The difference, by ear
Both are growled or screamed, but black metal is much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 90 to 140. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 2 to 3½ minutes in beatdown / metallic hardcore. To hear the difference, play Hatebreed next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by eleven years.
In figures
Beatdown / metallic hardcore
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Metalcore › Beatdown / metallic hardcore
In short
Hardcore reduced to breakdowns and slow groove, with barked vocals and lyrics about loyalty and endurance.
How it sounds
- Slow, heavy riffing built entirely around the breakdown.
- Very low tunings with thick, matte guitar tone.
- Barked vocals with gang shouts and lyrics about loyalty, the street and endurance.
Key acts
- Hatebreed
- Madball
- Terror
Start here
The pickHatebreed - Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire. Twenty-seven minutes, produced by Steve Evetts.
Full page →Black metal
Where it sits
In short
Tremolo picking, blast beats, shrieked vocals and deliberately cold production. More an aesthetic than a technique - atmosphere matters more than clean sound.
How it sounds
- Tremolo picking on open fifth voicings, with vocals in the high register.
- Deliberately thin, cold production - the missing bass is an aesthetic choice, not an accident.
- Fast blast beats, drums often mixed back, atmosphere placed above technique.
Key acts
- Bathory
- Mayhem
- Darkthrone
- Emperor
Start here
The pickDarkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky. The production is intentional, not a flaw.
Full page →