The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where psychedelic rock is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 70 to 140. To hear the difference, play Pink Floyd next to Bathory. Psychedelic rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and psychedelic rock came first, by sixteen years.
In figures
Psychedelic rock
Where it sits
In short
Effects, sitar, feedback and songs that fall apart halfway through. The lab that produced prog, space rock and, indirectly, doom.
How it sounds
- Studio effects: phasing, reversed tape, tape echo, extreme panning.
- Instruments unusual for rock: sitar, theremin, mellotron, harpsichord.
- Structures that come apart - a song can have three unrelated sections.
Key acts
- Pink Floyd
- Jefferson Airplane
- The 13th Floor Elevators
- Cream
Start here
The pickPink Floyd - Interstellar Overdrive. Ten minutes that explain half this tree.
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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