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

Post-hardcore1985

Second genre

Noise rock1983

Head to headPost-hardcore vs Noise rock
Post-hardcore: heaviness 5, melody 7, speed 6. Noise rock: heaviness 7, melody 3, speed 6.Heaviness5 / 7Melody7 / 3Speed6 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Both use dissonance and altered tunings. Noise rock comes from the art-damaged side of American underground rock; this comes from hardcore's ethics.

Noise rock is shouted where post-hardcore is part sung, part screamed, and a little slower: 90 to 150 bpm against 120 to 170. To hear the difference, play Fugazi next to Sonic Youth. They share a root in rock, and noise rock 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
Post-hardcore5
Noise rock7
+2
Speed
Post-hardcore6
Noise rock6
level
Melody
Post-hardcore7
Noise rock3
−4

Post-hardcore

1985 · Washington DC / Chicago · 6 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore

In short

Hardcore that allows itself dynamics, empty space and irregular structures. Emo, screamo and mathcore all branch off from here.

How it sounds

  • Wide dynamics: near-silent passages alternating with explosions.
  • Bass with its own voice, often leading, and guitars in unusual tunings.
  • Loose structures with sections that never repeat.

Key acts

  • Fugazi
  • At the Drive-In
  • Refused
  • Thursday

Start here

The pickRefused - The Shape of Punk to Come. The title was an arrogant joke that came true.

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Noise rock

1983 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Alternative rock › Noise rock

In short

Alternate tunings, feedback as an instrument and rhythm sections that hit like machinery. The grandfather of sludge.

How it sounds

  • Alternate tunings, often invented for a single song.
  • Feedback and harmonics treated as musical material rather than accidents.
  • A heavy, near-mechanical rhythm section with distorted bass up front.

Key acts

  • Sonic Youth
  • Big Black
  • The Jesus Lizard
  • Melvins

Start here

The pickThe Jesus Lizard - Goat. The rhythm section sounds like heavy plant in operation.

Full page →