The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where Britpop is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 110 to 150. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 3 to 4½ minutes in Britpop. To hear the difference, play Oasis next to Bathory. Britpop comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and black metal came first, by eleven years.
In figures
Britpop
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Britpop
In short
Britain answers grunge with Beatles-and-Kinks melody and lyrics about ordinary English life.
How it sounds
- Beatles and Kinks melodic writing inside classic British pop structures.
- Clean or lightly distorted guitars, organ, occasionally strings.
- Deliberately marked British accents and lyrics about ordinary life.
Key acts
- Oasis
- Blur
- Pulp
- Suede
Start here
The pickPulp - Different Class. The decade's best lyrics, and it isn't close.
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.
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