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

Alt-country / Americana1990

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headAlt-country / Americana vs Black metal
Alt-country / Americana: heaviness 3, melody 9, speed 4. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness3 / 9Melody9 / 4Speed4 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, in figures

Black metal is far heavier (+6), far faster (+5) and far less melodic (−5) than Alt-country / Americana. It emerged in 1982, 8 years before Alt-country / Americana in 1990. They sit on opposite branches of the tree and share no common ancestor.

Assembled from the stored ratings, dates and tree positions, not written.
Heaviness
Alt-country / Americana3
Black metal9
+6
Speed
Alt-country / Americana4
Black metal9
+5
Melody
Alt-country / Americana9
Black metal4
−5

Alt-country / Americana

1990 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Folk rock › Country rock › Alt-country / Americana

In short

Country filtered through punk and indie: same instruments, very different attitude toward Nashville.

How it sounds

  • Country instrumentation with indie rock dynamics and distortion.
  • Deliberately unpolished production, opposed to the Nashville standard.
  • Lyrics about declining small towns, work and disappointment.

Key acts

  • Uncle Tupelo
  • Wilco
  • Drive-By Truckers

Start here

The pickWilco - Being There. A double album that cannot decide on a genre, to its benefit.

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 →