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

Noise rock1983

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headNoise rock vs Black metal
Noise rock: heaviness 7, melody 3, speed 6. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness7 / 9Melody3 / 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 noise rock is shouted, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 90 to 150. To hear the difference, play Sonic Youth next to Bathory. Noise rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and black metal came first, by a year.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Noise rock7
Black metal9
+2
Speed
Noise rock6
Black metal9
+3
Melody
Noise rock3
Black metal4
+1

Noise rock

1983 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Alternative rock › Noise rock

In short

Alternate tunings, feedback as an instrument and rhythm sections that hit like machinery. The grandfather of sludge.

How it sounds

  • Alternate tunings, often invented for a single song.
  • Feedback and harmonics treated as musical material rather than accidents.
  • A heavy, near-mechanical rhythm section with distorted bass up front.

Key acts

  • Sonic Youth
  • Big Black
  • The Jesus Lizard
  • Melvins

Start here

The pickThe Jesus Lizard - Goat. The rhythm section sounds like heavy plant in operation.

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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 →