The difference, by ear
Shares the theatricality and the baritone. NDH is far heavier, machine-driven and much less romantic.
Both are sung cleanly and move at much the same pace, around 90 to 130 bpm. To hear the difference, play Rammstein next to Bauhaus. Neue Deutsche Härte comes from the metal side of the tree and gothic rock from the rock side, and gothic rock came first, by fifteen years.
In figures
Neue Deutsche Härte
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Industrial metal › Neue Deutsche Härte
In short
The German version: simple heavy riffs, danceable synths, declaimed German vocals and a great deal of pyrotechnics.
How it sounds
- A simple, heavy riff played in unison with the synthesizer.
- Mid, danceable tempos with four-to-the-floor drumming.
- Declaimed German vocals, with the rolled R as a trademark.
Key acts
- Rammstein
- Oomph!
- Eisbrecher
Start here
The pickRammstein - Mutter. Flawless production and their best set of songs.
Full page →Gothic rock
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Gothic rock
In short
Post-punk with reverb, chorused guitar and a baritone voice. Its aesthetic passes straight into gothic metal and doom.
How it sounds
- Guitar with chorus and flanger, thin and cold, drenched in reverb.
- Melodic bass up front; some bands use a drum machine instead of a drummer.
- Baritone vocals, often declaimed, with literary and funereal lyrics.
Key acts
- Bauhaus
- The Sisters of Mercy
- The Cure
- Fields of the Nephilim
Start here
The pickBauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead. Nine minutes that founded an entire subculture.
Full page →