The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where stoner doom is sung cleanly, and much faster: 160 to 280 bpm against 50 to 90. Songs run longer in stoner doom: usually 7 to 20 minutes, against 4 to 9 minutes in black metal. To hear the difference, play Sleep next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by nine years.
In figures
Stoner doom
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Doom metal › Stoner doom
In short
Stoner riffs played at half speed, with thick fuzz and subject matter drawn from witchcraft and cannabis.
How it sounds
- Stoner riffs played at half speed, with thick analogue fuzz.
- Very low tunings and vintage amplifiers driven flat out.
- Nasal or incantatory vocals with lyrics about witchcraft, the occult and cannabis.
Key acts
- Sleep
- Electric Wizard
- Bongzilla
Start here
The pickElectric Wizard - Dopethrone. The thickest guitar tone ever committed to tape.
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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