The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where hardcore punk is shouted, and swings further either way: 160 to 280 bpm against 190 to 250. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against under a minute to 2 minutes in hardcore punk. To hear the difference, play Black Flag next to Bathory. Hardcore punk comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and hardcore punk came first, by two years.
In figures
Hardcore punk
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk
In short
Punk accelerated to 200 bpm, songs of one minute and shouted vocals. Without it there is no thrash, no grindcore, no metalcore.
How it sounds
- Tempos of 180 to 250 bpm with galloping or skank drum patterns.
- Songs under a minute, with whole albums running twenty minutes.
- Shouted rather than sung vocals, and direct political or personal lyrics.
Key acts
- Black Flag
- Minor Threat
- Bad Brains
- Discharge
Start here
The pickBad Brains - Bad Brains (the ROIR cassette). The fastest band of the decade.
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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