The difference, by ear
Depressive black metal uses the same tools to sound defeated rather than hostile: slower, sparser, and with the shriek turned into something closer to sobbing.
Both are growled or screamed, but black metal is much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 60 to 140. To hear the difference, play Shining next to Bathory. DSBM grew out of black metal, twelve years later. Sweden appears in the origins of both.
In figures
DSBM
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Black metal › DSBM
In short
Depressive suicidal black metal: slower tempos, wailing guitars and desperate vocals. The subject matter is heavy, and the genre is debated inside the scene itself.
How it sounds
- Slower tempos with repetitive riffs in mournful minor keys.
- Lo-fi production with distant, desperate vocals.
- Long, monotonous structures built on repetition.
Key acts
- Shining
- Silencer
- Lifelover
Start here
The pickLifelover - Pulver. The least monotonous record in the genre.
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 →