The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where blues rock is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 90 to 130. To hear the difference, play Cream next to Bathory. Blues rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and blues rock came first, by nineteen years.
In figures
Blues rock
Where it sits
In short
Electric blues played louder, longer and with improvised solos. The direct bridge between Muddy Waters and Black Sabbath.
How it sounds
- Pentatonic scales and long bends inherited straight from B.B. King and Buddy Guy.
- Amplifiers driven into natural saturation - the distortion comes from volume, not a pedal.
- Long songs with room for live improvisation.
Key acts
- Cream
- The Yardbirds
- Jimi Hendrix
- Fleetwood Mac
Start here
The pickCream - Sunshine of Your Love. The riff that showed how thick a trio could sound.
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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.
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