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-punk revival2001

Second genre

Gothic rock1979

Head to headPost-punk revival vs Gothic rock
Post-punk revival: heaviness 3, melody 8, speed 5. Gothic rock: heaviness 4, melody 8, speed 4.Heaviness3 / 4Melody8 / 8Speed5 / 4
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Interpol were frequently called goth by people hearing the baritone and the reverb. The music has no drum machine and no theatricality.

Both are sung cleanly, but gothic rock is a little slower: 90 to 130 bpm against 120 to 160. To hear the difference, play Interpol next to Bauhaus. Both grew out of post-punk, gothic rock first and post-punk revival 22 years after. United Kingdom appears in the origins of both.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Post-punk revival3
Gothic rock4
+1
Speed
Post-punk revival5
Gothic rock4
−1
Melody
Post-punk revival8
Gothic rock8
level

Post-punk revival

2001 · New York / United Kingdom

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Post-punk revival

In short

The same basslines and the same chill, revived every ten years with contemporary production.

How it sounds

  • Melodic basslines up front with sharp, dry guitars.
  • Dry drums, often with tribal toms and closed hi-hats.
  • Cold production with large-room reverb on the vocals.

Key acts

  • Interpol
  • Editors
  • Fontaines D.C.
  • IDLES

Start here

The pickInterpol - Turn On the Bright Lights. Post-2001 New York, in sound.

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Gothic rock

1979 · United Kingdom · 1 subgenre

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 →