The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where lo-fi / slacker rock is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 90 to 140. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 1½ to 3 minutes in lo-fi / slacker rock. To hear the difference, play Pavement next to Bathory. Lo-fi / slacker rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and black metal came first, by ten years.
In figures
Lo-fi / slacker rock
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Indie rock › Lo-fi / slacker rock
In short
Recorded on a four-track cassette with the hiss left in deliberately. Indifference as a method.
How it sounds
- Recorded on a four-track with tape hiss and saturation left in.
- Approximate tuning and mistakes kept in the final version.
- Short songs, sometimes under two minutes, with incomplete structures.
Key acts
- Pavement
- Guided by Voices
- Sebadoh
Start here
The pickGuided by Voices - Bee Thousand. Twenty songs, most under two 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 →