Music Sound

Mallcore is a derogatory term used to describe nu metal, metalcore and similar genres, most often used by fans of extreme metal claiming the genre has no noteworthy resemblance with heavy metal. It is also used by fans of hardcore punk refering to metalcore, which is very often and incorrectly called hardcore.

Meaning

Some use the term in the context that the music is only modestly unsuited to be heard in a shopping mall as opposed to the more aggressive, louder "extreme metal" bands, and that it is marketed to angsty, depressed mall-going teenagers. "Mallgoth" / "Mallcore Kid" refer to fans of nü metal and metalcore bands, who are stereotypically mall-going teenagers, and who often shop at Hot Topic.

Roadrunner Records are often associated with the term mallcore, since their current artist catalog includes mostly nü metal or metalcore bands (with the exception of a few: Opeth, former band Deicide, DragonForce, newly signed death metal band Daath, and some others), as opposed to the death metal and speed metal they started with in the 1980s.

Thus, veteran Roadrunner Records fans, who claim to listen to "true" metal (Though ironically, they are mostly extreme metal fans, not the original heavy metal fans) dismiss the company as appealing to the "mall goths." The term is used typically only by detractors and not "mall goths" themselves, as they typically (and erroneously) call their music "hardcore" or "metal." (It should be noted that the term mallgoth is also used to refer to "poseurs" of the goth scene.)

 

"Mall metal"

"Mall metal" is another deragotary term, aimed specifically at mallcore bands who play metalcore as opposed to nü metal. Mall metal is typically characterized by taking the signature styles and sounds of trademark metal acts, and marketing them to a broader, more mainstream audience. Taking its material from a variety of genres, mall metal acts typically follow a set of basic guidelines: Hardcore riffs (known to scenesters as "Jhun Jhun's") are played by one guitarist, as the other guitar player mixes the effect with simplistic solo influences, usually borrowed from trademarked death metal acts in Europe.

The overnight success of mall metal labels like Trustkill acted as a launch pad to acts in the twenty first century. Countless scores of metalcore acts were embarking on mall metal quests of their own. Bands like Atreyu, Korn, Limp Bizkit and Avenged Sevenfold paved the way and within months it seemed the sensation was just beginning to take off. Of course, with the rise of mall metal's popularity, hardcore purists were quick to disregard this sub-genre claiming its only intent was making money.

Halfway through the first decade of the new millennium, it seemed that mall metal has finally peaked. The successful U.S. nationwide mall chain, Hot Topic, helped the mall metal scene like no other source, allowing mall metal enthusiasts to have an established "base camp" at their local shopping center. Though in 2006 thrash band Slayer announced that they were to release an EP exclusively through Hot Topic.