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

Country rock1968

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headCountry rock vs Black metal
Country rock: heaviness 2, melody 10, speed 4. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness2 / 9Melody10 / 4Speed4 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Black metal is growled or screamed where country rock is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 80 to 120. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 3 to 5 minutes in country rock. To hear the difference, play The Eagles next to Bathory. Country rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and country rock came first, by fourteen years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Country rock2
Black metal9
+7
Speed
Country rock4
Black metal9
+5
Melody
Country rock10
Black metal4
−6

Country rock

1968 · California, USA · 1 subgenre

Where it sits

Rock › Folk rock › Country rock

In short

Pedal steel and three-part harmony over a rock rhythm section. The sound of Laurel Canyon.

How it sounds

  • Pedal steel and acoustic guitar over a rock rhythm section.
  • Vocal harmony in thirds and sixths, sung loosely.
  • Moderate tempos and warm, airy production.

Key acts

  • The Eagles
  • Gram Parsons
  • Neil Young

Start here

The pickThe Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace of Sin. Cannabis embroidered on the suits, serious music inside.

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Black metal

1982 · Norway / Sweden · 10 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal

In short

Tremolo picking, blast beats, shrieked vocals and deliberately cold production. More an aesthetic than a technique - atmosphere matters more than clean sound.

How it sounds

  • Tremolo picking on open fifth voicings, with vocals in the high register.
  • Deliberately thin, cold production - the missing bass is an aesthetic choice, not an accident.
  • Fast blast beats, drums often mixed back, atmosphere placed above technique.

Key acts

  • Bathory
  • Mayhem
  • Darkthrone
  • Emperor

Start here

The pickDarkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky. The production is intentional, not a flaw.

Full page →