The difference, by ear
The clean-chorus-and-growl alternation and the digital production both pass into progressive metalcore almost unchanged.
Both are part sung, part screamed and move at much the same pace, around 120 to 190 bpm. To hear the difference, play Fear Factory next to Architects. They share a root in heavy metal, and cyber metal came first, by twelve years.
In figures
Cyber metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Industrial metal › Cyber metal
In short
Mechanised death metal with cold digital production, dual vocals and science-fiction themes.
How it sounds
- Cold digital production with processed guitars and quantised drums.
- Vocal contrast: growls in the verses, clean melodic singing in the chorus.
- Synthesizers and a dystopian science-fiction atmosphere.
Key acts
- Fear Factory
- Sybreed
- Mnemic
Start here
The pickFear Factory - Demanufacture. The kick drum sounds like a pneumatic hammer, deliberately.
Full page →Progressive metalcore
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Metalcore › Progressive metalcore
In short
Metalcore with eight-string guitars, ambient passages and structures borrowed from djent.
How it sounds
- Seven- and eight-string guitars with polyrhythms taken from djent.
- Ambient passages and electronic textures between the heavy sections.
- Very clean production with wide dynamics and vocals across many registers.
Key acts
- Architects
- Erra
- Northlane
Start here
The pickArchitects - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us. Devastating in both senses.
Full page →