Rockpedia

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

Old school death metal1989

Second genre

Second wave1991

Head to headOld school death metal vs Second wave
Old school death metal: heaviness 10, melody 3, speed 8. Second wave: heaviness 9, melody 3, speed 9.Heaviness10 / 9Melody3 / 3Speed8 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Both 1990s extreme metal with a look and a scene. This is low, thick and dry; black metal is high, thin and drenched.

Both are growled or screamed, but second wave is much faster: 180 to 280 bpm against 120 to 220. To hear the difference, play Autopsy next to Mayhem. They share a root in heavy metal, and old school death metal came first, by two years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Old school death metal10
Second wave9
−1
Speed
Old school death metal8
Second wave9
+1
Melody
Old school death metal3
Second wave3
level

Old school death metal

1989 · Florida / Stockholm

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Old school death metal

In short

The sound of the first wave: either the Swedish HM-2 buzzsaw or the cavernous American murk, with no showy technicality.

How it sounds

  • Thick, buzzing guitar tone - either the Swedish HM-2 or the cavernous American murk.
  • Variable tempos, with slow doom passages between the fast sections.
  • Analogue production with real drums, no triggers and no quantisation.

Key acts

  • Autopsy
  • Dismember
  • Bolt Thrower
  • Incantation

Start here

The pickAutopsy - Mental Funeral. Death metal that crawls rather than runs.

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Second wave

1991 · Norway

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › Second wave

In short

The Norwegian scene that fixed the definitive sound: thin guitars, demo-tape production as an ideal, corpse paint.

How it sounds

  • Guitars with the mids scooped out entirely - thin and cutting, with no audible bass.
  • The production ideal is a demo tape recorded in a bedroom, not a studio session.
  • Rasping high vocals with reverb, and fast, deliberately monotonous blast beats.

Key acts

  • Mayhem
  • Darkthrone
  • Burzum
  • Immortal

Start here

The pickImmortal - Pure Holocaust. The scene's best album without the troubling baggage.

Full page →