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Comedy rock blends the instrumentation, song structures, and energy of rock music with humorous lyrics, satire, pastiche, and parody. Its songs often lampoon pop culture, rock tropes, and everyday life, while still delivering tight arrangements and strong hooks. Artists may mimic the sonic fingerprints of specific rock subgenres (from hard rock to surf or punk) to heighten the comedic effect, use wordplay and punchlines as lyrical “hooks,” and deploy theatrical delivery, skits, and character voices. The best comedy rock balances musicianship with timing, so the joke lands without sacrificing the groove.

Groove metal is a heavy metal subgenre defined by mid‑tempo, syncopated, and riff‑centric songwriting that prioritizes head‑nodding "groove" over sheer speed. Guitars are typically down‑tuned and palm‑muted, locking tightly to a punchy, backbeat‑driven drum feel and muscular bass lines. Vocals are usually aggressive shouts or barks with occasional melodic or anthemic passages, while lead guitars favor pinched harmonics, blues‑tinged bends, and compact, percussive phrases rather than long neo‑classical runs. Production tends to be tight and weighty, emphasizing a thick, modern rhythm‑guitar tone and precise drum transients. Stylistically, groove metal grew out of late‑’80s thrash and hardcore but slowed and widened the rhythms, borrowing the feel of funk metal’s syncopation and, in some cases, southern rock’s swagger.

Heavy metal is a loud, guitar-driven style of rock defined by heavily distorted riffs, thunderous drums, and powerful vocals. Its musical language emphasizes minor modes, modal (Aeolian, Phrygian) riffing, and energy over groove, often featuring virtuosic guitar solos and dramatic dynamic contrasts. Emerging from late-1960s blues rock and psychedelic experimentation, heavy metal codified a darker, heavier sound with bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. The genre values weight, intensity, and grandeur—whether through plodding, doom-laden tempos or galloping, high-energy rhythms—paired with themes that range from personal struggle and social critique to fantasy, mythology, and the occult.

Metal (often used to mean heavy metal in its broad, umbrella sense) is a loud, guitar-driven style of rock defined by high-gain distortion, emphatic and often martial rhythms, and a dense, powerful low end. It foregrounds riff-based songwriting, dramatic dynamics, virtuosic guitar solos, and commanding vocals that range from melodic wails to aggressive snarls and growls. Harmonically, metal favors minor modes, modal color (Aeolian, Phrygian), chromaticism, and tritone-inflected tension, while thematically it explores power, mythology, the occult, social critique, fantasy, and existential subjects. While adjacent to hard rock, metal typically pushes amplification, distortion, precision, and thematic intensity further, forming a foundation for many specialized subgenres.

Power metal is a fast, melodic, and anthemic branch of heavy metal that emphasizes uplifting melodies, soaring clean vocals, triumphant choruses, and virtuosic guitar and keyboard leads. Its lyrical focus often centers on fantasy, mythology, historical epics, and heroic narratives, aiming for a cinematic sense of grandeur. The genre coalesced in the mid-1980s from the speed and melody of NWOBHM and speed metal, then split into two recognizable strains: the more aggressive, riff‑driven U.S. power metal and the highly melodic, keyboard‑rich European style. Hallmarks include double‑bass drumming, harmonized twin‑guitar lines, neoclassical flourishes, and rousing sing‑along refrains designed for large audiences.