The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where Oriental metal is part sung, part screamed, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 110 to 170. To hear the difference, play Orphaned Land next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by twelve years.
In figures
Oriental metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Folk metal › Oriental metal
In short
Middle Eastern modes, oud and traditional percussion built into progressive or death metal.
How it sounds
- Middle Eastern modes - hijaz, kurd - used as the basis for riffs.
- Oud, saz, darbuka and other traditional instruments built into the arrangements.
- Vocals alternating between Western technique and Eastern melisma.
Key acts
- Orphaned Land
- Melechesh
- Myrath
Start here
The pickOrphaned Land - Mabool. A concept album about the flood, told through three faiths.
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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