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

Avant-garde metal1993

Second genre

Symphonic black metal1994

Head to headAvant-garde metal vs Symphonic black metal
Avant-garde metal: heaviness 7, melody 5, speed 7. Symphonic black metal: heaviness 8, melody 7, speed 8.Heaviness7 / 8Melody5 / 7Speed7 / 8
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Both use orchestration and theatre. Symphonic black metal keeps black metal's form; avant-garde metal keeps nothing.

Symphonic black metal is growled or screamed where avant-garde metal is part sung, part screamed, and much faster: 160 to 240 bpm against 60 to 200. To hear the difference, play Arcturus next to Emperor. They share a root in heavy metal, and avant-garde metal came first, by a year. Norway appears in the origins of both.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Avant-garde metal7
Symphonic black metal8
+1
Speed
Avant-garde metal7
Symphonic black metal8
+1
Melody
Avant-garde metal5
Symphonic black metal7
+2

Avant-garde metal

1993 · Norway / USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Progressive metal › Avant-garde metal

In short

Metal that imports anything - jazz, cabaret, electronics - and refuses to settle into a shape.

How it sounds

  • Borrowings from jazz, cabaret, electronics, classical music or folklore, with no hierarchy.
  • Unpredictable structures with abrupt stylistic shifts inside a single song.
  • Vocals used across many registers, including operatic, spoken and distorted.

Key acts

  • Arcturus
  • Mr. Bungle
  • Sigh
  • Unexpect

Start here

The pickArcturus - La Masquerade Infernale. Black metal, cabaret and opera on one album.

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Symphonic black metal

1994 · Norway

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › Symphonic black metal

In short

Keyboards and choirs over black metal structures. Grand, theatrical and by far the most saleable of the subgenres.

How it sounds

  • Keyboards and choirs treated as a lead instrument rather than as background.
  • Broad orchestration, occasionally with a real orchestra, and large studio production.
  • Epic structures with recurring themes and film-score dynamics.

Key acts

  • Emperor
  • Dimmu Borgir
  • Cradle of Filth

Start here

The pickEmperor - In the Nightside Eclipse. Recorded by teenagers, and it sounds monumental.

Full page →