The difference, by ear
Both build across ten minutes and both use dynamics as structure. Post-metal comes from sludge and hardcore; this comes from black metal, and keeps the tremolo and the shriek.
Post-metal / atmospheric sludge is part sung, part screamed where atmospheric black metal is growled or screamed, and slower: 60 to 120 bpm against 90 to 200. To hear the difference, play Wolves in the Throne Room next to Neurosis. They share a root in heavy metal, and atmospheric black metal came first, by three years.
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 →Post-metal / atmospheric sludge
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Doom metal › Sludge metal › Post-metal / atmospheric sludge
In short
Sludge with post-rock logic: long songs, crescendos and instrumental passages. Neurosis invented the form.
How it sounds
- Eight- to fifteen-minute pieces with long crescendos in post-rock logic.
- Delay and reverb guitars for the quiet passages, massive distortion at the peaks.
- Vocals used sparingly, as an accent, often howled from a distance.
Key acts
- Neurosis
- Isis
- Cult of Luna
- Russian Circles
Start here
The pickIsis - Oceanic. The most accessible album in the genre, and no weaker for it.
Full page →