Rjinn

Hmm.. Couldn't you say that for most genres? I mean, what's the difference between jazz, blues, rock, funk, soul, and the train goes on? Metal is a sub-genre of rock. Metal closely resembles Hard Rock. Punk has roots in metal. Blues has roots in metal. Punk has similarly fast riffs as metal. Alternative rock can have harsh distorted guitars like metal. There must be a commonplace separating them? And I'm guessing they do it with the most common attributes.

The question is too general I suppose.

Forward To Death

What could you say for most genres?

You're focusing too much on the distorted guitar thing. There's a very distinct difference between a punk riff and a metal riff. Metal riffing usually employs a lot of picking, whereas punk riffs are usually just strumming. Hardcore is different, but 99% of hardcore bands could easily be classified as metal bands as well.

Rjinn

Well my point was genres tend to be derived from other genres, there's the connection. I think in order to separate them they must involve distinctions, differences, or some sound chemistry that solidify each genre from the other. You could agree that a lot of funk, soul, jazz can be tricky to distinguish, couldn't you?

Uh I don't see how I was, just one comparison. Either way, distorted guitars are a big part of what makes Metal anyway. Punk riffs are played differently from Metal riffs mostly yes, I agree, but they can sound very similar. Loud, aggressive, fast. It has more to do than distortion.

Forward To Death

Definitely. To me, soul has a bigger emphasis on vocals, it's roots lie in doo-wop and even earlier vocal groups like the Ink Spots from the 30s. Funk, like jazz, has a higher emphasis on rhythm.

Distortion is just really common criteria.