The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where groove metal is shouted, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 90 to 140. To hear the difference, play Pantera next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by eight years.
In figures
Groove metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Thrash metal › Groove metal
In short
Thrash slowed to a groove that hits you in the chest: syncopated riffs, mid-tempo drums, barked vocals.
How it sounds
- Syncopated riffs with offbeat accents at mid tempo.
- Down-tuned guitars with very thick tone and squealing pinch harmonics.
- Barked, aggressive vocals with near-rhythmic phrasing.
Key acts
- Pantera
- Machine Head
- Lamb of God
- Sepultura
Start here
The pickPantera - Vulgar Display of Power. Dimebag's guitar tone is an institution.
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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