Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Arena rock / AOR1976

Second genre

Hard rock1968

Head to headArena rock / AOR vs Hard rock
Arena rock / AOR: heaviness 4, melody 10, speed 5. Hard rock: heaviness 6, melody 8, speed 6.Heaviness4 / 6Melody10 / 8Speed5 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Arena rock is hard rock with the blues removed and the production budget multiplied. The riffs are replaced by hooks.

Both are sung cleanly and move at much the same pace, around 100 to 140 bpm. To hear the difference, play Journey next to Led Zeppelin. Arena rock / AOR grew out of hard rock, eight years later. United States appears in the origins of both.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Arena rock / AOR4
Hard rock6
+2
Speed
Arena rock / AOR5
Hard rock6
+1
Melody
Arena rock / AOR10
Hard rock8
−2

Arena rock / AOR

1976 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock › Hard rock › Arena rock / AOR

In short

Hard rock polished for stadiums and FM radio: huge choruses, keyboards and glossy production.

How it sounds

  • Interlocking keyboards and guitars with choruses harmonised across several voices.
  • Glossy production and heavy compression, everything audible on a car radio.
  • Structures that are predictable by design: verse, pre-chorus, enormous chorus.

Key acts

  • Journey
  • Boston
  • Foreigner
  • Toto

Start here

The pickBoston - More Than a Feeling. Recorded almost entirely in an MIT engineer's basement.

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Hard rock

1968 · UK / USA · 4 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock › Hard rock

In short

Louder volume, thicker riffs, vocals pushed to the edge. Heavy metal splits off from it, but hard rock stays closer to the blues and to the chorus.

How it sounds

  • Riffs built on power chords, with palm muting and constant distortion.
  • Vocals pushed into the high register, often right at the edge of a rasp.
  • A heavy rhythm section that still grooves - the bass stays melodic rather than doubling the guitar.

Key acts

  • Led Zeppelin
  • Deep Purple
  • AC/DC
  • Guns N' Roses

Start here

The pickDeep Purple - Machine Head. Six songs, all essential.

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