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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

Technical death metal1991

Head to headBrutal death metal vs Technical death metal
Brutal death metal: heaviness 10, melody 2, speed 9. Technical death metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 10.Heaviness10 / 9Melody2 / 4Speed9 / 10
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Both are extremely fast and technically demanding. Technical death metal is harmonic and restless; this is percussive and stays put.

Both are growled or screamed, but technical death metal is slower: 160 to 260 bpm against 200 to 300. Songs run longer in technical death metal: usually 4 to 7 minutes, against 2½ to 4 minutes in brutal death metal. To hear the difference, play Suffocation next to Death. Both grew out of death metal in the same year. 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
Brutal death metal10
Technical death metal9
−1
Speed
Brutal death metal9
Technical death metal10
+1
Melody
Brutal death metal2
Technical death metal4
+2

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.

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Technical death metal

1991 · USA / Canada

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Technical death metal

In short

Death metal with jazz harmony, tapping and impossible drumming. The more notes per second, the better.

How it sounds

  • Jazz harmony, extended chords and frequent modulation.
  • Fretless or slap bass treated as a lead instrument.
  • Polyrhythmic drumming and varied blast beats at the edge of what is physically possible.

Key acts

  • Death
  • Atheist
  • Cryptopsy
  • Necrophagist

Start here

The pickDeath - Human. The moment the genre became music to study, not just to hear.

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