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

Post-hardcore1985

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headPost-hardcore vs Black metal
Post-hardcore: heaviness 5, melody 7, speed 6. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness5 / 9Melody7 / 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 post-hardcore is part sung, part screamed, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 120 to 170. To hear the difference, play Fugazi next to Bathory. Post-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
Post-hardcore5
Black metal9
+4
Speed
Post-hardcore6
Black metal9
+3
Melody
Post-hardcore7
Black metal4
−3

Post-hardcore

1985 · Washington DC / Chicago · 6 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore

In short

Hardcore that allows itself dynamics, empty space and irregular structures. Emo, screamo and mathcore all branch off from here.

How it sounds

  • Wide dynamics: near-silent passages alternating with explosions.
  • Bass with its own voice, often leading, and guitars in unusual tunings.
  • Loose structures with sections that never repeat.

Key acts

  • Fugazi
  • At the Drive-In
  • Refused
  • Thursday

Start here

The pickRefused - The Shape of Punk to Come. The title was an arrogant joke that came true.

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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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