Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Atmospheric black metal1994

Second genre

Blackgaze / post-black2007

Head to headAtmospheric black metal vs Blackgaze / post-black
Atmospheric black metal: heaviness 8, melody 6, speed 7. Blackgaze / post-black: heaviness 7, melody 9, speed 7.Heaviness8 / 7Melody6 / 9Speed7 / 7
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Blackgaze pushes the same instincts into shoegaze's guitar sound and major-key melody. If it sounds beautiful rather than vast, it has crossed over.

Both are growled or screamed and move at much the same pace, around 90 to 200 bpm. To hear the difference, play Wolves in the Throne Room next to Alcest. Both grew out of black metal, atmospheric black metal first and blackgaze / post-black thirteen years after.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Atmospheric black metal8
Blackgaze / post-black7
−1
Speed
Atmospheric black metal7
Blackgaze / post-black7
level
Melody
Atmospheric black metal6
Blackgaze / post-black9
+3

Atmospheric black metal

1994 · Global

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › Atmospheric black metal

In short

Long songs, hypnotic repetition and synth textures. The landscape matters more than the riff.

How it sounds

  • Songs of ten to twenty minutes with hypnotic repetition and very slow development.
  • Layered guitars and keyboards that create texture rather than riffs.
  • Wide reverb production with the vocals set far back in the mix.

Key acts

  • Wolves in the Throne Room
  • Paysage d'Hiver
  • Drudkh

Start here

The pickWolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters. Four tracks, close to an hour.

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Blackgaze / post-black

2007 · France / USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › Blackgaze / post-black

In short

Black metal tremolo over shoegaze harmony: the same density, but the result comes out luminous instead of frozen.

How it sounds

  • Black metal tremolo picking over major or modal, luminous harmony.
  • Walls of guitar with reverb and delay, in the shoegaze tradition.
  • Screamed vocals mixed under the instruments, as texture.

Key acts

  • Alcest
  • Deafheaven
  • Lantlôs

Start here

The pickDeafheaven - Sunbather. It opens with nine minutes that justify the whole genre.

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