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

Glam metal1981

Second genre

Hard rock1968

Head to headGlam metal vs Hard rock
Glam metal: heaviness 5, melody 10, speed 6. Hard rock: heaviness 6, melody 8, speed 6.Heaviness5 / 6Melody10 / 8Speed6 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

The distinction is mostly one of era and hairspray. Glam metal is what the Sunset Strip did to hard rock between 1981 and 1991.

Both are sung cleanly, but hard rock is a little slower: 100 to 140 bpm against 120 to 160. To hear the difference, play Mötley Crüe next to Led Zeppelin. Glam metal comes from the metal side of the tree and hard rock from the rock side, and hard rock came first, by thirteen years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Glam metal5
Hard rock6
+1
Speed
Glam metal6
Hard rock6
level
Melody
Glam metal10
Hard rock8
−2

Glam metal

1981 · Los Angeles, USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Glam metal

In short

Hard rock with hairspray, a radio chorus and a mandatory power ballad. It ruled MTV until 1991.

How it sounds

  • Simple hard rock riffs with glossy production and gated reverb on the drums.
  • Choruses with multiple vocal harmonies, built for radio and MTV.
  • A mandatory ballad on every album, usually the hit single.

Key acts

  • Mötley Crüe
  • Ratt
  • Poison
  • Skid Row

Start here

The pickSkid Row - Slave to the Grind. The genre's heaviest album, released exactly too late.

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Hard rock

1968 · UK / USA · 4 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock › Hard rock

In short

Louder volume, thicker riffs, vocals pushed to the edge. Heavy metal splits off from it, but hard rock stays closer to the blues and to the chorus.

How it sounds

  • Riffs built on power chords, with palm muting and constant distortion.
  • Vocals pushed into the high register, often right at the edge of a rasp.
  • A heavy rhythm section that still grooves - the bass stays melodic rather than doubling the guitar.

Key acts

  • Led Zeppelin
  • Deep Purple
  • AC/DC
  • Guns N' Roses

Start here

The pickDeep Purple - Machine Head. Six songs, all essential.

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