Metal Tempo by Subgenre: Average BPM Across 254 Songs | MetalForge
Average, median, and max BPM for thrash, death, black, and 12 other metal subgenres, computed across the 254 songs in MetalForge’s tempo database, plus the 200+ BPM "hall of speed."
Average Tempo by Subgenre
| Rank | Subgenre | Songs | Avg BPM | Median BPM | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thrash Metal | 37 | 166.9 | 175 | 80-230 |
| 2 | Heavy Metal | 32 | 131.5 | 130 | 76-210 |
| 3 | Death Metal | 27 | 176.9 | 165 | 90-271 |
| 4 | Groove Metal | 25 | 117.8 | 120 | 76-148 |
| 5 | Progressive Metal | 25 | 127.2 | 128 | 91-170 |
| 6 | Nu Metal | 22 | 121.8 | 123.5 | 75-165 |
| 7 | Metalcore | 20 | 147.8 | 147.5 | 95-190 |
| 8 | Djent | 13 | 126.7 | 132 | 78-175 |
| 9 | Progressive Death Metal | 9 | 117 | 100 | 75-175 |
| 10 | Black Metal | 8 | 169.4 | 177.5 | 116-200 |
| 11 | Doom Metal | 7 | 60.3 | 60 | 55-65 |
| 12 | Alternative Metal | 5 | 107.6 | 105 | 95-130 |
| 13 | Blackened Death Metal | 5 | 153 | 160 | 115-175 |
| 14 | Melodic Death Metal | 5 | 187.8 | 192 | 149-250 |
| 15 | Deathcore | 3 | 121.7 | 125 | 110-130 |
| 16 | Symphonic Black Metal | 3 | 165 | 165 | 155-175 |
| 17 | Technical Death Metal | 3 | 219.3 | 218 | 210-230 |
| 18 | Progressive Sludge Metal | 2 | 117.5 | 117.5 | 110-125 |
| 19 | Industrial Metal | 1 | 112 | 112 | 112-112 |
| 20 | Mathcore | 1 | 168 | 168 | 168-168 |
| 21 | Power Metal | 1 | 170 | 170 | 170-170 |
The 200+ BPM Club
| Rank | Song | Band | BPM | Genre | Drummer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who is In the Water (2007) | Nile | 271 | Death Metal | George Kollias |
| 2 | I, Monarch (2005) | Hate Eternal | 270 | Death Metal | Derek Roddy |
| 3 | Sacrifice Unto Sebek (2005) | Nile | 265 | Death Metal | George Kollias |
| 4 | Blinded by Fear (1995) | At the Gates | 250 | Melodic Death Metal | Adrian Erlandsson |
| 5 | Kafir! (2009) | Nile | 245 | Death Metal | George Kollias |
| 6 | Lashed to the Slave Stick (2005) | Nile | 240 | Death Metal | George Kollias |
| 7 | Septuagint (2011) | Obscura | 230 | Technical Death Metal | Hannes Grossmann |
| 8 | War Ensemble (1990) | Slayer | 230 | Thrash Metal | Dave Lombardo |
| 9 | Divine Intervention (1994) | Slayer | 220 | Thrash Metal | Paul Bostaph |
| 10 | Dyers Eve (1988) | Metallica | 220 | Thrash Metal | Lars Ulrich |
| 11 | Liege of Inveracity (1991) | Suffocation | 220 | Death Metal | Mike Smith Suffocation |
| 12 | Trapped Under Ice (1984) | Metallica | 220 | Thrash Metal | Lars Ulrich |
| 13 | Slit Your Guts (1996) | Cryptopsy | 218 | Technical Death Metal | Flo Mounier |
| 14 | Raining Blood (1986) | Slayer | 216 | Thrash Metal | Dave Lombardo |
| 15 | Angel of Death (1986) | Slayer | 212 | Thrash Metal | Dave Lombardo |
| 16 | Master of Puppets (1986) | Metallica | 212 | Thrash Metal | Lars Ulrich |
| 17 | Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000) | Nile | 210 | Death Metal | Pat Harrington |
| 18 | Flattening of Emotions (1991) | Death | 210 | Technical Death Metal | Sean Reinert |
| 19 | Necrophobic (1986) | Slayer | 210 | Thrash Metal | Dave Lombardo |
| 20 | Painkiller (1990) | Judas Priest | 210 | Heavy Metal | Scott Travis |
| 21 | Beneath the Remains (1989) | Sepultura | 200 | Thrash Metal | Igor Cavalera |
| 22 | Chainsaw Gutsfuck (1987) | Mayhem | 200 | Black Metal | Manheim |
| 23 | Creeping Death (1984) | Metallica | 200 | Thrash Metal | Lars Ulrich |
| 24 | Immortal Rites (1989) | Morbid Angel | 200 | Death Metal | Pete Sandoval |
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is death metal compared to other metal subgenres?
Across the 254 songs in MetalForge's tempo database, death metal averages 176.9 BPM (27 songs analyzed), well above the all-genre average of 141.1 BPM.