The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where ska punk is sung cleanly, and faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 160 to 200. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 2½ to 3½ minutes in ska punk. To hear the difference, play Operation Ivy next to Bathory. Ska punk comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and black metal came first, by six years.
In figures
Ska punk
Where it sits
In short
Ska offbeats and a horn section at punk tempo. The third wave of ska, thoroughly American.
How it sounds
- Upstroke guitar on the offbeat in verses, distortion in choruses.
- A horn section: trumpet, trombone, saxophone.
- Fast tempos, melodic bass and frequently comic lyrics.
Key acts
- Operation Ivy
- Rancid
- Less Than Jake
- Reel Big Fish
Start here
The pickOperation Ivy - Energy. Twenty-seven minutes, one band, wildly outsized influence.
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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