The difference, by ear
Both are growled or screamed, but black metal is a little slower: 160 to 280 bpm against 200 to 300. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against under a minute to 1 minutes in mincecore. To hear the difference, play Agathocles next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by eight years.
In figures
Mincecore
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Grindcore › Mincecore
In short
Deliberately primitive grindcore with blunt political messages and thousands of appearances on split releases.
How it sounds
- Deliberately primitive production, often recorded straight to cassette.
- Songs under a minute with simple, accelerated punk riffs.
- Blunt political lyrics printed in full, with an anti-militarist message.
Key acts
- Agathocles
- Archagathus
Start here
The pickAgathocles - Theatric Symbolisation of Life. The most accessible way in.
Full page →Black metal
Where it sits
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 →