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

Coldwave / minimal wave1981

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headColdwave / minimal wave vs Black metal
Coldwave / minimal wave: heaviness 2, melody 7, speed 4. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness2 / 9Melody7 / 4Speed4 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, in figures

Black metal is far heavier (+7), far faster (+5) and clearly less melodic (−3) than Coldwave / minimal wave. It emerged in 1982, 1 year after Coldwave / minimal wave in 1981. 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
Coldwave / minimal wave2
Black metal9
+7
Speed
Coldwave / minimal wave4
Black metal9
+5
Melody
Coldwave / minimal wave7
Black metal4
−3

Coldwave / minimal wave

1981 · France / Belgium

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Coldwave / minimal wave

In short

European post-punk on cheap drum machines: cold synths, distant vocals, the atmosphere of a grey housing block in winter.

How it sounds

  • A cheap drum machine - Roland TR-606, Korg - and a monophonic synthesizer.
  • Chorused guitar, used sparingly and for texture.
  • Distant vocals, often in French, over lo-fi production.

Key acts

  • Trisomie 21
  • Asylum Party
  • Martin Dupont

Start here

The pickTrisomie 21 - Le Repos des Enfants Heureux. Grey-tower-block melancholy in pure form.

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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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