Hawthorne Heights - Musical Style and Classification

Musical Style and Classification

The band has been referred to as hard rock and screamo due to their harder guitar riffs and occasional use of unclean vocals. Additionally, the band has been called emo and pop punk because of calm melodies and pop-like rhythm present in their music. The band is often described as post-hardcore because this genre encompasses a wide range of musical styles, making it a general enough term to be applied to Hawthorne Heights' diverse style. Likewise, Hawthorne Heights' albums have been tagged as alternative rock by retailers (such as iTunes).

Eron Bucciarelli, the band's drummer, noted that the band's sound has "always been pigeon holed as emo or screamo". In the same interview he stated, however, that the band prefers to be referred to simply as "a rock band". Regardless, ever since being known as A Day in the Life, the band has been categorized as emo. This is primarily due to the emotional topics found in the lyrics of prominent Hawthorne Heights songs (such as "Ohio Is for Lovers", and "The Transition"). In addition, their songs fit the stylistic definitions of emo music.

While commenting on the band's first album, The Silence in Black and White, Eron said that the "triple guitar attack" allows them to "add a lot of layering effects and intricacies to our music along with legitimately pulling in different musical styles." The album also includes feminine backing vocals provided by band member Micah Carli's sister, Graci Carli. This gave many of the songs a broader emotional spectrum not limited by gender.

Hawthorne Heights began to be recognized as melodic hardcore due to the release of If Only You Were Lonely. After "softening their lyrical stance, incorporating melancholy keyboards and adding upbeat melodies that were a perfect counterbalance to their screaming backup chants" their unique sound became more recognized.

Even after the death of one of the guitarists, the band continued to allow its sound to evolve. With the release of Fragile Future, the band continued to elaborate on the pop style they were already recognized for. Although no unclean vocals are used, the album "carries on their tradition of simple hooks and big pop-punk choruses." The songs from the album tread on "familiar power pop territory" also.

Their fourth album, Skeletons, stylistically reverts to "music similar to their first two albums", yet contains less unclean vocals and is much softer. The album, however, "refuses to stomp over old ground" by incorporating "electro" and "pop punk" elements into a few of the tracks. The album also "broke new ground by adding a unique electronica sound." In addition, various other musical styles are incorporated into Skeletons. The acclaimed blues rock track, "Gravestones," opens with "uncharacteristic western acoustics, and then delves into a more fascinating chorus, leaving the wild wild west sound and replacing it with pianos and ethereal presence."

After forming their own record label, Hawthorne Heights made plans to release a trilogy of EPs. The first of the trilogy, Hate, lyrically deals with feelings of hate, anger, and solitude. According to Woodruff, Hate features more "aggressive songs" that are "a lot heavier than anything we've ever done." The EP has been compared to other screamo albums, such as releases by Senses Fail. Screamed vocals and breakdowns are prominent features throughout the album, reflecting the musical style of the band's first two albums. One review states "this aggressive side, dormant for the past few years, has finally boiled over all at once."