Black Metal Music

Black Metal is a genre, or sub-genre, of Heavy Metal music, which origins are held in old school Trash Metal.

The Black Metal musical style is characterized by a high pitched vocalization, as opposed to the Death Growls found in Death Metal, a fast rhythm on guitars composed mostly of tremolo picking, and very frequent Blast-Beat. Some bands use Blast-Beats during all their performances, like the Black Metal band Von, which give a wall of sound effect.

Moreover, Black Metal guitars are tuned in EBGDAE, which is the regular guitar tuning, once again as opposed to the down-tuned guitars found frequently in Death Metal.

Black Metal music is based on simple and repetitive riffs, accompanied by drum fills which often take form of blast-beats. If these Black Metal riffs are musically easier to play, it takes a great deal of instinct to compose them in an atmospheric way.

The historical progression of Black Metal is divided into several phases, commonly called waves. Von for example, can be considered the pioneer of blast beats.

• The first wave of Black Metal : The first wave isn't musically qualified as Black Metal, it rather assimilates itself to Trash Metal. As a matter of fact, a few modern Black Metal bands preserve these Trash influences. These first wave Black Metal bands emerged during the early eighties. Notable events are the release second album of the Trash Metal band Venom, under the name "Black Metal". This album would later give it's name to the whole genre, even thought musically, this album had very little to do with Black Metal.
• The second wave of Black Metal : If most of the second wave of Black Metal almost exclusively took place in Norway, most of its musical influences and other characteristics came from the Black Metal band Von, including blast-beats, the concept of atmosphere and the reappearance of the Satanic imagery. If the shriek vocals were assured in the first wave, all the other features of Black Metal music were discovered or interpreted in the second wave. The blast-beats come from Von, the tremolo picking were borrowed from early Death Metal bands and the Satanic values and imagery were influences by the first wave Black Metal bands, especially Venom, but brought into this second wave by Von.
• Third wave of Black Metal : After the second wave of Black Metal gained much mainstream popularity and acceptance, the Black Metal movement divided itself into two distinct groups, each following it's own direction. On one side the experimental bands, which mixed avant-garde elements into their music, like Leviathan, the recent work from Mayhem, Wolves in the Throne Room amongst others, and on another side the bands that wished to return to the roots of Black Metal, as in its raw atmospheric brutality. Those bands include Demoncy, Profanatica, Von Goat and more.

Let's get to the musical part of Black Metal, even thought there is much to say concerning the events surrounding the music. What characterizes Black Metal ? The question that would rise instantly in the mind of a person discovering this genre for the first time would be : what does it sound like ?

If there is very few ways to define a solid conception of the Black Metal genre, as they all differ from one band to another, there are a few key characteristics and similarities.

• Black Metal Vocalist : Very little to say here. High pitched shrieks characterize Black Metal, even thought it is common for Black Metal vocalists use different styles of vocals, including Death Growls and opera singing.
• Black Metal Guitarist : Black Metal guitars are tuned in regularly, and not down-tuned as in Death Metal. The guitar work is composed of fast tremolo picking, and often a lot of powerchords. Solos are a rarity in Black Metal music, and the guitar work is almost always on the minor scales (except for ambient Black Metal). It is common to use several guitars, on rhythm guitar based on powerchords and another one for the atmosphere and technicality, the lead guitar. You can finally note the presence of heavy distortion, often masked by effective palm-muting.
• Black Metal Bass : The role of the bassist is very limited in Black Metal, he usually simply follows the rhythm guitar work. A few exceptions exist, notably on the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and Satanic Blood albums. Other than that, the bass lines are often inaudible (Gorgoroth) and sometimes even absent (Ceremonial Castings).
• Black Metal Drumming : Far from being as technically demanding as Death Metal drumming, Black Metal drumming isn't the easiest either. The role of the drummer is to maintain the rhythm, as supplement to the often inaudible bassist, and to create a wall of sound.

This Hub is a translation of a Black Metal article I wrote two years ago for a Black Metal magazine. For more information of this musical genre, you may check out the top 10 Black Metal bands as well as the underground Black Metal community.