The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where instrumental prog metal is mostly instrumental, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 100 to 180. To hear the difference, play Liquid Tension Experiment next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by thirteen years.
In figures
Instrumental prog metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Progressive metal › Instrumental prog metal
In short
No vocals: the melody is carried by guitar or keyboard, and the structure can be as complex as it likes.
How it sounds
- The melody is carried by guitar or keyboards, with no vocals.
- Long technical structures with many sectional changes.
- Clean production with every instrument separately audible.
Key acts
- Liquid Tension Experiment
- Animals as Leaders
- Scale the Summit
Start here
The pickAnimals as Leaders - the debut. Tosin Abasi plays eight strings as if it were normal.
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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