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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

Blackened death metal1993

Second genre

Death metal1985

Head to headBlackened death metal vs Death metal
Blackened death metal: heaviness 10, melody 4, speed 9. Death metal: heaviness 10, melody 4, speed 9. The two ratings are identical, so the shapes coincide.Heaviness10 / 10Melody4 / 4Speed9 / 9
Identical on all three meters. Whatever separates these two is not in the ratings.

The difference, by ear

Death metal is dry, low and precise. Blackened death adds tremolo, dissonance and atmosphere, and is far more theatrical.

Both are growled or screamed, but death metal is a little slower: 120 to 260 bpm against 180 to 260. To hear the difference, play Behemoth next to Death. Blackened death metal grew out of death metal, eight years later.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Blackened death metal10
Death metal10
level
Speed
Blackened death metal9
Death metal9
level
Melody
Blackened death metal4
Death metal4
level

Blackened death metal

1993 · Poland / Global

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Blackened death metal

In short

Death metal structure with black metal atmosphere and subject matter. Often with ritual and stagecraft to match.

How it sounds

  • Death metal structure and weight with black metal tremolo and atmosphere.
  • Large-scale production, often with orchestration, choirs or ambience.
  • Dual vocals: guttural growls alternating with high shrieks.

Key acts

  • Behemoth
  • Belphegor
  • Akercocke

Start here

The pickBehemoth - The Satanist. The best-produced album in the genre.

Full page →

Death metal

1985 · Florida / Sweden · 10 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal

In short

Guttural vocals, low tunings, blast beats and tremolo picking. Thrash pushed past the limit of legibility, with two founding schools: Florida and Stockholm.

How it sounds

  • Guttural growls produced from the diaphragm, with controlled vocal distortion.
  • Tremolo picking on down-tuned guitars (D, C, B) and blast beats past 200 bpm.
  • Structures without a classic chorus; riffs succeed one another instead of repeating symmetrically.

Key acts

  • Death
  • Morbid Angel
  • Cannibal Corpse
  • Entombed

Start here

The pickEntombed - Left Hand Path. The first twenty seconds explain the entire Swedish sound.

Full page →