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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

Brutal death metal1991

Second genre

Old school death metal1989

Head to headBrutal death metal vs Old school death metal
Brutal death metal: heaviness 10, melody 2, speed 9. Old school death metal: heaviness 10, melody 3, speed 8.Heaviness10 / 10Melody2 / 3Speed9 / 8
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Old school death metal is looser, slower and rawer, and it wants atmosphere. This wants impact and has no interest in murk.

Both are growled or screamed, but old school death metal is much slower: 120 to 220 bpm against 200 to 300. To hear the difference, play Suffocation next to Autopsy. Both grew out of death metal, old school death metal first and brutal death metal two years after.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Brutal death metal10
Old school death metal10
level
Speed
Brutal death metal9
Old school death metal8
−1
Melody
Brutal death metal2
Old school death metal3
+1

Brutal death metal

1991 · USA · 1 subgenre

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Brutal death metal

In short

Built for density and weight: dissonant riffing, low guttural vocals and crushing breakdowns.

How it sounds

  • Very low tunings and dissonant riffs with dense construction.
  • Deep guttural vocals, often entirely unintelligible, sometimes with pig squeals.
  • Sustained blast beats and gravity blasts alternating with slow breakdowns.

Key acts

  • Suffocation
  • Deeds of Flesh
  • Devourment

Start here

The pickSuffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten. The genre's absolute reference point.

Full page →

Old school death metal

1989 · Florida / Stockholm

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Old school death metal

In short

The sound of the first wave: either the Swedish HM-2 buzzsaw or the cavernous American murk, with no showy technicality.

How it sounds

  • Thick, buzzing guitar tone - either the Swedish HM-2 or the cavernous American murk.
  • Variable tempos, with slow doom passages between the fast sections.
  • Analogue production with real drums, no triggers and no quantisation.

Key acts

  • Autopsy
  • Dismember
  • Bolt Thrower
  • Incantation

Start here

The pickAutopsy - Mental Funeral. Death metal that crawls rather than runs.

Full page →