Black Metal Subgenres

Introduction

• Black metal: unique genre, theatrics sometimes overshadow music
• Influential despite distractions
• Subgenres: many minor alterations, often complex and edgy
• Purpose: Explain black metal subgenres for clarity
• Disclaimer: Some subgenres excluded, ignore hate comments

Brief History of Black Metal

First Wave

• Origin: England
• Key Band: Venom
  • Influential album: Introduced black metal themes
  • Themes: Dark, anti-Christian imagery, terrible production, growling vocals
• Influence of Bathory
  • Furthered the genre with shrill vocals and low-fi production
• Other influential bands: Master’s Hammer, Hellhammer

Second Wave

• Early 1990s, Norway
• Bands: Mayhem, Darkthrone
  • Style: Faster, more distorted, atmospheric yet aggressive
• Defined genre conventions
  • Instrumentation and techniques: Heavy distortion, fast playing, no palm muting
  • Emphasis: Dreadful riffs and solos, minimal bass, extremely fast drumming
  • Song structure: Conventional verse-chorus
  • Vocals: High-pitched shrieking
  • Lyrics: Dark and opaque

Main Conventions of Second Wave Black Metal

• Guitar: Extreme distortion, fast playing, emphasis on treble
• Bass: Underused, follows root notes, drowned by distortion
• Drumming: Fast, minimal technique, caveman-style
• Vocals: High-pitched shrieks
• Song structure: Conventional

Subgenres of Black Metal

Melodic Black Metal

• Emerged: Mid-1990s
• Key Bands: Dissection, Sacramentum
• Characteristics: Fast tempos, tremolo picking, shrieking vocals
  • Differences: Polished guitar tone, diverse riffs, occasional acoustic use
  • Occasional clean singing

Ritualistic Black Metal

• Focus: Horror and decay
• Approach: Push conventions to limits
• Minimal audience due to extremity

Atmospheric Black Metal

• Emphasis on repetitive melodies, cold ambient textures
• Influences: Norway’s snowy landscapes

Beastial Black Metal

• Focus: Aggression and sonic brutality
• Elements: Grindcore, Goregrind
• Outcome: Noisy, headache-inducing

Symphonic Black Metal

• Combines black metal with classical music
• Instruments: Often features a symphony orchestra
• Key feature: Combination of extreme metal and orchestration

Folk Black Metal

• Combines traditional music with black metal
• Heritage: Focus on ancestry
• Nature: Sounds like a cultural fusion

Blackened Crust

• Mix: Black metal + crust punk
• Origin: Pre-second wave, inspired by first wave bands
• Characteristics: Combines raw elements of both fanbases

Depressive Suicidal Black Metal

• Usually one-man bands due to themes
• Characteristics: Slower tempo, repetitive structures, melancholic tones
• Lyrics: Dark, depressive themes

Blackgaze

• Combination: Black metal + shoegaze
• Controversy: Hated by black metal purists
• Characteristics: Experimental, dreamy soundscapes, mainstream appeal

Conclusion

• Subgenres: Complex, diverse, boundary-pushing
• Contentious: Conflicting views within fanbase
• Reminder: Respect others’ preferences