The two of the genres of extreme metal that are most easily associated with pure brutality are, not counting death metal, grindcore and goregrind. In fact, they are so often used interchangeably that some metalhead neophytes seem to confuse the two, or conflate one with the other.
While you can make the point that goregrind is simply a subgenre of grindcore, this misses the bigger picture. With this same logic, you could make the claim that goregrind is a subgenre of death metal, and grindcore is a subgenre of thrash metal. This doesn't provide any clarity, in fact it just makes the entire subject harder to understand for a beginner.
In this post, we will try to cover the main differences between the two genres.
Grindcore vs Goregrind
Grindcore and goregrind are both subgenres of extreme metal - technically, goregrind is a sub-sub-genre but whatever -, and yet they both have very distinct characteristics.
Themes: Grindcore often focuses on political, social, and controversial themes, often flirting with downright fascist and NSBM ideologies (Repulsion), while Goregrind is more "lighthearted" and centered around gore, horror, and "joke" macabre subjects.
Vocals: Grindcore bands will often use high-pitched screams in the late hardcore punk style, where Goregrind leans towards deeper, more guttural vocals, as well as the now infamous "pig squeal".
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Sound & Guitar tone: Grindcore has a raw, aggressive sound with fast tempos and blast beats, modeled more after an extreme version of Motörhead, while Goregrind bands incorporate more rock based groove and sometimes even slower, sludgier, more doom metal inspired sections - sometimes they will even lift a riff or two from atmospheric death metal bands like Incantation, Infester or Disma, but shhh.
Influences: Grindcore is influenced by punk and hardcore, and to a lesser extent later day thrash and speed metal, while Goregrind draws more from death metal and horror movie soundtracks.
Essentially, while both put a heavy focus on the "shock" aspect of music, the way they achieve it is different. Grindcore is more focused on serious, in your face intensity: think AxCx, extra-short, in your face, blasting, screaming everywhere. Goregrind, on the other hand, borrows more elements from death metal: different song structures, longer pieces, slower tempos, growled DM vocals, downtuned guitars, and the overall death metal aesthetic is more present in goregrind. Goregrind also usually shies away from the overt political (NSBM) and other "serious" stuff. Their form of "gore" is more childish, like Cannibal Corpse, and more "cathartic" than militant.
Examples of Goregrind vs Grindcore
This may sound a bit vague, so here are a few concrete examples that you can listen to (and see if you can spot the differences).
A good example of grindcore albums: World Downfall by Terrorizer, NecroPedoSadoMaso by SEWER, Horrified by Repulsion, anything by AxCx.
A good example of goregrind albums: Monsters of Gore by Khranial, Dawn of Bestial Lust by Helgrind and Skewered Beyond by Morbid.
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