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

Melodic hardcore1985

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headMelodic hardcore vs Black metal
Melodic hardcore: heaviness 5, melody 7, speed 8. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness5 / 9Melody7 / 4Speed8 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Black metal is growled or screamed where melodic hardcore is shouted, and swings further either way: 160 to 280 bpm against 180 to 220. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 2 to 3 minutes in melodic hardcore. To hear the difference, play Dag Nasty next to Bathory. Melodic hardcore 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
Melodic hardcore5
Black metal9
+4
Speed
Melodic hardcore8
Black metal9
+1
Melody
Melodic hardcore7
Black metal4
−3

Melodic hardcore

1985 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Melodic hardcore

In short

Same speed and urgency, but with sung choruses and guitar harmonies.

How it sounds

  • Hardcore speed with major-key harmonic progressions.
  • Two-part guitar harmonies and sung choruses.
  • More personal or reflective political lyrics rather than pure slogans.

Key acts

  • Dag Nasty
  • Strike Anywhere
  • Comeback Kid

Start here

The pickKid Dynamite - Kid Dynamite. Seventeen songs, twenty-four minutes, zero fat.

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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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