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

Emo1985

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headEmo vs Black metal
Emo: heaviness 3, melody 9, speed 5. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness3 / 9Melody9 / 4Speed5 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Black metal is growled or screamed where emo is part sung, part screamed, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 120 to 170. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 3 to 5 minutes in emo. To hear the difference, play Rites of Spring next to Bathory. Emo comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and black metal came first, by three years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Emo3
Black metal9
+6
Speed
Emo5
Black metal9
+4
Melody
Emo9
Black metal4
−5

Emo

1985 · Washington DC, USA · 4 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore › Emo

In short

Hardcore in which the lyrics turn confessional and the voice cracks. The term started as an insult and became an entire decade of fashion.

How it sounds

  • Quiet-to-loud dynamics, with the voice cracking at peak intensity.
  • Open tunings and arpeggios instead of full chords.
  • First-person confessional lyrics, sometimes embarrassingly sincere on purpose.

Key acts

  • Rites of Spring
  • Sunny Day Real Estate
  • American Football

Start here

The pickSunny Day Real Estate - Diary. The bridge between DC hardcore and everything that followed.

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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 →