The difference, by ear
Both are short, fast and hostile to the scene around them. Power violence is comic and American; mincecore is earnest and European.
Both are growled or screamed, but powerviolence swings further either way: 60 to 320 bpm against 200 to 300. To hear the difference, play Agathocles next to Infest. Mincecore comes from the metal side of the tree and powerviolence from the rock side, and powerviolence came first, by three years.
In figures
Mincecore
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Grindcore › Mincecore
In short
Deliberately primitive grindcore with blunt political messages and thousands of appearances on split releases.
How it sounds
- Deliberately primitive production, often recorded straight to cassette.
- Songs under a minute with simple, accelerated punk riffs.
- Blunt political lyrics printed in full, with an anti-militarist message.
Key acts
- Agathocles
- Archagathus
Start here
The pickAgathocles - Theatric Symbolisation of Life. The most accessible way in.
Full page →Powerviolence
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Powerviolence
In short
Hardcore taken to the limit: abrupt tempo shifts, twenty-second songs, blast beats cut with parts as slow as tar.
How it sounds
- Abrupt switches between blast beats and slow passages, with no transition.
- Songs of ten to forty seconds, albums with twenty-five tracks.
- Deliberately ugly sound, with distorted vocals and clipping bass.
Key acts
- Infest
- Man Is the Bastard
- Spazz
Start here
The pickInfest - Slave. Twenty minutes that feel longer than a doom album.
Full page →