The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where coldwave / minimal wave is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 90 to 130. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 3 to 5 minutes in coldwave / minimal wave. To hear the difference, play Trisomie 21 next to Bathory. Coldwave / minimal wave comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and coldwave / minimal wave came first, by a year.
In figures
Coldwave / minimal wave
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Coldwave / minimal wave
In short
European post-punk on cheap drum machines: cold synths, distant vocals, the atmosphere of a grey housing block in winter.
How it sounds
- A cheap drum machine - Roland TR-606, Korg - and a monophonic synthesizer.
- Chorused guitar, used sparingly and for texture.
- Distant vocals, often in French, over lo-fi production.
Key acts
- Trisomie 21
- Asylum Party
- Martin Dupont
Start here
The pickTrisomie 21 - Le Repos des Enfants Heureux. Grey-tower-block melancholy in pure form.
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 →