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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

Grindcore1985

Second genre

Powerviolence1987

Head to headGrindcore vs Powerviolence
Grindcore: heaviness 9, melody 1, speed 10. Powerviolence: heaviness 8, melody 2, speed 10.Heaviness9 / 8Melody1 / 2Speed10 / 10
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Power violence is the hardcore-side answer to the same question, and keeps the sudden lurching tempo drops as the point rather than as a break.

Both are growled or screamed, but powerviolence is much slower: 60 to 320 bpm against 200 to 320. To hear the difference, play Napalm Death next to Infest. Grindcore comes from the metal side of the tree and powerviolence from the rock side, and grindcore 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
Grindcore9
Powerviolence8
−1
Speed
Grindcore10
Powerviolence10
level
Melody
Grindcore1
Powerviolence2
+1

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.

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Powerviolence

1987 · California, USA

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Powerviolence

In short

Hardcore taken to the limit: abrupt tempo shifts, twenty-second songs, blast beats cut with parts as slow as tar.

How it sounds

  • Abrupt switches between blast beats and slow passages, with no transition.
  • Songs of ten to forty seconds, albums with twenty-five tracks.
  • Deliberately ugly sound, with distorted vocals and clipping bass.

Key acts

  • Infest
  • Man Is the Bastard
  • Spazz

Start here

The pickInfest - Slave. Twenty minutes that feel longer than a doom album.

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