i like hardcore music when i'm not smacked or high..hastetheday, from autumn to ashes, and only a few other bands can i really tolerate..the beauty in the music is in the angsty build up which is often suddenly reversed and switched a melodic breakdown. that's the main reason i listen to it--the melody is so much more powerful after that build up, it's sent a shiver down my skin in a few songs..
the song that did that to me the first time i heard it was hastetheday - substance. they are a Christian band but i'll be god damned if they didn't make some sick fucking music on their first cd "That they may know You" (Many Waters, Substance, Who We Are & Autumn are my fav. tracks).
As for From Autumn to Ashes, songs like Eulogy of an Angel and Abandon Your Friends (which is one of the best ballads I've ever listened to next to Autumn's Monologue) really should give you an appreciation for the more mellow aspect of Hardcore--it makes the screamo shit easier to tolerate, because their melodies and ballads are really amazing. Demon Hunter is also a great example(another Christian band) with tracks like Deteriorate and My Heartstrings Come Undone..
/end spiel