The difference, by ear
Both are growled or screamed, but black metal is a little faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 150 to 220. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 1½ to 3 minutes in crust punk. To hear the difference, play Amebix next to Bathory. Crust punk comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and black metal came first, by two years.
In figures
Crust punk
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Crust punk
In short
D-beat soaked in metal and mud: thick tone, apocalyptic themes, trousers unwashed since 1989.
How it sounds
- Thick, muddy guitar tone with a very prominent distorted bass.
- Alternation between fast d-beat and slow passages close to doom.
- Two vocalists - one low, one shrill - and apocalyptic or ecological themes.
Key acts
- Amebix
- Doom
- Tragedy
- His Hero Is Gone
Start here
The pickAmebix - Arise! It sounds like the end of the world, which was the point.
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 →