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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

Metalcore1990

Second genre

Melodic death metal1993

Head to headMetalcore vs Melodic death metal
Metalcore: heaviness 8, melody 7, speed 7. Melodic death metal: heaviness 8, melody 9, speed 8.Heaviness8 / 8Melody7 / 9Speed7 / 8
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Both harmonise the guitars and scream over them. Metalcore adds a clean sung chorus and a breakdown; melodic death metal has neither.

Melodic death metal is growled or screamed where metalcore is part sung, part screamed, and a little faster: 150 to 220 bpm against 140 to 190. To hear the difference, play Integrity next to At the Gates. They share a root in heavy metal, and metalcore came first, by three years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Metalcore8
Melodic death metal8
level
Speed
Metalcore7
Melodic death metal8
+1
Melody
Metalcore7
Melodic death metal9
+2

Metalcore

1990 · USA · 3 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Metalcore

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.

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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 →