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

Crust punk1984

Second genre

Hardcore punk1980

Head to headCrust punk vs Hardcore punk
Crust punk: heaviness 8, melody 3, speed 7. Hardcore punk: heaviness 6, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness8 / 6Melody3 / 4Speed7 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Crust is hardcore that absorbed metal's tuning, distortion and despair - heavier, dirtier and much bleaker, with none of hardcore's optimism.

Hardcore punk is shouted where crust punk is growled or screamed, and a little faster: 190 to 250 bpm against 150 to 220. Songs run longer in crust punk: usually 1½ to 3 minutes, against under a minute to 2 minutes in hardcore punk. To hear the difference, play Amebix next to Black Flag. Crust punk grew out of hardcore punk, four years later.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Crust punk8
Hardcore punk6
−2
Speed
Crust punk7
Hardcore punk9
+2
Melody
Crust punk3
Hardcore punk4
+1

Crust punk

1984 · United Kingdom

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Crust punk

In short

D-beat soaked in metal and mud: thick tone, apocalyptic themes, trousers unwashed since 1989.

How it sounds

  • Thick, muddy guitar tone with a very prominent distorted bass.
  • Alternation between fast d-beat and slow passages close to doom.
  • Two vocalists - one low, one shrill - and apocalyptic or ecological themes.

Key acts

  • Amebix
  • Doom
  • Tragedy
  • His Hero Is Gone

Start here

The pickAmebix - Arise! It sounds like the end of the world, which was the point.

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Hardcore punk

1980 · California / Washington DC · 13 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk

In short

Punk accelerated to 200 bpm, songs of one minute and shouted vocals. Without it there is no thrash, no grindcore, no metalcore.

How it sounds

  • Tempos of 180 to 250 bpm with galloping or skank drum patterns.
  • Songs under a minute, with whole albums running twenty minutes.
  • Shouted rather than sung vocals, and direct political or personal lyrics.

Key acts

  • Black Flag
  • Minor Threat
  • Bad Brains
  • Discharge

Start here

The pickBad Brains - Bad Brains (the ROIR cassette). The fastest band of the decade.

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