The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where drone metal is mostly instrumental, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 10 to 40. Songs run longer in drone metal: usually 15 to 60 minutes, against 4 to 9 minutes in black metal. To hear the difference, play Earth next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by eleven years.
In figures
Drone metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Doom metal › Drone metal
In short
Sustained notes at extreme volume, with almost no rhythm. You listen with your body more than your ears.
How it sounds
- Chords or notes sustained for minutes at a time, with no perceptible rhythm.
- Extreme concert volume, with the emphasis on low frequencies felt physically.
- Controlled feedback and texture in place of melody or structure.
Key acts
- Earth
- Sunn O)))
- Boris
Start here
The pickEarth - Earth 2. Seventy-three minutes, three tracks, almost no change.
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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