The difference, by ear
Depressive black metal uses the same slowness for personal despair rather than for landscape - sparser, and with the shriek turned to something closer to sobbing.
Both are growled or screamed, but DSBM is slower: 60 to 140 bpm against 90 to 200. To hear the difference, play Wolves in the Throne Room next to Shining. Both grew out of black metal in the same year.
In figures
Atmospheric black metal
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.
Full page →DSBM
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Black metal › DSBM
In short
Depressive suicidal black metal: slower tempos, wailing guitars and desperate vocals. The subject matter is heavy, and the genre is debated inside the scene itself.
How it sounds
- Slower tempos with repetitive riffs in mournful minor keys.
- Lo-fi production with distant, desperate vocals.
- Long, monotonous structures built on repetition.
Key acts
- Shining
- Silencer
- Lifelover
Start here
The pickLifelover - Pulver. The least monotonous record in the genre.
Full page →