The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where melodic metalcore is part sung, part screamed, and faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 150 to 190. To hear the difference, play Killswitch Engage next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by seventeen years.
In figures
Melodic metalcore
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Metalcore › Melodic metalcore
In short
Gothenburg harmonies imported into American hardcore. The dominant formula of the 2000s.
How it sounds
- Melodic death metal guitar harmonies over hardcore structures.
- Clean sung choruses with melodic vocals and broad production.
- A final breakdown as the song's climax.
Key acts
- Killswitch Engage
- As I Lay Dying
- Trivium
Start here
The pickTrivium - Ascendancy. Metalcore that remembers to include solos.
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 →