The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where progressive metalcore is part sung, part screamed, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 130 to 190. To hear the difference, play Architects next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by 28 years.
In figures
Progressive metalcore
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Metalcore › Progressive metalcore
In short
Metalcore with eight-string guitars, ambient passages and structures borrowed from djent.
How it sounds
- Seven- and eight-string guitars with polyrhythms taken from djent.
- Ambient passages and electronic textures between the heavy sections.
- Very clean production with wide dynamics and vocals across many registers.
Key acts
- Architects
- Erra
- Northlane
Start here
The pickArchitects - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us. Devastating in both senses.
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 →