Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

First wave1981

Second genre

Black metal1982

Head to headFirst wave vs Black metal
First wave: heaviness 8, melody 5, speed 8. Black metal: heaviness 9, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness8 / 9Melody5 / 4Speed8 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, in figures

Black metal is slightly heavier (+1), slightly faster (+1) and slightly less melodic (−1) than First wave. It emerged in 1982, 1 year after First wave in 1981. Black metal is what First wave descends from, 1 level up. Both trace to Sweden.

Assembled from the stored ratings, dates and tree positions, not written.
Heaviness
First wave8
Black metal9
+1
Speed
First wave8
Black metal9
+1
Melody
First wave5
Black metal4
−1

First wave

1981 · UK / Sweden / Switzerland

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › First wave

In short

The bands that supplied the name and the themes, while still playing speed or thrash metal. Venom released the album that christened the genre.

How it sounds

  • Speed or thrash metal structures rather than black metal proper.
  • Chaotic production, with volume and distortion beyond what the tape could hold.
  • Satanic or occult themes, often theatrical.

Key acts

  • Venom
  • Bathory
  • Hellhammer
  • Mercyful Fate

Start here

The pickBathory - Bathory. Recorded on almost no budget, and it sounds like another planet.

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Black metal

1982 · Norway / Sweden · 10 subgenres

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal

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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