The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where gothic rock is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 90 to 130. To hear the difference, play Bauhaus next to Bathory. Gothic rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and gothic rock came first, by three years.
In figures
Gothic rock
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Gothic rock
In short
Post-punk with reverb, chorused guitar and a baritone voice. Its aesthetic passes straight into gothic metal and doom.
How it sounds
- Guitar with chorus and flanger, thin and cold, drenched in reverb.
- Melodic bass up front; some bands use a drum machine instead of a drummer.
- Baritone vocals, often declaimed, with literary and funereal lyrics.
Key acts
- Bauhaus
- The Sisters of Mercy
- The Cure
- Fields of the Nephilim
Start here
The pickBauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead. Nine minutes that founded an entire subculture.
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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