hardcore-changed-rock-music |website=Metal Hammer |date=March 2020 |access-date=7 July 2021}}</ref> Using Rorschach's music as their sonic template,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Breihan |first1=Tom |title=5-10-15-20: Converge's Kurt Ballou |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/37497-5-10-15-20-converges-kurt-ballou/ |website=Pitchfork |date=7 January 2010 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> the band's experimental attitude, emotional lyrics and attention to dynamics led to them becoming one of the most influential bands in the genre.<ref name="Martin, 2020">{{cite web |last1=Martins |first1=Jorge |title=Top 10 Best '90s Proto-Metalcore Albums That Shaped the Genre |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/top_10_best_90s_proto-metalcore_albums_that_shaped_the_genre-113093 |website=Ultimate Guitar |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref>
As a reaction against the dominance of metal-influenced hardcore amongst straight edge bands, around 1996, a revival of the sound of the youth crew bands began.<ref name="Rettman, youth crew revival">{{cite book |last1=Rettman |first1=Tony |title=Straight Edge A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History |quote=The early '90s was full of bands who promoted a straight edge lifestyle, but sounded more metal and played slower. Then the mid'90s brought bands made up of older guys from the late '80s who wanted that more traditional sound. There were younger guys who wanted that as well. So around 1996 or 1997, a full Youth Crew revival happened.}}</ref> Bands including In My Eyes, Bane, Ten Yard Fight and Floorpunch, used the key aspects of late 1980s bands such as the gang vocals, high tempos and lyrical themes of straight edge, unity and vegetarianism.<ref name="Kerrang, 2018">{{cite web |title=Wesley Eisold of American Nightmare Talks Legacy, Mental Health and Stripped Back Hardcore|url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/wesley-eisold-of-american-nightmare-talks-legacy-mental-health-and-stripped-back-hardcore/ |website=Kerrang! |date=February 16, 2018 |accessdate=November 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hamilton |first1=Jake |title=Chain of Strength The One Thing That Still Holds True (1996) |date=April 8, 2015 |url=https://www.punknews.org/review/13398/chain-of-strength-the-one-thing-that-still-holds-true |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref>
In 1997, the Rathskeller, a prominent venue in the scene was closed and the building was demolished, hosting acts such as Blood for Blood. In a 2014 article by ''Vice Media'', writer John Liam Policastro called it "Boston's legendary shithole".<ref name="Policastro, 2014">{{cite web |last1=Policastro |first1=John Liam |title=Remembering the Rat, the Famously Violent Boston Punk Club That's Now a Luxury Hotel Suite |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bostons-cbgb-is-being-immortalized-with-a-hotel-suite-189/ |website=Vice Media |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref>
As the 1990s drew to a close, a wave of metalcore bands began incorporating elements of melodic death metal into their sound. This formed an early version of what would become the melodic metalcore genre. The first band to make use of this fusion was Overcast, who were soon followed by Shadows Fall on ''Somber Eyes to the Sky'' and Unearth on ''Above the Fall of Man'' (1999).<ref name="Sfetcu, 2014">{{cite book |last1=Sfetcu |first1=Nicolae |title=The Music Sound |date=7 May 2014 |quote=While death metal and hardcore had always intermingled to an extent, the first clearly identifiable instances of melodic Swedish metal being combined with hardcore seem to have sprung almost simultaneously, with Undying's This Day All Gods Die, Darkest Hour's The Prophecy Fulfilled, Prayer for Cleansing's The Rain in Endless Fall, Shadows Fall's With Somber Eyes to the Sky, and Unearth's Above the Fall of Man all being released within a year of each other (1998-99). It is unclear who first got the idea to combine the two styles. Darkest Hour had released an EP called The Misanthrope in 1996 which arguably contained elements of their later sound but was for the most part aggro-hardcore in the vein of Damnation a.d. On the other hand, Day of Suffering's 1997 album The Eternal Jihad is cited as an influence for many of the North Carolina bands that followed, such as Undying and Overcast is seen as having started the genre in Massachusetts.}}</ref>
==2000s== [[File:Americannightmare.jpg|thumb|American Nightmare's music was rooted in youth crew, but the band's negative, poetic lyrics of self-loathing were inspired by groups like the Smiths]] By 1999 and 2000, the youth crew revival was in decline, with Ten Yard Fight, In My Eyes and Floorpunch all disbanding. As a reaction against the homogeneity and simplicity that scene had developed, Ten Yard Fight guitarist Tim Cossar and the band's roadie Wesley Eisold formed American Nightmare.<ref name="Wrenn and W">{{cite book |last1=Rettman |first1=Tony |title=Straight Edge A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History |quote=Chris Wrenn: By 1999, Ten Yard Fight broke up, and In My Eyes and Floorpunch broke up soon after. That was the time for the next shift. Tim Cossar from Ten Yard Fight was my roommate, and when that band was breaking up, he started putting together American Nightmare. American Nightmare weren't really a crazy departure from Ten Yard Fight, but it was definitely darker. All of a sudden, all the bands that had red T-shirts or royal-blue T-shirts only sold black T-shirts.<br>Greg W: In Boston, Ten Yard Fight and In My Eyes had been the bands that were setting the tone for kids my age. Then American Nightmare got really big in Boston. I think that was a reaction to Ten Yard Fight and In My Eyes going on for so long. Kids didn't want to be the clean-cut straight edge; they wanted something darker. Bands like Hope Conspiracy and Converge were more metal. Trust me, we were into American Nightmare, but it reached a point where every band was an American Nightmare junior. I was just so sick of seeing T-shirts with scratchy fonts and all that.}}</ref> Although still musically rooted in the youth crew revival, the band's negative, poetic lyrics of self-loathing were inspired by groups like the Smiths.<ref name="Kerrang, 2018" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Blair |first1=Ed |title=A Brief Overview of Boston Hardcore In Nine Albums |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/boston-hardcore-guide |website=Bandcamp Daily |date=March 5, 2020 |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref> American Nightmare's influence was apparent promptly in their home of Boston,<ref name="Wrenn and W" /> then expanded nationally with the release of their 2001 debut album ''Background Music'',<ref name="Kerrang, 2018" /> being followed by a wave bands including Ceremony, Ruiner, Modern Life Is War and Killing the Dream.<ref>"Charts", Billboard. August 23, 2008, pp. 40–41. Retrieved December 25, 2011.</ref><ref>Hughes, Josiah. "American Nightmare Announce New Album, Share "The World Is Blue"". Retrieved November 25, 2019.</ref> A 2011 article by ''Lambgoat'', called Boston bands American Nightmare, the Hope Conspiracy and the Suicide File as three bands who in particular "left a noteworthy mark" in the scene.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Hope Conspiracy Death Knows Your Name |url=https://lambgoat.com/albums/2254/the-hope-conspiracy-death-knows-your-name/ |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref>
A reaction against this movement also took place, which began with Mental, who were quickly followed by Have Heart.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rettman |first1=Tony |title=Straight Edge A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History |quote=Greg W: When we formed the band Mental, it was a reaction to bands in our area like American Nightmare and Panic. We wanted to do something that was different to what was going on at the time. Luckily, the older people who got me into hardcore as a kid put me onto classic New York hard-core. I could never connect to any of that baggy-pants Victory Records stuff too much. The guys in Mental and I were ''so'' into old New York and D.C. hardcore. We worshipped it, and we wanted to bring that style of music back...<br>Chris Wrenn: I saw Have Heart picking up the straight edge torch afte Mental. Bands like American Nightmare and No Warning only had black T-shirts. When Bridge Nine Records started working with Have Heart, Pat's only concern was that we didn't make black T-shirts for the band, and I don't think we ever did; red and royal blue definitely, but not black.}}</ref> Have Heart's success led to the rise in popularity of other positive hardcore groups like Champion, Verse and Sinking Ships, and the rise in prominence of Bridge 9 Records.<ref name="Bane, Shipwreck a 2009">"Have Heart announce final show with Bane, Shipwreck a.d." punknews.org. August 22, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2010.</ref><ref>Break-ups: Verse (2003–2009) Punknews.org, February 9, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.</ref> In an ''AllMusic'' review, Greg Prato wrote about the label's band Energy that "While you wouldn't go quite as far as calling Energy "a hardcore boy band," the group's leanings toward the mainstream are undeniable throughout ''Invasions of the Mind''.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/invasions-of-the-mind-mw0000796880/credits|title=Invasions of the Mind album credits|website=allmusic.com|access-date=November 14, 2018}}</ref>
Defeater formed in Boston in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pearlman |first1=Mischa |title=Why death is impossible in Defeater's world |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/why-death-is-impossible-in-defeater-s-world |website=Metal Hammer |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> The band went on to be one of the forefront acts in the Wave, a movement of post-hardcore bands in the late 2000s and early 2010s.<ref name="Pitchfork – The Wave">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/621-the-year-in-post-hardcore-has-the-new-wave-crested/|title=The Year In Post-Hardcore: Has the New Wave Crested? – Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|date=December 30, 2014|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref> Their discography narrates an overarching story of a working class New Jersey family in the Post-World War II Era.<ref name="change the record">{{cite web|title=Interview: Defeater|url=http://changetherecord.net/2009/06/17/interview-defeater/|publisher=Change The Record|access-date=4 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706003216/http://changetherecord.net/2009/06/17/interview-defeater/|archive-date=6 July 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Metalcore=== At the beginning of the 2000s, many of the bands from Boston's 1990s metalcore scene began becoming increasingly experimental, with Cave In starting to make progressive music and Aaron Turner's post-metal band Isis emerging from the scene. Metal Hammer writer Stephen Hill called ''Jane Doe'' by Converge "the high watermark of the Boston scene [in this era]". Around this time, many of these acts gained international mainstream attention, with Cave In signing to the major label Capitol Records and touring with the Foo Fighters.<ref name="Hill 2020" />
Converge's album was released on 4 September 2001 to universal critical and fan acclaim. The album influenced the development of the sound of other U.S. bands like Norma Jean and Misery Signals as well as international acts like Eden Maine, Johnny Truant and Beecher.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title=Converge's Jane Doe: revisiting the album that changed hardcore forever |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-cult-of-carnage-revisiting-converges-jane-doe |website=Metal Hammer |date=5 April 2017 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> Blake Butler of ''Allmusic'' stated that Converge "put the final sealing blow on their status as a legend in the world of metallic hardcore" with the album, calling it "an experience -- an encyclopedic envelopment of so much at once."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://allmusic.com/album/jane-doe-mw0000012994|title=Jane Doe - Converge|website=allmusic.com|access-date=15 September 2020}}</ref> ''Terrorizer Magazine'' named it their 2001 Album of the Year,<ref name="bennett2">J. Bennett, "Who's That Girl?", ''Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces'', Albert Mudrian (ed.), Da Capo Press, p. 331.</ref> and it was named the greatest album of the 2000s by ''Noisecreep''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://noisecreep.com/best-albums-2000s/|title=Best Albums of the 2000s|website=Noisecreep|date=2 December 2009 |language=en-US|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref> and ''Sputnikmusic''<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/blog/2010/06/11/top-100-albums-of-the-decade-10-1/|title=Sputnikmusic - Top 100 Albums of the Decade (10-1) « Staff Blog|website=www.sputnikmusic.com|language=en-US|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref>
====Melodic metalcore==== [[File:2016 RiP Killswitch Engage - by 2eight - DSC9721.jpg|thumb|Killswitch Engage received significant commercial success with their melodic metalcore sound]] By the 2000s, the melodic death metal-influenced style of metalcore had become increasingly prominent, with this bands soon separating themselves into their own scene, which Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon referred to as the "commercial metalcore scene". This scene was fronted by Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and Unearth.<ref name="Hill 2020" /> In 2002, Killswitch Engage's ''Alive or Just Breathing'' reached number 37 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/killswitch-engage/chart-history/tln/ |title=Killswitch Engage Chart History (Heatseekers Albums) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> In 2004, Killswitch Engage's ''The End of Heartache'',<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/killswitch-engage/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Killswitch Engage Chart History (''Billboard'' 200) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> Shadows Fall's ''The War Within'',<ref name="SF">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=70442 |title=Shadows Fall to Co-Headline Sounds of the Underground |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=11 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819065852/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=70442 |archive-date=19 August 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/shadows-fall/chart-history |title=Shadows Fall (Chart History) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> Killswitch Engage's 2004 album ''The End of Heartache''{{Certification Cite Ref|title=The End of Heartache|artist=Killswitch Engage|type=album|region=United States}} has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and their 2006 album ''As Daylight Dies''{{Certification Cite Ref|title=As Daylight Dies|artist=Killswitch Engage|type=album|region=United States}} was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2007 and 2021,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lott |first=Roy |date=2021-11-25 |title=Killswitch Engage’s 2006 Album As Daylight Dies Receives Platinum Status - |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2021/11/25/news/killswitch-engages-2006-album-as-daylight-dies-receives-platinum-status/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=mxdwn Music |language=en-US}}</ref> respectively. Killswitch Engage's 2002 album ''Alive or Just Breathing'', as of 3 July 2004, has sold 114,000 copies in the United States.<ref name=SoundScanAtreyuKSE>{{cite magazine |page=41 |date=3 July 2004 |access-date=29 November 2019 |magazine=Billboard |title=Atreyu Gets Victory Plan |last=Christman |first=Ed |volume=116 |number=27 |issn=0006-2510 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OhAEAAAAMBAJ&q=atreyu+soundscan&pg=PA41 |archive-date=20 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220223626/https://books.google.com/books?id=OhAEAAAAMBAJ&q=atreyu+soundscan&pg=PA41 |url-status=live }}</ref> Their album is a landmark album for the genre, being considered a foundational and highly influential record that helped define the metalcore in its early years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dick |first=Chris |date=2012-11-02 |title=Killswitch Engage - "Alive or Just Breathing" |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2012/11/02/killswitch-engage-alive-or-just-breathing/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Decibel Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The band also became the first to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 47th annual Grammy awards in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Killswitch engage Grammys.com |url=https://grammy.com/artists/killswitch-engage/13024}}</ref>
Shadows Fall began to pick up in popularity with their 2002 album ''The Art of Balance'' with his since surpassed 100,000 plus sales.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blabbermouth |date=2004-11-19 |title=SHADOWS FALL Pass The 100,000 SoundScan Mark Again |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/shadows-fall-pass-the-100-000-soundscan-mark-again/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET |language=en}}</ref> Their follow up 2004 album seen even more success peaking at number 20 on the Billboard 200 along with topping the Independent Album Charts, and has since sold 200,00 units.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blabbermouth |date=2005-05-11 |title=SHADOWS FALL Surpass The 200,000 U.S. SoundScan Plateau |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/shadows-fall-surpass-the-200-000-u-s-soundscan-plateau/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET |language=en}}</ref> They also picked up two Grammy nods for Best Metal Performance in 2006 and 2008 respectively.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Shadows Fall Grammy.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/shadows-fall/8387}}</ref>
Unearth began to have success among heavy metal fans in 2004 with the release of their second album ''The Oncoming Storm'', which peaked at number 1 on the Heatseekers Albums chart on 17 July 2004.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/unearth/chart-history/tln/ |title=Unearth Chart History (Heatseekers Albums) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> On that same day, the album peaked at number 105 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Unearth's 2006 album ''III: In the Eyes of Fire'' peaked at number 35 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The band's 2008 album ''The March'' peaked at number 45 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/unearth/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Unearth Chart History (''Billboard'' 200) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> ''Oncoming Storm'', ''III: In the Eyes of Fire''', and ''The March'' peaked at numbers 6, 2 and 3 on the Independent Albums chart, respectively.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/unearth/chart-history/ind/ |title=Unearth Chart History (Independent Albums) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> All That Remains achieved success with their 2006 album ''The Fall of Ideals'', which, as of 1 October 2025, sold 500,00 copies in the United States.<ref name="ATRBLABBERMOUTH">{{cite web |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/all-that-remains-behind-the-scenes-footage-from-two-weeks-video-shoot-available/ |title=ALL THAT REMAINS: Behind-The-Scenes Footage From 'Two Weeks' Video Shoot Available |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=1 October 2008 |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> All That Remains' 2008 album ''Overcome'' peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and has also sold roughly 500,000 copies.<ref>{{Cite web |title="philthatremains/status/1734655586061427010". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved December 13, 2023 |url=https://twitter.com/philthatremains/status/1734655586061427010}}</ref> ''Overcome''{{'s}} song "Two Weeks" peaked at number 9 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart on 16 May 2009.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/all-that-remains/chart-history/rtt/ |title=All That Remains Chart History (Mainstream Rock Songs) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref>
==2010s== thumb|Vein.fm became one of the new prominent names during the 2010s During the 2010s the Boston's Triple B Records became the most prolific and important new label in hardcore, spotlighting regional, national and international groups to the rise of present-day hardcore mainstays like Vein.fm, Fiddlehead and Fuming Mouth, who are all Massachusetts based bands.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Enis |first=Eli |title=7 bands leading Massachusetts hardcore's new wave |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/7-bands-leading-massachusetts-hardcores-new-wave/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Revolver |language=en-US}}</ref> Fiddlehead, formed in 2014 by former members of Have Heart and English band Basement, become one of the faces of melodic hardcore and post-hardcore in the city.<ref name="Stewart, 2025">{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Ethan |title=MELODIC HARDCORE’S STUNNING MID-2020S RESURGENCE |url=https://www.popmatters.com/melodic-hardcore-mid-2020s-resurgence |website=PopMatters |access-date=19 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Chesler |first1=Josh |title=Like Post-Hardcore Wine, Fiddlehead Is Getting Better With Age |url=https://www.spin.com/2021/07/fiddlehead-between-richness-interview/ |website=Spin |access-date=29 October 2025}}</ref> Vein.fm gained prominence in the national hardcore scene during the 2010s for their fusion of 1990s style metalcore, with nu metal.<ref>{{cite web |title=6 Underground Metalcore Bands Redefining The Scene Right Now |url=https://www.kerrang.com/six-underground-metalcore-bands-redefining-the-scene |website=Kerrang! |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> ''Kerrang'' called them "the most explosive live act in hardcore today"<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fixell |first1=Ethan |title=Vein: The Most Explosive Live Act In Hardcore Today |url=https://www.kerrang.com/vein-the-most-explosive-live-act-in-hardcore-today |website=Kerrang! |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> and ''Metal Hammer'' called them "the group on a mission to push hardcore forward".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title=Meet Vein, the group on a mission to push hardcore forward |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/meet-vein-the-group-on-a-mission-to-push-hardcore-forward |website=Metal Hammer |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref>
Metalcore and melodic metalcore continued its success into the following decade bands like Killswitch Engage, Converge and All That Remains continued to their success. Killswitch Engage's 2013 ''Disarm the Descent'' album peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200 and their 2016 album ''Incarnate'' achieved their highest debut ever at number 6.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Killswitch Engage {{!}} Biography, Music & News |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/killswitch-engage/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> The group also picked up another 2 Grammy nominations for Best Metal performance in 2014 and 2020 respectively.<ref name=":0" /> Converge only released two albums during the 2010s however both of them achieved their highest appearances on the Billboard 200.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Converge Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/converge/chart-history/billboard-200 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508165801/https://www.billboard.com/music/converge/chart-history/billboard-200 |archive-date=2018-05-08 |access-date=2025-10-29 |work=Billboard}}</ref>
All That Remains 2010 album ''For We Are Many'' debuted at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and topped the ''Billboard'' Hard Rock chart. With all 3 singles reaching the top 10 of the Mainstream Rock Charts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All That Remains {{!}} Biography, Music & News |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/all-that-remains/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> They then shifted to a more hard rock sound with their 2012 album A ''War You Cannot Win'', which produced the single Stand Up which reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Charts.<ref>{{Cite web |title="All That Remains Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2023 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/All-That-Remains/chart-history/RTT}}</ref> The album has since sold over 120,000 copies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hits - Upcoming Releases |url=https://www.hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=www.hitsdailydouble.com |language=en}}</ref> Unearth continued to release new material and Shadows Fall went on hiatus in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blabbermouth |date=2015-08-28 |title=Video: SHADOWS FALL Performs At Rhode Island's BIG KAHUNA Festival |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/video-shadows-fall-performs-at-rhode-islands-big-kahuna-festival/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET |language=en}}</ref>
In 2018 Slapshot released their final studio album ''Make America Hate Again''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-27 |title=“Make American Hate Again” - SLAPSHOT announce new record! - IDIOTEQ.com |url=https://idioteq.com/make-american-hate-slapshot-announce-new-record/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==2020s== In 2023, ''Revolver'' published an article highlighting seven bands leading the state's new wave of hardcore, including Adrienne, Anklebiter, Burning Lord, C4, Move BHC, Restraining Order and Risk.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pearson |first=Ethan |title=7 Bands Leading Massachusetts Hardcore's New Wave |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/7-bands-leading-massachusetts-hardcores-new-wave/ |website=Revolver |date=August 15, 2023 |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> Adrienne and Anklebiter later disbanded in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adrienne announce final shows |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C5J9Yv8uQfM/ |website=Instagram |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Anklebiter announce breakup |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C7B9xK_uM8m/ |website=Instagram |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> Additional bands associated with the era include Haywire, Final Gasp, Hard Target, Blood Tithe, Buried Dreams, Grasp and Street Power, many of whom became prominent within the New England DIY touring circuit.<ref>{{cite web |title=The New Wave of Boston Hardcore |url=https://www.noecho.net/features/boston-hardcore-new-wave |website=No Echo |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> Haywire gained wider recognition through extensive international touring during the decade, including a 2025 European tour with Dropkick Murphys.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dropkick Murphys And Haywire Announce Split LP 'New England Forever' |url=https://www.antimusic.com/p/26/r0114dropkick_murphys_and_haywire_announce_split_lp_new_england_forever.shtml |website=antiMusic |date=January 14, 2026 |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> In 2026, Haywire and Dropkick Murphys released the collaborative split LP ''New England Forever'', featuring original songs and covers from both bands.<ref>{{cite web |title=Upcoming Releases - Dropkick Murphys / Haywire - New England Forever |url=https://www.punkrocktheory.com/releases/dropkick-murphys-haywire-new-england-forever |website=Punk Rock Theory |date=January 16, 2026 |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Haywire & Dropkick Murphys – “New England Forever” |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2489587/haywire-dropkick-murphys-new-england-forever/music |website=Stereogum |date=February 18, 2026 |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> The release included the Haywire songs "New England Forever", "Hang Up The Telephone" and "The Henchmen".<ref>{{cite web |title=Dropkick Murphys goes Haywire |url=https://www.scenepointblank.com/news/records/2026/01/15/dropkick-murphys-goes-haywire/ |website=Scene Point Blank |date=January 15, 2026 |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> In March 2026, Haywire premiered the music video for "Hang Up The Telephone".<ref>{{cite web |title=Haywire premiere "Hang Up The Telephone" music video off recent split with Dropkick Murphys |url=https://lambgoat.com/news/52335/haywire-premiere-hang-up-the-telephone-music-video-off-recent-split-with-dropkick-murphys/ |website=Lambgoat |date=March 26, 2026 |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref>
The decade saw wider recognition for Fleshwater, a spinoff featuring members of Vein.fm, whose blend of alternative metal and shoegaze gained mainstream attention through touring and festival appearances.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fleshwater Are Pushing Hardcore's Boundaries |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fleshwater-are-pushing-hardcores-boundaries/ |website=Revolver |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref>
The decade saw the return of several influential legacy acts. Blood for Blood reunited during the 2020s and signed a deal with Roadrunner Records ahead of their first new material in over two decades.<ref>{{cite web |title=Blood For Blood debut first new song in 20 years, sign with Roadrunner Records |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Hardcore/comments/1phgeco/blood_for_blood_debut_first_new_song_in_20_years/ |website=Reddit |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> Shadows Fall reunited in 2021 and released new material for the first time in over a decade in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shadows Fall Return With First New Song in 12 Years |url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2024/12/06/shadows-fall-release-new-song/ |website=MetalSucks |date=December 6, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> Slapshot announced their retirement in 2025 and embarked on a farewell tour.<ref>{{cite web |title=Slapshot announce farewell tour |url=https://lambgoat.com/news/ |website=Lambgoat |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref>
==Culture== ===Straight edge=== {{see also|straight edge}} Straight edge has long been impactful on Boston hardcore.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maider |first1=Ted |title=Icons of Rock: Wesley Eisold |url=https://consequence.net/2010/12/icons-of-rock-wes-eisold/ |website=Consequence |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> The ideology came to Boston after the members of the Boston Crew saw Black Flag at Irving Plaza in New York City. There, they met Henry Rollins who told them about straight edge. On their drive back to Boston, the members of the crew decided they "were going to make a conscious decision to take on this whole straight edge thing".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rettman |first1=Tony |title=Straight Edge A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History |quote='''Al Barile''': The initial members of Boston Crew went to New York and saw Black Flag at Irving Plaza. Somehow I met Henry Rollins and he told me about the straight edge thing in D.C.<br>'''Jaime Sciarappa''':Henry Rollins was the first one of the D.C. guys to talk to us. He said he heard from the Black Flag guys that the Boston Crew was cool. We hung out with him a little bit and Henry told us about the straight edge thing.<br>'''Al Barile''': Straight edge hit me at a point in my life where drinking wasn't really important. Personally, drinking was already over for me. So when Henry told me about straight edge, it just became a very natural influence. I didn't ever say anything to the people with me, like, “Hey, we have to stop drinking and be straight edge.” That was never said. Ever.<br>'''Alison "Mouse" Braun''': To me, though, it was a light bulb moment, because I saw kids that looked cool to me and they were proud to be straight. I immediately saw the power of that, and for the first time ever I connected cool with being straight. I wanted to try to take that example of being straight edge and being cool, and bring that to Boston and basically spread it to the rest of the world. I wanted to run with it.<br>'''Jaime Sciarappa''':I remember driving home to Boston that night with Al after the Black Flag show at Irving Plaza in New York. We had this talk that we were going to make a conscious decision to take on this whole straight edge thing. We weren't big drinkers. We'd drink a beer here and there. But when we saw those D.C. kids and how cohesive they were, we wanted to model the Boston scene on the whole D.C. scene.}}</ref> Boston hardcore musicians and took a more militant stance to the ideology. In Tony Rettman's book ''Straight Edge A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History'' (2017), multiple proponents say that although straight edge was first thought of in Washington D.C., it was "solidified" as an ideology in Boston.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rettman |first1=Tony |title=Straight Edge A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History |quote='''Jonathan Anastas''': Minor Threat wrote the song "Straight Edge." Boston took it further by bringing that Boston-tough-guy thing into straight edge. Kids in D.C. were not slapping beers out of people's hands. They weren't preaching about lifting weights and eating red meat. We took it to a different place. The branding of straight edge was solidified in Boston.<br>'''Mike Gitter''': I think that Minor Threat wrote the script, and then SS Decontrol codified the message.}}</ref> The band Slapshot and their debut album ''Back on the Map'' which was released in 1985 both made significant contributions to the rise of straight edge ideology in Boston. With their lyrics being described as “the crux of the straight edge movement’s beliefs” in Boston.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boston’s Hardcore Scene and Its Legacy |url=https://www.tastemakersmag.com/articles/bostons-hardcore-scene |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Tastemakers Music Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
Straight edge remained prominent in Boston, with straight edge members being a part of Converge,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wedge |first1=Dave |title=Straight-edgers just say no |url=https://www.thesunchronicle.com/straight-edgers-just-say-no/article_d4c3aa08-82ab-51f1-ab86-164a8fa2e197.html |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> Have Heart,<ref>{{cite web |title=Have Heart return, announce five shows spanning the U.S. and UK |url=https://lambgoat.com/news/41701/have-heart-return-announce-five-shows-spanning-the-us-and-uk/ |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> American Nightmare,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pappalardo |first1=Anthony |title=Boston Was The Reason Why Wesley Eisold Felt So Blue |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/boston-was-the-reason-why-wesley-eisold-felt-so-blue/ |website=Vice Media |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> All That Remains<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/metal-special-black-dahlia-murder/|title=Metal Special: The Black Dahlia Murder|date=26 June 2014|magazine=Rolling Stone India|first=Anurag |last=Tagat |access-date=14 May 2016}}</ref> and Killswitch Engage.<ref>{{ cite web | access-date = 9 May 2017 | title = Interview mit Killswitch Engage | url = http://www.allschools.de/article/show/Interview_mit_Killswitch_Engage_31138 | author = Dario | date = 22 September 2006 | language = de | website = www.allschools.de | url-status = live | archive-date = 30 July 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160730065932/http://www.allschools.de/article/show/Interview_mit_Killswitch_Engage_31138 | quote = [...] Howard ist in vielen belangen ein eher gelassener Typ, der seine Meinung nicht unbedingt jedem aufbindet, dass wird auch sehr deutlich wenn man auf das Thema Straight Edge zu sprechen kommt: Ich denke, dass es für mich das Richtige ist, wenn es für jemanden anders aussieht, dann ist das in Ordnung. [...] (Howard is in many respects a rather serene guy who does not necessarily tie his opinion to anyone, that is also very clear when the topic of straight edge comes: I think it's the right thing for me, if it looks different for someone, it's all right). }}</ref> It experienced a major resurgence in the 1990s with youth crew revival bands such as In My Eyes, Bane and Ten Yard Fight.<ref name="Rettman, youth crew revival" />
===Moshing=== {{see also|moshing}} In the 1980s, the Boston scene made heavy use of slam dancing, influenced by that found in the Los Angeles and Washington D.C. scene, however more violent, incorporating punching below the neck, a style called the "Boston thrash" or "punching penguins". Another style of moshing common was "pig piles" in which one person was pushed to the ground and others would begin to pile on top of them. This originated during a D.O.A. set, and was initiated by SSD vocalist Al Barile.<ref name="Blush, 2001, p.249">{{cite book |last1=Blush |first1=Steven |author-link=Steven Blush |title=American Hardcore: A Tribal History |date=October 2001 |publisher=Feral House |page=249 |quote=Kids in the pit jumped on each other in “pig-piles.” This unique local pastime, like the scene itself, often turned into a scary mess. At some point they'd throw some kid onstage and pigpile him right there. There'd be as many as twenty kids — stacked up so high they'd touch the lights — crushing those on the bottom.<br>'''Al Barile''': It's a Boston thing. I think I was the first person to push someone down and start the pile. This D.O.A. show at The Underground was the first pigpile I remember. It got so crazy the drummer trashed his kit and jumped on top of the pile...<br>'''"Straight Edge" Hank Peirce''' (Boston scene): Boston was much more violent than slamming I'd seen anywhere else. We described it as "punching penguins." It had a name — "The Boston Thrash." New York had that big circle-storm thing. DC wasn't as organized — more chaotic with more diving. LA was the king of running in circles with no sense of rhythm to it. When you watched The Decline Of Western Civilization you said, "That's slamdancing!" But Boston really changed things.<br>The dancefloor action could turn savage but it was never about hits above the shoulders or blatant shots to the face. There were plenty of bloody or broken noses, but after knocking someone down, you'd bend over and pick them up.}}</ref>
During the 1990s, Boston hardcore show attracted increased violence, with a 2014 article by ''Vice Media'' recalling that "It was not uncommon to see pool balls in handkerchiefs, chains, and even cinderblocks in the hands of fans as they kicked the crap out of each other".<ref name="Policastro, 2014" />
In 2012, the Boston Police Department released a statement announcing that they would crack down on moshing during live events. This came following a performance by Flogging Molly at Boston's House of Blues on February 21 of the same year where sixty concertgoers moshed,<ref name="Wedge, 2012" /> during which one person was knocked to the ground and received a concussion.<ref name="Hughes, 2012">{{cite web |last1=Hughes |first1=Josiah |title=Boston Concussion Victim Speaks Out Against City's Moshing Ban |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/boston_concussion_victim_speaks_out_against_citys_moshing_ban |website=Exclaim! |access-date=17 June 2024}}</ref> In reference to the event, Boston police spokeswoman Officer Nicole Grant stated "Dancing is a First Amendment right, but the behavior itself is a violation, especially when it becomes dangerous and a public safety hazard". On March 13, an article was published in the ''Boston Herald'', where members of the Red Chord, Shadows Fall, Dropkick Murphys and Unearth criticised this decision.<ref name="Wedge, 2012">{{cite web |last1=Wedge |first1=Dave |title=House of Blues cited as city cracks down on dance-floor mayhem |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20220313cops_slam_mosh_pits_house_of_blues_cited_as_city_cracks_down_on_dance-floor_mayhem/srvc=home&position=0 |website=Boston Herald |access-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314174325/http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20220313cops_slam_mosh_pits_house_of_blues_cited_as_city_cracks_down_on_dance-floor_mayhem/srvc=home&position=0 |archive-date=2012-03-14}}</ref> On 2 April, the person who was concussed was interviewed by the blog ''Punk Rock Pravada'', in which he stated he didn't agree with the police department's decision, and that he believed "Boston is just asking people to stop pumping money into their clubs".<ref name="Hughes, 2012" />
===FSU=== {{main|Friends Stand United}} Friends Stand United (FSU) formed in Boston in the 1980s in an attempt to expel neo-Nazis from the scene.<ref name=must>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=25925 |title=The Show Must Go On |last=Seling |first=Megan |date=January 5, 2006 |work=The Stranger |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190707025219/https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=25925 |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=July 7, 2019 }}</ref> By the end of the decade it had succeeded in this goal.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/timeline-anti-fascists-nazi-punching/ |title=Left Hook: A Brief History of Nazi Punching in America |last=Enzinna |first=Wes |date=May 2017 |work=Mother Jones |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705061809/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/timeline-anti-fascists-nazi-punching/ |archive-date=July 5, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In the late 1990s, Elgin James, a musician involved in the militant faction of the Boston straight edge scene, helped revive FSU.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/chicago/press-releases/2009/cg071409.htm |title=FBI — Alleged Founder of Street Gang that Uses Violence to Control Hardcore Punk Rock Music Scene Arrested on Extortion Charge for Shaking Down $5,000 from Recording Artist for Protection |publisher=Fbi.gov |access-date=August 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428005551/http://www.fbi.gov/chicago/press-releases/2009/cg071409.htm |archive-date=April 28, 2014 }}</ref> By the early 2000s, there were FSU chapters in Philadelphia, Chicago, Arizona, Los Angeles, Seattle, upstate New York and New Jersey, and they were considered to have about 200 members.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/punk-rock-fight-club-190267/|title=Punk Rock Fight Club|first1=Mark|last1=Binelli|website=Rollingstone.com|date=August 23, 2007|access-date=September 5, 2020}}</ref> The Federal Bureau of Investigation eventually classified FSU as a street gang, which used violent methods and repeatedly assault people at hardcore shows and on Boston streets. In conjunction with the gang activities, James eventually did time in jail for extortion.<ref name=fbi>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/chicago/press-releases/2009/cg071409.htm |title=Alleged Founder of Street Gang that Uses Violence to Control Hardcore Punk Rock Music Scene Arrested on Extortion Charge for Shaking Down $5,000 from Recording Artist for Protection |date=July 14, 2009 |work=Federal Bureau of Investigation |access-date=May 30, 2014}}</ref> The group released two ''Boston Beatdown'' movies featuring interviews with members, fights and live performances by bands.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Terweduwe |first1=Hein |title=Boston Beatdown Volume II (2004)|url=https://www.punknews.org/review/3298/various-boston-beatdown-volume-ii-dvd |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref>
FSU members were present in bands including Death Before Dishonor, Ramallah and Blood for Blood.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Binelli |first1=Mark |title=Punk Rock Fight Club |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/punk-rock-fight-club-190267/ |website=Rolling Stone |access-date=12 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=RECALL: BOSTON BEATDOWN DOCUMENTARY, VOL. II (2004) |url=https://idioteq.com/recall-boston-beatdown-documentary-vol-ii-2004/ |access-date=12 June 2024}}</ref>
==See also== *All Ages: The Boston Hardcore Film
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Music scenes Category:Hardcore punk Category:Culture of Boston