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

Old school death metal1989

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headOld school death metal vs Black metal
Old school death metal: heaviness 10, melody 3, speed 8. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness10 / 9Melody3 / 4Speed8 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, in figures

Black metal is slightly lighter (−1), slightly faster (+1) and slightly more melodic (+1) than Old school death metal. It emerged in 1982, 7 years before Old school death metal in 1989. The two split from Heavy metal.

Assembled from the stored ratings, dates and tree positions, not written.
Heaviness
Old school death metal10
Black metal9
−1
Speed
Old school death metal8
Black metal9
+1
Melody
Old school death metal3
Black metal4
+1

Old school death metal

1989 · Florida / Stockholm

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Death metal › Old school death metal

In short

The sound of the first wave: either the Swedish HM-2 buzzsaw or the cavernous American murk, with no showy technicality.

How it sounds

  • Thick, buzzing guitar tone - either the Swedish HM-2 or the cavernous American murk.
  • Variable tempos, with slow doom passages between the fast sections.
  • Analogue production with real drums, no triggers and no quantisation.

Key acts

  • Autopsy
  • Dismember
  • Bolt Thrower
  • Incantation

Start here

The pickAutopsy - Mental Funeral. Death metal that crawls rather than runs.

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 →