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

First wave1981

Second genre

Thrash metal1983

Head to headFirst wave vs Thrash metal
First wave: heaviness 8, melody 5, speed 8. Thrash metal: heaviness 8, melody 6, speed 9.Heaviness8 / 8Melody5 / 6Speed8 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Musically most of this is thrash or speed metal. What separates it is the imagery and the deliberate refusal of competence.

Thrash metal is shouted where first wave is growled or screamed, and a little faster: 180 to 250 bpm against 160 to 220. To hear the difference, play Venom next to Metallica. They share a root in heavy metal, and first wave came first, by two years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
First wave8
Thrash metal8
level
Speed
First wave8
Thrash metal9
+1
Melody
First wave5
Thrash metal6
+1

First wave

1981 · UK / Sweden / Switzerland

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › First wave

In short

The bands that supplied the name and the themes, while still playing speed or thrash metal. Venom released the album that christened the genre.

How it sounds

  • Speed or thrash metal structures rather than black metal proper.
  • Chaotic production, with volume and distortion beyond what the tape could hold.
  • Satanic or occult themes, often theatrical.

Key acts

  • Venom
  • Bathory
  • Hellhammer
  • Mercyful Fate

Start here

The pickBathory - Bathory. Recorded on almost no budget, and it sounds like another planet.

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Thrash metal

1983 · California / Germany · 4 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Thrash metal

In short

NWOBHM plus hardcore punk: palm-muted riffs, brutal tempos and lyrics about war and society. The first truly extreme branch.

How it sounds

  • Palm-muted riffs in sixteenths, played with relentless downpicking.
  • Tempos of 180 to 250 bpm with skank beats and double kick.
  • Barked or shouted but still intelligible vocals, and fast aggressive solos.

Key acts

  • Metallica
  • Slayer
  • Megadeth
  • Kreator

Start here

The pickSlayer - Reign in Blood. Twenty-nine minutes that redefined the word extreme.

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