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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

Mathcore1993

Second genre

Post-hardcore1985

Head to headMathcore vs Post-hardcore
Mathcore: heaviness 8, melody 3, speed 9. Post-hardcore: heaviness 5, melody 7, speed 6.Heaviness8 / 5Melody3 / 7Speed9 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Mathcore is post-hardcore's dissonance pushed into rhythmic chaos and constant violence. Post-hardcore keeps space and dynamics.

Post-hardcore is part sung, part screamed where mathcore is growled or screamed, and slower: 120 to 170 bpm against 140 to 260. Songs run longer in post-hardcore: usually 3 to 6 minutes, against 1½ to 4 minutes in mathcore. To hear the difference, play The Dillinger Escape Plan next to Fugazi. Mathcore grew out of post-hardcore, eight years later.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Mathcore8
Post-hardcore5
−3
Speed
Mathcore9
Post-hardcore6
−3
Melody
Mathcore3
Post-hardcore7
+4

Mathcore

1993 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore › Mathcore

In short

Metalcore with its wiring torn out: meter changes every few seconds, dissonance and chaos controlled to the millimetre.

How it sounds

  • Meter changes every few seconds, executed at maximum speed.
  • Dissonant chords and minor-second intervals used as primary material.
  • Jazz-level drum technique applied at grindcore intensity.

Key acts

  • The Dillinger Escape Plan
  • Converge
  • Botch
  • Car Bomb

Start here

The pickConverge - Jane Doe. Technically mathcore, emotionally something else entirely.

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Post-hardcore

1985 · Washington DC / Chicago · 6 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore

In short

Hardcore that allows itself dynamics, empty space and irregular structures. Emo, screamo and mathcore all branch off from here.

How it sounds

  • Wide dynamics: near-silent passages alternating with explosions.
  • Bass with its own voice, often leading, and guitars in unusual tunings.
  • Loose structures with sections that never repeat.

Key acts

  • Fugazi
  • At the Drive-In
  • Refused
  • Thursday

Start here

The pickRefused - The Shape of Punk to Come. The title was an arrogant joke that came true.

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