The difference, by ear
Both are growled or screamed, but black metal is a little faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 150 to 220. To hear the difference, play At the Gates next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by eleven years.
In figures
Melodic death metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Death metal › Melodic death metal
In short
Iron Maiden-style guitar harmonies over screamed vocals. The Gothenburg scene later became the foundation of American metalcore.
How it sounds
- Twin guitar harmonies in the Iron Maiden tradition over a death metal base.
- Tremolo picking over melodic minor progressions with open chord voicings.
- Screamed vocals more often than growls, with melancholy lyrics.
Key acts
- At the Gates
- In Flames
- Dark Tranquillity
- Amon Amarth
Start here
The pickAt the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul. Thirty-four minutes that shaped two decades.
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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