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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

War metal / bestial1990

Second genre

Grindcore1985

Head to headWar metal / bestial vs Grindcore
War metal / bestial: heaviness 10, melody 1, speed 10. Grindcore: heaviness 9, melody 1, speed 10.Heaviness10 / 9Melody1 / 1Speed10 / 10
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Shares the speed and the chaos, with none of grindcore's brevity or politics.

Both are growled or screamed and move at much the same pace, around 200 to 320 bpm. Songs run longer in war metal / bestial: usually 2 to 4 minutes, against under a minute to 1½ minutes in grindcore. To hear the difference, play Blasphemy next to Napalm Death. They share a root in heavy metal, and grindcore came first, by five years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
War metal / bestial10
Grindcore9
−1
Speed
War metal / bestial10
Grindcore10
level
Melody
War metal / bestial1
Grindcore1
level

War metal / bestial

1990 · Canada / Australia

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › War metal / bestial

In short

Black and death metal reduced to noise, speed and bullet belts. The least legible branch of metal there is.

How it sounds

  • Deliberately illegible production, everything saturated and compressed.
  • Extreme tempos, chaotic drumming, riffs that are barely distinguishable.
  • Fully distorted vocals, usually through effects.

Key acts

  • Blasphemy
  • Revenge
  • Archgoat

Start here

The pickBlasphemy - Fallen Angel of Doom. Twenty-five minutes of organised chaos.

Full page →

Grindcore

1985 · Birmingham, England · 3 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Grindcore

In short

Hardcore and death metal compressed into songs under a minute, with continuous blast beats. Napalm Death have a song that lasts one second.

How it sounds

  • Blast beats at maximum speed, songs under a minute, albums of twenty minutes.
  • Short hardcore and death metal riffs with no development.
  • Dual vocals: guttural growl and high shriek, alternating rapidly.

Key acts

  • Napalm Death
  • Repulsion
  • Terrorizer
  • Brutal Truth

Start here

The pickNapalm Death - Scum. Side B, with Bill Steer on guitar, is the essential half.

Full page →