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Vadara
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2016 11:14 pm
Posts: 484
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 4:11 pm 
 

I really feel like there are more "blackened [genre]" bands than any other kind of fusion, or at least most of them. Hell, the fact that the metal scene has the specific adjectie "blackened" as opposed to just listing the genre fusion like "death/thrash" or something similar shows this--"blackening" is so common that it has its own special word to denote it. Blacked DM is quite common; I've seen blackened thrash and power metal; Deafheaven and other bands in their circle are (in)famous for combining BM with post-rock and other non-metal rock genres; shit, the biggest trend in deathcore now is blackened deathcore.

What is it about this genre that makes it so conducive to fusions? My best guess is that BM has such a distinct aesthetic and riffing elements that it's easy to incorporate some influence from the genre into another one (I cannot see death metal+post-rock working well, though now someone's gonna link me five bands that do it), but hey, throw your own hat in the ring.

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Gravetemplar
Metal freak

Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:08 am
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Location: Antarctica
PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 4:34 pm 
 

It's mostly that some of it's most characteristic and defining properties are easy to extrapolate. I feel like most of the time there isn't a real fusion of genres. For example, most so called "post black metal" albums are post rock/post metal with black metal percussion and black metal shrieks. Post rock and post metal is already known for having a lot of tremolos so changing the usual black metal tremolo picking for another more melodic king of tremolo is pretty easy.

Edit: typo.


Last edited by Gravetemplar on Fri May 28, 2021 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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~Guest 1195014
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2021 9:18 pm
Posts: 227
PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 7:21 pm 
 

Probably that it still mostly uses "normal" melody (even if usually more "evil"-sounding scales) and that the guitar playing style in itself is frankly not that extreme. Death metal for instance is usually a lot more chaotic (either chromatic or using scales so weird it might as well be) and the riffing style is so intense it's much harder to combine with a less extreme genre. Frankly I don't know that much black metal and I've accidentally stumbled into some pretty black metallish stuff when just trying to write something "melodic but more aggressive", while you just can't "accidentally" write death metal without the intent of writing something properly brutal.

I think for the same reason melodic death metal spawned so much hybrids and even -core subgenres, as the melodic aspect made it so much easier to fuse with other styles.

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RestlessChild
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2010 7:10 pm
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 7:27 pm 
 

Hell, it can even be combined with glam metal (i.e. Cold Lake: the only album of its kind...?)

:P

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Hexenmacht46290
Has a GED in Gamercide

Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:30 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 12:18 am 
 

I would say, because the genre is defined by what exactly? Usually tremolo riffs, and blast beats, but those aren’t a necessity. Using those techniques, or even any other riffs or drumming style to create that occult, or evil sounding atmosphere, is another good definition. I think there are more ways to do it, than with death metal. So you get bestial, primitive stuff, avant-garde dissonant stuff, melodic stuff, evil sounding punk rock, it all shares a kind of similar atmosphere, despite sounding so different. Whereas with death metal, a lot of the fusion styles sound less like death metal. Chuck Shuldiner wrote really melodic riffs, but the bands that are considered melodic death metal tend to sound further from his style, than he did, from most of the more basic early death metal bands. I would consider a band death metal, if they sound influenced by it, even if it’s a more minor part of their sound, but a lot of people don’t agree with that.

I think black metal actually gives you a little more freedom, to use different techniques. A lot of the early bands sounded really different, and were just united by wanting to be as satanic and underground as they could.
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joppek
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Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:36 am
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PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 6:49 am 
 

i wouldn't read too much into the terminology tho' - "blackened x" just happens to work well as a term, but you wouldn't say "deathened x" regardless of how popular the style is
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Slater922
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:24 pm
Posts: 2343
PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 8:42 am 
 

joppek wrote:
i wouldn't read too much into the terminology tho' - "blackened x" just happens to work well as a term, but you wouldn't say "deathened x" regardless of how popular the style is

Maybe "deadly x" would work?
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~Guest 1195014
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Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2021 9:18 pm
Posts: 227
PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 11:05 am 
 

"Deadly stoner metal"

Yes please.

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Gravetemplar
Metal freak

Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:08 am
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PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 11:31 am 
 

Death By Wall of Text wrote:
"Deadly stoner metal"

Yes please.

That sounds like a Church of Misery album name.

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Hexenmacht46290
Has a GED in Gamercide

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PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 1:32 pm 
 

Death By Wall of Text wrote:
"Deadly stoner metal"

Yes please.


Sounds ridiculous, but this band kind of counts https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Bismarck/3540436978
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camjr01
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Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 10:34 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 4:46 am 
 

I think it's due to a signature atmosphere. Look at this instrumental track that isn't remotely metal: https://watainsom.bandcamp.com/track/de ... strumental . I get that the band in question is obviously a black metal band, but that entire song just consists of a bunch of light and quiet clean guitar melodies, there's nothing remotely metal about it. Yet it has that signature blackened atmosphere, so it would be super out of place on any other kind of album.
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tomcat_ha
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Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 5:45 am 
 

i think its black metals wide range in terms of melody and it not being that much of a rhythmic unified genre. Its true that every new "blackened" band just does the same trick of tremolo picking chords and blasting but thats just a very limited form of interpretation of black metal. If you compare Beherit with Rotting Christ for example these bands are clearly the same genre yet so very different.

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Burek
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:30 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 6:52 am 
 

Probably because you can cram tremolo picking melodies into anything.

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RainyTheBusinessPerson
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2016 10:50 pm
Posts: 184
Location: Southern Hemisphere
PostPosted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:31 am 
 

RestlessChild wrote:
Hell, it can even be combined with glam metal (i.e. Cold Lake: the only album of its kind...?)

:P

I completely forgot about this, thanks for reminding me, now the idea of blackened glam metal sounds absolutely hilarious to me, and I shiver to think about it becoming a thing. lol

Anyway, I think black metal lends itself well to fusions and experimentation due to its simplicity, besides all the stuff previous comments here already mentioned. Black metal isn't complex like death metal, and pretty much all the pioneering black metal bands went to all kinds of different places with their sound throughout the years, which probably is a big reason too. For all its infamy of elitism (which mostly comes from an extremely annoying loud minority of really small bands and fans), black metal is one of the most experimental genres in metal. This is a really interesting topic to discuss, and I'd like to say more but I have to go to work now, so I'll come back to this later.
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Pelata
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:16 pm
Posts: 186
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 7:29 am 
 

Hexenmacht46290 wrote:
Death By Wall of Text wrote:
"Deadly stoner metal"

Yes please.


Sounds ridiculous, but this band kind of counts https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Bismarck/3540436978


Bismarck is fantastic!

RainyTheBusinessPerson wrote:

I think black metal lends itself well to fusions and experimentation due to its simplicity, besides all the stuff previous comments here already mentioned.


I agree.

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camjr01
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 10:34 pm
Posts: 134
Location: Test Location
PostPosted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 5:05 pm 
 

I mean honestly though look at this. It's pretty obviously core, yet it's undeniably blackened. There is legit tremolo picking here, but the majority of the blackened aspects of this track come from the synths and other aesthetic touches, which have way more to do with the atmosphere of the track than anything else. This is what I am referring to by a signature blackened atmosphere.
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Turner
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2002 2:04 am
Posts: 2247
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 5:16 am 
 

Black metal at its "purest" (if you think of something like Under the Sign, Burzum or De Mysteriis as the blueprint) is pretty simple. It only makes sense that someone would try to combine it with other sounds. Even Emperor and Dimmu were doing it pretty early on. Plus, minimal production is pretty easy to come by - lots of bands struggle to have a nice production, but everyone can have some dank sounding album without much effort. Record in your house, drench it in reverb, boom.

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KrigareTjovane
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 2:06 am
Posts: 545
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:51 am 
 

Probably because black metal itself is a half-baked genre and the only real way to get anything of worth from it is to bash it over the head with foreign bodies until both are wounded with quarts of blood spewing from both, mixing together to form something palatable.

Just kidding.

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LilTito
Metalhead

Joined: Thu May 13, 2021 3:10 pm
Posts: 694
Location: Croatia
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:13 pm 
 

Personally I think it's due to black metal being melodic by definition, which blends well with post-something, synths, symphonies, it's also harsh so goes well with industrial or noise, and is not too dissimilar to death metal so it also combines nice with that.

And uhhh, it's kinda easy to play lol.

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Maggot penetration
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:16 pm
Posts: 274
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:17 pm 
 

Nothing? Most of these fusions, post-rock, deathcore, don't seem to work so well for me.

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gestapothrash
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 4:55 am
Posts: 1287
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:26 am 
 

Black Metal has a whole bunch of different factors that make it very easy to fuse with other genres, far more than Death Metal (which is a far more polished sounding genre than BM). The key characteristics can come down to the riffs, lyrical content, vocal style - hell, even aesthetics.
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