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

First wave1981

Second genre

Second wave1991

Head to headFirst wave vs Second wave
First wave: heaviness 8, melody 5, speed 8. Second wave: heaviness 9, melody 3, speed 9.Heaviness8 / 9Melody5 / 3Speed8 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

The first wave is thrash with occult imagery and no shared sound. The second wave, ten years later in Norway, is where black metal becomes a coherent musical style.

Both are growled or screamed, but second wave is faster: 180 to 280 bpm against 160 to 220. To hear the difference, play Venom next to Mayhem. Both grew out of black metal, first wave first and second wave ten years after.

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

In figures

Heaviness
First wave8
Second wave9
+1
Speed
First wave8
Second wave9
+1
Melody
First wave5
Second wave3
−2

First wave

1981 · UK / Sweden / Switzerland

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › First wave

In short

The bands that supplied the name and the themes, while still playing speed or thrash metal. Venom released the album that christened the genre.

How it sounds

  • Speed or thrash metal structures rather than black metal proper.
  • Chaotic production, with volume and distortion beyond what the tape could hold.
  • Satanic or occult themes, often theatrical.

Key acts

  • Venom
  • Bathory
  • Hellhammer
  • Mercyful Fate

Start here

The pickBathory - Bathory. Recorded on almost no budget, and it sounds like another planet.

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Second wave

1991 · Norway

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › Second wave

In short

The Norwegian scene that fixed the definitive sound: thin guitars, demo-tape production as an ideal, corpse paint.

How it sounds

  • Guitars with the mids scooped out entirely - thin and cutting, with no audible bass.
  • The production ideal is a demo tape recorded in a bedroom, not a studio session.
  • Rasping high vocals with reverb, and fast, deliberately monotonous blast beats.

Key acts

  • Mayhem
  • Darkthrone
  • Burzum
  • Immortal

Start here

The pickImmortal - Pure Holocaust. The scene's best album without the troubling baggage.

Full page →