The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where Krautrock is mostly instrumental, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 120 to 150. Songs run longer in Krautrock: usually 6 to 20 minutes, against 4 to 9 minutes in black metal. To hear the difference, play Can next to Bathory. Krautrock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and Krautrock came first, by fourteen years.
In figures
Krautrock
Where it sits
Rock › Psychedelic rock › Krautrock
In short
A tireless motorik beat, studio improvisation and a refusal of the chorus. It shaped post-punk, post-rock and electronic music.
How it sounds
- The motorik beat: four to the floor, unvarying, for ten to twenty minutes.
- Studio improvisation later assembled at the mixing desk - the tape is an instrument.
- A refusal of the chorus, of virtuoso solos and of American blues.
Key acts
- Can
- Neu!
- Faust
- Amon Düül II
Start here
The pickNeu! - Hallogallo. Ten minutes that fed four decades of music.
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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