The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where Canterbury scene is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 90 to 150. To hear the difference, play Soft Machine next to Bathory. Canterbury scene comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and Canterbury scene came first, by fourteen years.
In figures
Canterbury scene
Where it sits
Rock › Progressive rock › Canterbury scene
In short
Prog with jazz harmony and dry English humour. Looser and stranger than its symphonic neighbours.
How it sounds
- Jazz harmony - sevenths and ninths - in place of blues pentatonics.
- Fuzzed organ, the signature of Mike Ratledge in Soft Machine.
- Absurdist humour in the lyrics, in contrast with the complexity of the music.
Key acts
- Soft Machine
- Caravan
- Hatfield and the North
Start here
The pickCaravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink. Prog that doesn't take itself seriously, and lasts because of it.
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 →