The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where punk rock is shouted, and faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 160 to 200. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 2 to 3 minutes in punk rock. To hear the difference, play Ramones next to Bathory. Punk rock comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and punk rock came first, by eight years.
In figures
Punk rock
Where it sits
In short
Three chords, two minutes and zero patience for solos. A full reset of rock, and the second major source of extreme metal.
How it sounds
- Three or four chords, open position or power chords, strummed in eighths.
- Songs of ninety seconds to two and a half minutes, with no long intro and no guitar solo.
- Fast, cheap production with the vocals up front and simple drums on two and four.
Key acts
- Ramones
- Sex Pistols
- The Clash
- Buzzcocks
Start here
The pickRamones - Ramones. Fourteen songs in twenty-nine minutes, not a wasted note.
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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