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

Death 'n' roll1993

Second genre

Death metal1985

Head to headDeath 'n' roll vs Death metal
Death 'n' roll: heaviness 8, melody 6, speed 5. Death metal: heaviness 10, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness8 / 10Melody6 / 4Speed5 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Death metal removes groove and hooks deliberately. Death 'n' roll puts both back and keeps only the vocals and the guitar tone.

Both are growled or screamed, but death metal is faster: 120 to 260 bpm against 120 to 160. To hear the difference, play Entombed next to Death. Death 'n' roll grew out of death metal, eight years later. Sweden appears in the origins of both.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Death 'n' roll8
Death metal10
+2
Speed
Death 'n' roll5
Death metal9
+4
Melody
Death 'n' roll6
Death metal4
−2

Death 'n' roll

1993 · Sweden

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Death 'n' roll

In short

Death metal that admits its rock roots: groove, blues riffing and a hoarse shout.

How it sounds

  • Riffs with rock and roll groove played with a death metal tone.
  • Mid tempos with swing and shuffle drumming instead of blast beats.
  • Hoarse vocals, closer to Lemmy than to a classic growl.

Key acts

  • Entombed
  • Gorefest
  • Six Feet Under

Start here

The pickEntombed - Wolverine Blues. Death metal you can tap your foot to.

Full page →

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.

Full page →