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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

Death metal1985

Second genre

Grindcore1985

Head to headDeath metal vs Grindcore
Death metal: heaviness 10, melody 4, speed 9. Grindcore: heaviness 9, melody 1, speed 10.Heaviness10 / 9Melody4 / 1Speed9 / 10
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Grindcore takes these vocals, doubles the speed and throws out the arrangement. A grind song is over in ninety seconds; a death metal song has movements.

Both are growled or screamed, but grindcore is much faster: 200 to 320 bpm against 120 to 260. Songs run longer in death metal: usually 3½ to 6 minutes, against under a minute to 1½ minutes in grindcore. To hear the difference, play Death next to Napalm Death. Both grew out of heavy metal in the same year.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Death metal10
Grindcore9
−1
Speed
Death metal9
Grindcore10
+1
Melody
Death metal4
Grindcore1
−3

Death metal

1985 · Florida / Sweden · 10 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal

In short

Guttural vocals, low tunings, blast beats and tremolo picking. Thrash pushed past the limit of legibility, with two founding schools: Florida and Stockholm.

How it sounds

  • Guttural growls produced from the diaphragm, with controlled vocal distortion.
  • Tremolo picking on down-tuned guitars (D, C, B) and blast beats past 200 bpm.
  • Structures without a classic chorus; riffs succeed one another instead of repeating symmetrically.

Key acts

  • Death
  • Morbid Angel
  • Cannibal Corpse
  • Entombed

Start here

The pickEntombed - Left Hand Path. The first twenty seconds explain the entire Swedish sound.

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Grindcore

1985 · Birmingham, England · 3 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Grindcore

In short

Hardcore and death metal compressed into songs under a minute, with continuous blast beats. Napalm Death have a song that lasts one second.

How it sounds

  • Blast beats at maximum speed, songs under a minute, albums of twenty minutes.
  • Short hardcore and death metal riffs with no development.
  • Dual vocals: guttural growl and high shriek, alternating rapidly.

Key acts

  • Napalm Death
  • Repulsion
  • Terrorizer
  • Brutal Truth

Start here

The pickNapalm Death - Scum. Side B, with Bill Steer on guitar, is the essential half.

Full page →