The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where horror punk is sung cleanly, and faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 160 to 200. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 1½ to 2½ minutes in horror punk. To hear the difference, play Misfits next to Bathory. Horror punk comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and horror punk came first, by three years.
In figures
Horror punk
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Horror punk
In short
Punk with B-movie horror imagery, baritone vocals and mutant doo-wop choruses.
How it sounds
- Baritone vocals with vibrato, in a 1950s crooner style.
- Doo-wop vocal harmonies over punk guitars.
- Black-and-white horror-film imagery and lyrics.
Key acts
- Misfits
- Samhain
- The Damned
Start here
The pickMisfits - Walk Among Us. Thirteen horror songs in twenty-five minutes.
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.
Full page →