The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where glam metal is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 120 to 160. To hear the difference, play Mötley Crüe next to Bathory. Both grew out of heavy metal, glam metal first and black metal a year after.
In figures
Glam metal
Where it sits
In short
Hard rock with hairspray, a radio chorus and a mandatory power ballad. It ruled MTV until 1991.
How it sounds
- Simple hard rock riffs with glossy production and gated reverb on the drums.
- Choruses with multiple vocal harmonies, built for radio and MTV.
- A mandatory ballad on every album, usually the hit single.
Key acts
- Mötley Crüe
- Ratt
- Poison
- Skid Row
Start here
The pickSkid Row - Slave to the Grind. The genre's heaviest album, released exactly too late.
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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