The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where glam rock is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 110 to 150. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 3 to 4½ minutes in glam rock. To hear the difference, play T. Rex next to Bathory. Glam rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and glam rock came first, by eleven years.
In figures
Glam rock
Where it sits
Rock › Blues rock › Hard rock › Glam rock
In short
Rock in glitter, platform boots and calculated ambiguity. The spectacle is half the music.
How it sounds
- A simple stomping beat with handclaps and drums up front - music built for singing along.
- Thick guitar tone but short, single-length songs.
- The sound is inseparable from the look: costumes, make-up, invented personas.
Key acts
- T. Rex
- David Bowie
- Slade
- Roxy Music
Start here
The pickT. Rex - Electric Warrior. The simplest and most effective 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.
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