The difference, by ear
Black metal is growled or screamed where youth crew / straight edge is shouted, and swings further either way: 160 to 280 bpm against 170 to 210. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against 1½ to 2½ minutes in youth crew / straight edge. To hear the difference, play Youth of Today next to Bathory. Youth crew / straight edge comes from the rock side of the tree and black metal from the metal side, and black metal came first, by four years.
In figures
Youth crew / straight edge
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Youth crew / straight edge
In short
Hardcore with a code: no alcohol, no drugs, gang vocals and breakdowns. The ethics of the scene became the subject of the songs.
How it sounds
- Gang vocals - the chorus shouted by the whole band and the audience at once.
- A breakdown at the midpoint, with the tempo halved, made for dancing.
- Simple riffs, with the emphasis on energy and message.
Key acts
- Youth of Today
- Gorilla Biscuits
- Minor Threat
Start here
The pickGorilla Biscuits - Start Today. Optimistic hardcore, which is rarer than it sounds.
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 →