The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where no wave is shouted, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 100 to 200. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 1½ to 4 minutes in no wave. To hear the difference, play Teenage Jesus and the Jerks next to Bathory. No wave comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and no wave came first, by four years.
In figures
No wave
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › No wave
In short
A total refusal of melody and standard tuning. Short-lived, extreme and hugely influential on noise rock.
How it sounds
- Random or modified tunings, with the guitar used as a percussion object.
- A refusal of melody, tonal harmony and repeatable structure.
- Screamed or spoken vocals, dissonant saxophone, primitive drumming.
Key acts
- Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
- DNA
- Swans
Start here
The pickNo New York. Four bands, sixteen tracks, one manifesto.
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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