Sacramento Post-Hardcore
The valley that taught heaviness to whisper — Deftones and the bands orbiting their shadow.
What you're really asking
Sacramento's heavy scene is about dynamics, not just weight: bands that learned from Deftones that the quiet parts make the loud parts dangerous.
Where it sits
Deftones came up through Sacramento clubs in the early nineties and bent nu-metal toward shoegaze — Around The Fur in 1997 is the city's calling card. Far ran parallel with more melody and feelings per riff; Will Haven stripped it to concrete.
A decade later Dance Gavin Dance rebuilt the scene's name on Swancore acrobatics, all tapping and tantrums.
The scene
Who: Chino Moreno's circle first, the Swancore kids after. What: heaviness with texture — screams as color, clean vocals as threat.
How it works: it gets in on dynamics; the early pressings of Far and Will Haven are the local-hero wax.
The leading records
Deftones
Around The Fur
1997
The blueprint: violence and velvet in one mix.
Far
Water & Solutions
1998
Post-hardcore's sensitive engine — the record the emo kids and metal kids agreed on.
Will Haven
El Diablo
1997
Tone as a weapon; Sacramento at its most unforgiving.
Dance Gavin Dance
Downtown Battle Mountain
2007
The Swancore founding document — chaos with a falsetto.
Deftones
White Pony
2000
The masterpiece that left the valley and never came back.
Oddballs
Keep digging
- What is Swancore?
- How did Deftones escape the nu-metal tag?
- Which Far records do collectors chase?