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

Horror punk1979

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headHorror punk vs Black metal
Horror punk: heaviness 5, melody 8, speed 7. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness5 / 9Melody8 / 4Speed7 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, in figures

Black metal is clearly heavier (+4), clearly less melodic (−4) and slightly faster (+2) than Horror punk. It emerged in 1982, 3 years after Horror punk in 1979. 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
Horror punk5
Black metal9
+4
Speed
Horror punk7
Black metal9
+2
Melody
Horror punk8
Black metal4
−4

Horror punk

1979 · New Jersey, USA

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Horror punk

In short

Punk with B-movie horror imagery, baritone vocals and mutant doo-wop choruses.

How it sounds

  • Baritone vocals with vibrato, in a 1950s crooner style.
  • Doo-wop vocal harmonies over punk guitars.
  • Black-and-white horror-film imagery and lyrics.

Key acts

  • Misfits
  • Samhain
  • The Damned

Start here

The pickMisfits - Walk Among Us. Thirteen horror songs in twenty-five minutes.

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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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