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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

Deathcore2004

Second genre

Slam death metal1994

Head to headDeathcore vs Slam death metal
Deathcore: heaviness 10, melody 4, speed 8. Slam death metal: heaviness 10, melody 1, speed 6.Heaviness10 / 10Melody4 / 1Speed8 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Slam is the breakdown as the entire song within death metal, arrived at independently and with none of deathcore's hardcore lineage.

Both are growled or screamed, but slam death metal is slower: 80 to 160 bpm against 120 to 220. To hear the difference, play Job for a Cowboy next to Internal Bleeding. They share a root in death metal, and slam death metal came first, by ten years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Deathcore10
Slam death metal10
level
Speed
Deathcore8
Slam death metal6
−2
Melody
Deathcore4
Slam death metal1
−3

Deathcore

2004 · USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Deathcore

In short

Death metal plus metalcore breakdowns: low riffs, two vocal registers and a slow moment where the room erupts.

How it sounds

  • Death metal riffs alternating with metalcore breakdowns at half tempo.
  • Seven- and eight-string guitars, tuned very low, with precise digital production.
  • Three vocal registers: guttural growl, high scream and, more recently, clean singing.

Key acts

  • Job for a Cowboy
  • Suicide Silence
  • Whitechapel
  • Lorna Shore

Start here

The pickWhitechapel - This Is Exile. Three guitarists, all tuned as low as they will go.

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Slam death metal

1994 · New York, USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Brutal death metal › Slam death metal

In short

Reduces brutal death metal to slow, lurching riffs made purely for moving your head.

How it sounds

  • Slow, lurching riffs built on one repeated rhythmic figure.
  • Extremely low tunings (A or G) with a thick, matte tone.
  • Deep guttural vocals, often heavily processed, with plain drumming underneath.

Key acts

  • Internal Bleeding
  • Devourment
  • Abominable Putridity

Start here

The pickDevourment - Molesting the Decapitated. Not subtle, but very effective.

Full page →