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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

Melodic death metal1993

Second genre

Death metal1985

Head to headMelodic death metal vs Death metal
Melodic death metal: heaviness 8, melody 9, speed 8. Death metal: heaviness 10, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness8 / 10Melody9 / 4Speed8 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Melodic death metal borrowed death metal's vocals and drumming, and its songwriting from Iron Maiden. Where death metal works to avoid a hook, this genre is built out of them.

Both are growled or screamed, but death metal swings further either way: 120 to 260 bpm against 150 to 220. To hear the difference, play At the Gates next to Death. Melodic death metal grew out of death metal, eight years later.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Melodic death metal8
Death metal10
+2
Speed
Melodic death metal8
Death metal9
+1
Melody
Melodic death metal9
Death metal4
−5

Melodic death metal

1993 · Gothenburg, Sweden

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Melodic death metal

In short

Iron Maiden-style guitar harmonies over screamed vocals. The Gothenburg scene later became the foundation of American metalcore.

How it sounds

  • Twin guitar harmonies in the Iron Maiden tradition over a death metal base.
  • Tremolo picking over melodic minor progressions with open chord voicings.
  • Screamed vocals more often than growls, with melancholy lyrics.

Key acts

  • At the Gates
  • In Flames
  • Dark Tranquillity
  • Amon Amarth

Start here

The pickAt the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul. Thirty-four minutes that shaped two decades.

Full page →

Death metal

1985 · Florida / Sweden · 10 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal

In short

Guttural vocals, low tunings, blast beats and tremolo picking. Thrash pushed past the limit of legibility, with two founding schools: Florida and Stockholm.

How it sounds

  • Guttural growls produced from the diaphragm, with controlled vocal distortion.
  • Tremolo picking on down-tuned guitars (D, C, B) and blast beats past 200 bpm.
  • Structures without a classic chorus; riffs succeed one another instead of repeating symmetrically.

Key acts

  • Death
  • Morbid Angel
  • Cannibal Corpse
  • Entombed

Start here

The pickEntombed - Left Hand Path. The first twenty seconds explain the entire Swedish sound.

Full page →