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10 songs that feel like Barrel of a Gun

Matched to Barrel of a Gun by Depeche Mode on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Barrel of a Gun
The song you love
Barrel of a Gun
Depeche Mode
intense 65/100 intensity 110 BPM
ELEMENT. — Kendrick Lamar intense 92 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same aggressive pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100).

Harvester of Sorrow — Metallica intense 120 BPM

89% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100).

Trashed — Black Sabbath intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same aggressive pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100). Measured 94% alike.

Working for the Knife — Mitski intense 110 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same complex texture.

Hunter — Björk intense 120 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100).

Doctor Jimmy — The Who intense 120 BPM

86% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100). Same complex texture.

No Remorse — Metallica intense 180 BPM

Keeps the same aggressive pull — runs a little hotter at 75/100. Measured 85% alike.

Ready to Die — The Notorious B.I.G. intense 92 BPM

Measures 88% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100).

Death Valley '69 — Sonic Youth intense 120 BPM

A 83% feel-match — carries the same aggressive pull and runs a little hotter at 85/100.

Bring the Boys Back Home — Pink Floyd moderate 120 BPM

90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Barrel of a Gun is more than you want right now.

Before We Drown by Depeche Mode
Before We Drown — Depeche Mode moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 58/100, down from 65.

Woman in Chains by Tears for Fears
Woman in Chains — Tears for Fears moderate 104 BPM

It eases off just enough to take the edge off, so it lands at 58/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Hateful by The Clash
Hateful — The Clash moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 49/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Meat Is Murder by The Smiths
Meat Is Murder — The Smiths moderate 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. 58/100, versus the original's 65.

Bring the Boys Back Home by Pink Floyd
Bring the Boys Back Home — Pink Floyd moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 60/100, down from 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Only You by Yazoo
Only You — Yazoo safe 105 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 18/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Underwater Sunlight — Tangerine Dream safe 95 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 37/100.

Computer Love by Kraftwerk
Computer Love — Kraftwerk safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 19/100, versus the original's 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Barrel of a Gun” by Depeche Mode?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “ELEMENT.” by Kendrick Lamar, “Harvester of Sorrow” by Metallica, “Trashed” by Black Sabbath — the top match scores 89% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

What songs are like “Barrel of a Gun” but calmer?

“Before We Drown” by Depeche Mode, “Woman in Chains” by Tears for Fears, “Hateful” by The Clash keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Barrel of a Gun”?

It measures 65/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, complex texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 110 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 85% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 65/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, complex texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 85% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

Dial the feeling up or down

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype7/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

1997 in context

The 389 songs we’ve measured from 1997 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. At 7/10, this track is right in line with its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity65
Dynamics67
Tempo39
Surprise50
Density60
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load63

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

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