The difference, by ear
Both grew out of black metal with pre-Christian subject matter. Celtic metal uses actual traditional instruments; pagan black metal usually does not.
Pagan / Viking black metal is growled or screamed where Celtic metal is part sung, part screamed, at much the same pace, around 120 to 190 bpm. To hear the difference, play Cruachan next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and Pagan / Viking black metal came first, by four years.
In figures
Celtic metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Folk metal › Celtic metal
In short
Irish melodies and traditional instruments over black or heavy metal.
How it sounds
- Tin whistle, bodhrán and fiddle woven into black or heavy metal arrangements.
- Melodies taken from the traditional Irish repertoire, often directly.
- Epic atmosphere with lyrics from Celtic myth and history.
Key acts
- Cruachan
- Primordial
- Waylander
Start here
The pickPrimordial - The Gathering Wilderness. No tin whistle, and the most Celtic of the lot.
Full page →Pagan / Viking black metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Black metal › Pagan / Viking black metal
In short
Black metal with Norse mythology and folk melodies. Bathory's later albums are the starting point.
How it sounds
- Modal melodies drawn from Nordic folk music, played on distorted guitars.
- Male choirs and marching drum patterns.
- Epic structures with long songs and dynamics running from silence to storm.
Key acts
- Bathory
- Enslaved
- Windir
Start here
The pickBathory - Hammerheart. Quorthon played nearly all of it himself.
Full page →