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

Hard rock1968

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headHard rock vs Black metal
Hard rock: heaviness 6, melody 8, speed 6. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness6 / 9Melody8 / 4Speed6 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Black metal is growled or screamed where hard rock is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 100 to 140. To hear the difference, play Led Zeppelin next to Bathory. Hard rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and hard 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
Hard rock6
Black metal9
+3
Speed
Hard rock6
Black metal9
+3
Melody
Hard rock8
Black metal4
−4

Hard rock

1968 · UK / USA · 4 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock › Hard rock

In short

Louder volume, thicker riffs, vocals pushed to the edge. Heavy metal splits off from it, but hard rock stays closer to the blues and to the chorus.

How it sounds

  • Riffs built on power chords, with palm muting and constant distortion.
  • Vocals pushed into the high register, often right at the edge of a rasp.
  • A heavy rhythm section that still grooves - the bass stays melodic rather than doubling the guitar.

Key acts

  • Led Zeppelin
  • Deep Purple
  • AC/DC
  • Guns N' Roses

Start here

The pickDeep Purple - Machine Head. Six songs, all essential.

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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.

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