The difference, by ear
Metalcore's breakdown does the same job as a groove riff and arrives from hardcore rather than from thrash - and it is a section rather than the whole song.
Metalcore is part sung, part screamed where groove metal is shouted, and faster: 140 to 190 bpm against 90 to 140. To hear the difference, play Pantera next to Integrity. They share a root in heavy metal and arrived in the same year. United States appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Groove metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Thrash metal › Groove metal
In short
Thrash slowed to a groove that hits you in the chest: syncopated riffs, mid-tempo drums, barked vocals.
How it sounds
- Syncopated riffs with offbeat accents at mid tempo.
- Down-tuned guitars with very thick tone and squealing pinch harmonics.
- Barked, aggressive vocals with near-rhythmic phrasing.
Key acts
- Pantera
- Machine Head
- Lamb of God
- Sepultura
Start here
The pickPantera - Vulgar Display of Power. Dimebag's guitar tone is an institution.
Full page →Metalcore
Where it sits
In short
Hardcore and extreme metal fused: breakdowns, melodic riffing and screamed verses alternating with sung choruses.
How it sounds
- The breakdown: a half-time section with syncopated riffing, built for dancing.
- Swedish-influenced melodic riffs alternating with hardcore passages.
- Screamed verses and clean sung choruses - the standard formula after 2002.
Key acts
- Integrity
- Killswitch Engage
- Converge
- Parkway Drive
Start here
The pickKillswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing. The album that defined a decade.
Full page →