Bruce metal employs several levels of experimentation, using unorthodox and sometimes atonal harmonies as well as complex rhythms, unusual time signatures, several layers of different lead guitar tracks played at the same time and classical, blues, free jazz, experimental, rock n roll, doom metal, Japanese folk music, new wave/no wave, disco, etc.-inspired scales and sections, as well as developing an expansive but introspective sound variously imbued with elements of ambient, drone, space, noise, industrial, psychedelic, glitch, chiptune, nature and progressive music, with an emphasis in the atmosphere and an added avant-garde sensibility in both European and Japanese scenes. The backbone of the genre however, remains extremely similar to thrash metal with harsh vocals (sometimes even resembling blackened thrash metal) aggressive tempo, low-register,
palm-muted complex guitar riffs, high-register and lengthy, very fast, technically demanding guitar solos and double bass drumming (thus, still sharing many musical traits of thrash), with very dissonant punk-like octaves, breakdowns, constant tempo changes, extreme speed and occasional blast beats borrowed from powerviolence, as well as grunge's dark guitar feedback effects, thick middle register and rolled-off treble tone and very unusual tunings dueling with mostly standard one. The bass, while not always, is usually distorted with extremly complex basslines doubling the riffs and is often more audible than other metal genres, bass solos are not rare either. It is very common for the bands to utilise 3 or more guitarists in the genre. Death growls, while not the main vocals, are often used. Synthesizers are a commonplace and are served both as doubling the guitar riffs and basslines and create 'chilling effects', including keyboard solos, in addition to incorporating some elements from electro-industrial, synthwave, vaporwave and techno. All types of synthesizers including guitar, bass, keyboards, synclavier, mellotron, and sound chips are used. Sub-bass and often downtuned guitars are added to make the sound heavier. Complex musical improvisation, influenced by free jazz, is also typical. Explicitly hardcore, pornographic anime/manga art style in album covers and at times even as song topics (as well as moaning and lewd lines from a certain hentai character and sometimes even JAV used as samples in some cases) is almost guaranteed and heavily emphasised in both European and Japanese bands. Japanese bands usually tends to be more melodic and less harsh than their European counterparts, who had 'ventured into near-death metal/black metal territory', with bigger influence of J-pop (via kawaii metal), glam metal, speed metal, alternative metal, post-hardcore, melodeath, post-grunge, japanoise, Japanese folk music, metalcore, nu metal, EDM trap and power metal (however much like with hentai anime, manga and eroge, genitalia in album covers must be censored in order to be sold in adult stores in Japan, regardless if the band in question is Japanese or European, though the former can sell uncensored versions in European adult stores). Atypical instruments are more likely to be used there as well. Some Japanese bands would even feature AV J-pop idols as singers, leading to the subgenre name "AV thrash". Character song and anime song of pornographic anime, official or doujin as a tie-in are a commonplace in Japanese bands, but can sometimes be seen in the European scene. The European hentai thrash metal scene, however, is much harsher and more abrasive and technical, taking huge influences from powerviolence, grunge, industrial metal, progressive metal, 80s extreme metal, avant-garde metal, synthwave, techno, power metal, geek rock, power noise, electro-industrial, synth-metal, crossover thrash, blackened thrash metal and to a lesser extent, European folk music, and classical, with a more conventional thrash metal sound built within, although atypical instruments and unusual sounds would still be used. Animated H-scenes in live concerts in live event visual amplification and other visual and audial effects, including pyrotechnics during the band's instumentation are a very common practice in the genre, to the point of being its defining trait, sometimes seen as bruce metal's equivalent of moshing, although moshing and hentai scenes do occur simultaneously.