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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

Melodic metalcore1999

Head to headMelodic death metal vs Melodic metalcore
Melodic death metal: heaviness 8, melody 9, speed 8. Melodic metalcore: heaviness 8, melody 9, speed 7.Heaviness8 / 8Melody9 / 9Speed8 / 7
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

The confusion this genre exists inside. Both harmonise the guitars and scream over them - but metalcore adds a clean sung chorus and a breakdown, and melodic death metal has neither.

Melodic metalcore is part sung, part screamed where melodic death metal is growled or screamed, at much the same pace, around 150 to 220 bpm. To hear the difference, play At the Gates next to Killswitch Engage. They share a root in heavy metal, and melodic death metal came first, by six years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Melodic death metal8
Melodic metalcore8
level
Speed
Melodic death metal8
Melodic metalcore7
−1
Melody
Melodic death metal9
Melodic metalcore9
level

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 →

Melodic metalcore

1999 · Massachusetts, USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Metalcore › Melodic metalcore

In short

Gothenburg harmonies imported into American hardcore. The dominant formula of the 2000s.

How it sounds

  • Melodic death metal guitar harmonies over hardcore structures.
  • Clean sung choruses with melodic vocals and broad production.
  • A final breakdown as the song's climax.

Key acts

  • Killswitch Engage
  • As I Lay Dying
  • Trivium

Start here

The pickTrivium - Ascendancy. Metalcore that remembers to include solos.

Full page →