The difference, by ear
Both are chaotic and technical. Mathcore is drilled by people; cybergrind is programmed, and the difference is audible immediately.
Both are growled or screamed, but mathcore is much slower: 140 to 260 bpm against 250 to 400. Songs run longer in mathcore: usually 1½ to 4 minutes, against under a minute to 2 minutes in cybergrind. To hear the difference, play Agoraphobic Nosebleed next to The Dillinger Escape Plan. Cybergrind comes from the metal side of the tree and mathcore from the rock side, and mathcore came first, by six years.
In figures
Cybergrind
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Grindcore › Cybergrind
In short
Grindcore with programmed drums nobody could play and electronic elements. Made in bedrooms more often than in studios.
How it sounds
- Drums programmed at physically impossible speeds, often past a nominal 1000 bpm.
- Electronic elements: noise, synthesizers, samples.
- Fully digital production, frequently made by one person alone.
Key acts
- Agoraphobic Nosebleed
- The Berzerker
- Genghis Tron
Start here
The pickGridlink - Longhena. Twenty-two minutes, and it counts as a long album here.
Full page →Mathcore
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore › Mathcore
In short
Metalcore with its wiring torn out: meter changes every few seconds, dissonance and chaos controlled to the millimetre.
How it sounds
- Meter changes every few seconds, executed at maximum speed.
- Dissonant chords and minor-second intervals used as primary material.
- Jazz-level drum technique applied at grindcore intensity.
Key acts
- The Dillinger Escape Plan
- Converge
- Botch
- Car Bomb
Start here
The pickConverge - Jane Doe. Technically mathcore, emotionally something else entirely.
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