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

Oi! / street punk1977

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headOi! / street punk vs Black metal
Oi! / street punk: heaviness 4, melody 7, speed 7. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness4 / 9Melody7 / 4Speed7 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Black metal is growled or screamed where Oi! / street punk is shouted, and faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 150 to 190. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 2 to 3 minutes in Oi! / street punk. To hear the difference, play Cock Sparrer next to Bathory. Oi! / street punk comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and Oi! / street punk came first, by five years.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Oi! / street punk4
Black metal9
+5
Speed
Oi! / street punk7
Black metal9
+2
Melody
Oi! / street punk7
Black metal4
−3

Oi! / street punk

1977 · United Kingdom

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Oi! / street punk

In short

Working-class punk with terrace choruses and lyrics about the pub, the factory and football.

How it sounds

  • Simple choruses built to be shouted by a full room.
  • Thick guitar tone but rock and roll riffs rather than hardcore ones.
  • Mid tempos, plain drumming and lyrics about everyday life.

Key acts

  • Cock Sparrer
  • Sham 69
  • The Business

Start here

The pickCock Sparrer - Shock Troops. Slade-level choruses with punk guitars.

Full page →

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 →