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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

Slam death metal1994

Second genre

Goregrind1988

Head to headSlam death metal vs Goregrind
Slam death metal: heaviness 10, melody 1, speed 6. Goregrind: heaviness 9, melody 1, speed 10.Heaviness10 / 9Melody1 / 1Speed6 / 10
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Shares the vocal approach and the subject matter, and is far faster and shorter.

Both are growled or screamed, but goregrind is much faster: 200 to 300 bpm against 80 to 160. Songs run longer in slam death metal: usually 2½ to 4 minutes, against under a minute to 2 minutes in goregrind. To hear the difference, play Internal Bleeding next to Carcass. They share a root in heavy metal, and goregrind came first, by six years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Slam death metal10
Goregrind9
−1
Speed
Slam death metal6
Goregrind10
+4
Melody
Slam death metal1
Goregrind1
level

Slam death metal

1994 · New York, USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Brutal death metal › Slam death metal

In short

Reduces brutal death metal to slow, lurching riffs made purely for moving your head.

How it sounds

  • Slow, lurching riffs built on one repeated rhythmic figure.
  • Extremely low tunings (A or G) with a thick, matte tone.
  • Deep guttural vocals, often heavily processed, with plain drumming underneath.

Key acts

  • Internal Bleeding
  • Devourment
  • Abominable Putridity

Start here

The pickDevourment - Molesting the Decapitated. Not subtle, but very effective.

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Goregrind

1988 · UK / Japan

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Grindcore › Goregrind

In short

Grindcore with pitch-shifted vocals and lyrics from a pathology textbook. Carcass wrote the rules on their first two albums.

How it sounds

  • Vocals run through a pitch shifter into an underwater sound.
  • Simple riffs, extreme tempos and deliberately filthy production.
  • Lyrics and cover art drawn from medical and pathological imagery.

Key acts

  • Carcass
  • Regurgitate
  • Last Days of Humanity

Start here

The pickCarcass - Symphonies of Sickness. Better produced than the debut, which is a low bar.

Full page →