← Back to Joseph Merrick

10 songs that feel like Joseph Merrick

Matched to Joseph Merrick by Mastodon on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
Joseph Merrick
Mastodon
intense 84/100 intensity 130 BPM
All We Love We Leave Behind — Converge intense 140 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100).

Birth Ritual — Soundgarden intense 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

Aimless Arrow — Converge intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Measured 98% alike.

Tourniquet — Baroness intense 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

Vigil — Lamb of God intense 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100).

Killer — Van der Graaf Generator intense 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

Man-Erg — Van der Graaf Generator intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Measured 98% alike.

Dream House — Deafheaven intense 130 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100). Same complex texture.

Lose Your Self — Enter Shikari intense 130 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (130 BPM).

Colossus — Idles intense 130 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100). Same complex texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Joseph Merrick is more than you want right now.

Warrior — Steve Earle moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 49/100, down from 84. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Violin Concerto in D Minor — Jean Sibelius moderate 120 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 63/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Pain by Jimmy Eat World
Pain — Jimmy Eat World moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 53/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Tango Apasionado by Astor Piazzolla
Tango Apasionado — Astor Piazzolla moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 50/100, versus the original's 84. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Stimela by Hugh Masekela
Stimela — Hugh Masekela moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 53/100, down from 84. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Quicksand by Martha and the Vandellas
Quicksand — Martha and the Vandellas moderate 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 49/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart moderate 132 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 51/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Love Child by Diana Ross & The Supremes
Love Child — Diana Ross & The Supremes moderate 125 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 53/100, versus the original's 84. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Joseph Merrick” by Mastodon?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “All We Love We Leave Behind” by Converge, “Birth Ritual” by Soundgarden, “Aimless Arrow” by Converge — the top match scores 98% 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 “Joseph Merrick” but calmer?

“Warrior” by Steve Earle, “Violin Concerto in D Minor” by Jean Sibelius, “Pain” by Jimmy Eat World keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Joseph Merrick”?

It measures 84/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 130 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 97% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 84/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent 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 97% 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.

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus1/10
Workout9/10
Dinner4/10
Party / hype9/10

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

2004 in context

The 334 songs we’ve measured from 2004 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 8/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity84
Dynamics78
Tempo50
Surprise75
Density60
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →