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

Sludge metal1989

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headSludge metal vs Black metal
Sludge metal: heaviness 10, melody 4, speed 3. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness10 / 9Melody4 / 4Speed3 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, in figures

Black metal is far faster (+6) and slightly lighter (−1) than Sludge metal, and matches it on melody. It emerged in 1982, 7 years before Sludge metal in 1989. The two split from Heavy metal.

Assembled from the stored ratings, dates and tree positions, not written.
Heaviness
Sludge metal10
Black metal9
−1
Speed
Sludge metal3
Black metal9
+6
Melody
Sludge metal4
Black metal4
level

Sludge metal

1989 · New Orleans, USA · 1 subgenre

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Doom metal › Sludge metal

In short

Doom plus filthy hardcore: feedback, screamed vocals and a guitar tone like Louisiana mud.

How it sounds

  • Thick fuzzed guitar with feedback left running between riffs.
  • Alternation between very slow tempos and hardcore outbursts.
  • Screamed or howled vocals with lyrics about addiction, poverty and rage.

Key acts

  • Eyehategod
  • Crowbar
  • Melvins
  • Acid Bath

Start here

The pickEyehategod - Take as Needed for Pain. The feedback between tracks is part of the album.

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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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